Category: Daily Monitor

Uganda’s netball team, the She Cranes, has beaten Namibia 47-39 at the ongoing Africa Netball Championship in Malawi to complete an unbeaten run in group A.

The She Cranes beat a hard-fighting Namibia by a nine-goal margin.

Goal shooter Shadiah Nassanga, who won the player of the match accolade, revealed that teamwork and communication were key to this victory.

‘Off court, we do communicate well as a team, and we are going to correct our mistakes as we look forward to our semifinal game,’

The She Cranes, who lead group A, will have a resting day before they take on second-placed Malawi on Saturday in the semifinal.

Malawi, who are currently in second position in group B behind leaders South Africa, will on Saturday, take on Tanzania to complete their group fixtures.

Likewise, Kenya will play against Zimbabwe to complete the group fixtures.

In another semifinal, South Africa, who topped group B, will face the second-place opponent, who is yet to be decided in group A

At 6:40 pm in Nakapelimoru Village, the sun sinks behind the hills, staining the sky orange. In a small manyatta (small hut), 17-year-old Perter Lomilo crouches over a pot of boiling leaves-ekorete-because there is no food. His younger siblings hover around him, dizzy with hunger. School ended for them two years ago; the family could not afford even the ‘free’ education costs.

This is Karamoja in 2025-a region that has absorbed billions in government programnes, donor funds, and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) attention. Yet today, people still boil wild leaves for dinner, youth roam trading centres searching for nonexistent jobs, and districts rank at the bottom of nearly every human development indicator in Uganda.

Against this grim backdrop, President Museveni’s fresh capital promises ahead of the 2026 elections-including special funds for youth skilling, iron sheets re-distribution schemes, and a revitalised wealth creation agenda-have been received with cautious hope and deep skepticism. In Nakapelimoru, Lonrengechora, and Rupa, the question is whispered in manyattas and sung in youth circles: ‘If the pledges are fulfilled, why does poverty still live with us? Karamoja has endured decades of government interventions, donor programmes, food relief cycles, and countless strategic frameworks. Billions of shillings have been poured into the sub-region. Yet it remains the poorest place in Uganda, with chronic hunger, low literacy, weak markets, limited livelihood security, and persistent cattle theft that, cycles between criminality and survival. This is the story of a broken, fractured region-Karamoja has heard promises before. It has also been forgotten before.

We examine why.

Karamoja’s development trajectory has long been shaped by two competing paradigms: The Security Lens. Since the 1970s and 1980s, government policy has primarily framed Karamoja as a security problem focusing on disarmament, cattle rustling, and military operations. This approach, though necessary at times, has dominated development planning, often sidelining livelihoods and social services. The Humanitarian Lens. Decades of drought, famine cycles, and humanitarian aid have entrenched a relief-oriented economy. The region has more NGOs warehouses than functional factories, and food aid remains a routine expectation rather than an emergency measure.

From the Karamoja Integrated Development Plan (KIDP) to Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), and most recently the Parish Development Model (PDM), each initiative came with large budgets and political fanfare. Yet the outcomes on the ground remain depressingly similar: lowest literacy rates in Uganda, highest levels of malnutrition and stunting, chronic food insecurity, minimal private sector activity, poor infrastructure and near-zero industrialisation. Whitaker Peace and Development organisation working in Karamoja in its report titled ‘A focus on literacy rates” published in July, 2024, states that Karamoja Sub-region is one of the poorest and most challenged areas, and has the lowest literacy rates of the country, with less than 24 percent compared to the national average of 72 percent. Karamoja has always been in the plan. It has rarely been in the results.

Youth, women and leaders voices

‘I finished Senior Six in 2021,’ 19-year-old Caral Apalorot, from Moroto District, says. ‘My classmates in Kampala are working or at university. For me, the only job I got was quarrying sand for Shs5,000 a day.’ Her dream is to become a nurse, but the district’s scholarship programme collapsed years ago. In Nabilatuk District, a mother of six, Narenge, sits beside a dry seasonal riverbed. ‘Every election season, they come with promises-tractors, goats, money for women groups. After elections, we never see them again,’ she says. A senior district planner in Kaabong District, who prefers to speak on condition of anonymity, admits that allocations often arrive late-if at all. ‘We submit budgets, but releases are unpredictable.

Last year, our agricultural extension officer positions remained unfunded while the region received thousands of kilograms of seeds without proper planning,’ he says. Elders argue that development programmes ignore pastoralist identity. ‘They want us to farm, but they don’t give us water or irrigation. They want us to settle, but they provide no services,’ an elder from Tepeth, says.

The policy bottlenecks

Karamoja’s planning has been dominated by security agencies rather than economists, agriculturalists, or community planners. This has resulted into reactive rather than long-term interventions, prioritization of peacekeeping over production and has generated mistrust between communities and the State

Different ministries run overlapping projects; Ministry of Karamoja Affairs, Ministry of Gender (for youth funds), Ministry of Agriculture, Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) humanitarian wing, OWC, PDM, Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP).No central coordination. No unified development strategy.

Poor coordination among stakeholders, including government bodies, NGOs, and development partners, has been a persistent challenge for development initiatives in Karamoja. This has led to issues such as service replication, inefficient resource allocation, and a lack of unified strategy for addressing the region’s complex challenges.

The key aspects of the problem are seen in the duplication of services, lack of unified planning and strategy, weak governance coordination capacity, limited community consultation, and security challenges. The Ministry of Karamoja Affairs is designated as the main coordinating body, but it requires sufficient staffing and skills to work effectively with the diverse range of international partners. Without this capacity, development partners may be less committed to a centralised approach.

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), through its own budget monitoring unit, (BMAU) in a Briefing Paper of March, 2024, reviewing projects in Karamoja, observes: ‘There is slow implementation of all PRDP projects in Karamoja resulting from; un-communicated budget cuts, which crowd out service delivery, poor coordination between OPM and MoFPED in communicating the final planning figures and delays in procurement and low capacity of contrators/suppliers”.

Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED), through its own budget monitoring unit, (BMAU) in a Briefing Paper of March, 2024, reviewing projects in Karamoja, observes: ‘There is slow implementation of all PRDP projects in Karamoja resulting from; un-communicated budget cuts, which crowd out service delivery, poor coordination between OPM and MoFPED in communicating the final planning figures and delays in procurement and low capacity of contrators/suppliers”.

The foregoing situation is well captured in Mbebmbes’ writing (2001;77): ‘.African states may well follow different itinaries-fragmention, breakup, concentration of power to the benefit of small number of regional powers, reproduction of lineage or chieftaincy logics within the State, or accentuation of practices reflecting dual power are within the range of the possible. But whatever the diversity of the trajectories that local societies take, the future of the State will be settled, as has happened previously in the world, at a point where the three factors of war, coercion and capital meet”.

In the case of the Ugandan State, the meeting point of war (represented by the 1980s Bush War), coercion (represented by contemporary State power) and capital (represented by the donor) can be located in the poverty reduction policy arena.

Poor infrastructure, markets

Roads linking Moroto-Kotido-Kabong remain patchy. Electricity coverage is minimal. Such isolation means: high transport costs, no industry, and low investor confidence. This is definitely a region stuck in the same storyline. As Uganda enters the charged 2026 election season, Karamoja is once again at the centre of renewed political interest. Presidential convoys return, government officials inspect long-forgotten projects, and pledges of capital injections echo across trading centres-from Kaabong to Amudat. It is a familiar sound: promises of tractors, restocking livestock, modern markets, valley dams, youth skilling centres, and mineral wealth-sharing programmes.

Yet on the ground, nothing feels new.

This is a fractured story-a region where development rises during election years but collapses once the ballot boxes leave. Karamoja’s development narrative is tightly interwoven with Uganda’s election cycles. Every five years, the region becomes a stage for political symbolism. New wealth-creation initiatives are launched hurriedly; funds are pledged; and previous failed interventions are rebranded as fresh solutions. In 2025 alone, the region has been promised 10,000 youth supported under capital skilling schemes, livestock restocking under renewed OPM programmes, solar-powered valley dams and irrigation models, support to revive the collapsed cattle economy, and increased sharing of mineral revenues with host communities. These promises mirror those of 2021, 2016, and 2011. Some are copies of pledges made in the late 1990s under the Karamoja Integrated Disarmament and Development Programme.

Each cycle raises hope-and disappointment.

Local leaders argue that election-year interventions are often politically timed, short-term, and lack follow-through. Once campaigns end, the pace slows. Funds dry up. Projects stall. Contractors vanish. The result is a pattern of ‘start-stop development’ that leaves Karamoja locked in the same struggles. In sharp contrast to the year-in-year-out promises, Uganda Bureau of Statistics’ (Ubos) 2023/2024 National Household Survey report captures Karamoja’s poverty rate as dire. It stands at 74.2 percent, which is four times the national average, despite a national decline in poverty to 16.1 percent.

The same Ubos report says an estimated 84 percent of the youth in Karamoja were experiencing multidimensional poverty. While the United Nations Programme office in 2023 noted that economic regression, food insecurity, and unemployment and inequality among women and youth all resulted in the loss of lives and livelihoods in the sub-region. This has discounted the country’s development prospects and achievements, especially of the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs.

Mr Ambrose Toolit, the Executive Director of Grassroots Alliance for Rural Development (GARD), told local media in a previous interview that although poverty and underdevelopment in Karamoja have been attributed to conflict, it has since experienced relative peace, but poverty levels remain high.

He estimates that Karamoja has received up to Shs1 trillion from international development donor partners through the central government, local government, UN, international NGOs, and local NGOs in the last 10 years. ‘But in real development terms, it’s difficult to point to or put a figure to this money,’ he concludes.

Mr Johanes Mbabazi of the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (Acode), is of the same view. He, however, admits that on realising this challenge as civil society, they have intervened and are trying to get stakeholders to account for the resources they invest in the region.

The coordinator Restless Development Uganda, Mr Henry Napokol, agrees that the resources injected in the region have not positively impacted the communities. He attributes this situation to a lack of accountability. ‘The people do not understand the activities and investments offered for their transformation,” he says.

The chairperson of the Elders Association, Mr Simon Nangiro, wonders why several accountability bodies have been assessing the project implementations but failed to track how the resources are being spent.

The Minister of Karamoja Affairs, Mr Simon Peter Lokeris, on the other hand, remains confident about the progress in Karamoja. In an interview with a local media house, he says the region is gradually transforming through the collaborative efforts of the government and development partners. The 2016 donor mapping report compiled by the then USAID-supported Karamoja Resilience Unit (KRSU) indicates that the 10 donors, including: USA, World Bank, Irish Aid, SIDA (Sweden), EU, Germany, Japan, KOICA (Korea), and Italy, provided a significant majority of the external funds flow to Karamoja.

Climate stress, environmental neglect

Karamoja is a climate hotspot. Yet: no substantial irrigation investments exists, grazing corridors remain unplanned, drought resilience programmes are underfunded and education is collapsing: teacher absenteeism, classroom shortages, early marriages, hunger pushing pupils out of school. Health services remain inadequate with frequent stock-outs and understaffing. The iron sheets scandal of 2023 still haunts the region. Many residents fear new capital injections for the election season may follow the same pattern.

Missed Opportunities

Karamoja’s comparative advantage is livestock-yet policy favours crop agriculture despite erratic rainfall. A modern livestock value chain (dairy, meat processing, hides and skins) would transform the region-but there is no robust investment. Gold, marble, limestone, and rare earth minerals are abundant. But communities gain almost nothing, illegal and exploitative mining persists, no transparent revenue-sharing model exists.

Ubuntu Times, an online publication in a 2021 story titled: ‘Mining Rush Threatens Indigenous Peoples in Karamoja Uganda”, points out a series of challenges from land grabbing, impact on the environment to challenges on indigenous rights. The report says despite billions of investments into mining projects that arguable injected new life to the region in form of jobs, in the same vein it has brought new problems threatening livelihoods of millions of the Karimojong.

‘In a region long inhabited traditionally by cattle keepers, the rush to get the regions precious minerals (gold, limestone, and marble) is damaging key water sources and stirring social unrest. Locals talk of being displaced from their ancestral farmlands by land grabbers, while others are now suffering from many deseases, including skin infections and diarrhoea, blamed on consuming water from contaminated sources, as some miners use hazardours chemecals, including mercury to extract gold”.

With stunning landscapes, unique culture, and proximity to Kidepo National Park, Karamoja could be a tourism hub. But lack of infrastructure and branding keeps tourists away. Young people run small shops, boda boda businesses, carpentry, solar repair, and crafts-but lack capital, training, or market access. The presidential promise of ‘Karamoja youth industrial hubs’ has yet to materialise beyond speeches.

What must change

There is need of a shift from security led- to economic lead planning. Karamoja needs economists, engineers, and planners-not just soldiers.

Kenya seized early control of the men’s golf event of the ongoing East Africa Community (EAC) Inter-Parliamentary Games in Kampala after posting a commanding 154 points on Day One of the stableford-format competition.

Led by Edward Muriu’s blistering 40 points and a trio of 38s from John Methu, Mugambi and JK Chege, the Kenyans opened a clear gap ahead of hosts Uganda at the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa in Kigo.

Uganda’s top four, spearheaded by Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa on 35 points, and supported by Okin Ojara PP (31), Anthony Okullo (27) and Josephat Tumwesigye (27), totalled 120 points.

But the tide turned in the women’s category where Team Uganda ladies produced a superb collective performance. Sylvia Nayebale (37), Judith Alyek (34) and Patience Nkunda (27) tallied 98 points, outclassing Kenya’s 90 to give the home side a much-needed lift on Day One.

Kenya claim volleyball

Earlier at the Makerere Indoor Arena, the Kenya men’s volleyball team held off a spirited Ugandan display to win 3-1 in a pulsating match. Kenya edged the first set 25-23, Uganda roared back 25-12, but Kenya reclaimed control in the third (25-23) before sealing victory with a dominant 25-11 in the final set.

Uganda’s charge was led by captain Hon. Gaffa Mbwatekamwa, backed by Hon. Hillary Kiyaga alias Dr Hilderman, as the home fans created a fiery atmosphere. The Kenyan women were also ruthless in tug of war competition hosted at Lugogo Cricket Oval. They won all their three engagements against Uganda, South Sudan and EALA for a haul of nine points. Uganda consolidated second spot with five points.

Basketball joy for Uganda

There was joy later at Lugogo as Team Uganda outclassed Kenya 48-34 in the men’s basketball duel. Hon. Okabe Emmanuel dropped 11 points, while captain Mwine Mpaka and Bosco Okiror added 10 apiece, with Julius Tusiime contributing eight in a well-rounded team performance.

Dominant soccer hosts

On Tuesday, Uganda had made it two out of two on the soccer field with a tight but deserved 2-1 win over Kenya in the men’s football fixture. That victory gives Uganda hope in the first week of action across multiple sports as the EAC Games gather momentum.

EAC GAMES RESULTS

Golf – Men – Round One

Kenya – 154 points

Uganda – 120 points

EALA – 37 points

South Sudan – 28 points

Rwanda – 22 points

Golf – Women Round One

Uganda – 98 points

Kenya – 90 points

Rwanda – 20 points

Volleyball – Men

Kenya 3-1 Uganda

(25-23, 12-25, 25-23, 25-11)

Basketball – Men

Uganda 48-34 Kenya

(10-06, 14-08, 14-08, 10-16)

Football – Men

Uganda 2-1 Kenya

Tug of War – Women

Kenya 9 points

Uganda 5 points

South Sudan 4 points

EALA 0 points

THE BIG TALKING POINT

Momentum Shift. While Kenya’s early golf and tug of war statement set the tone, Uganda’s strength across other disciplines – particularly women’s golf, basketball and football – showed that this year’s Games may not follow a single-script narrative, with each code producing its own storyline of rivalry and redemption.

It is that time of the year again when many urban dwellers travel to different destinations for the long festive holidays.

Planning for activities at your destination is one thing but the mechanical condition of the vehicle in which you and your family will travel is another.

Wheel alignment and balance

Apart from the routine checks you do yourself on the car for the usual Kampala drives, Peter Kasoma, a mechanic in Kampala, advises you to carry out wheel balance and alignment at a trusted garage.

While wheel alignment is carried out to improve your car’s stability by making sure all the wheels align together and move in straight line, wheel balance, on the other hand, aims at ensuring that your car rims fit well on the tyres to avoid uneven wear and tear of tyres.

Depending on where it is done, wheel alignment and balance cost between Shs50,000 to Shs100,000 at most service stations.

Suspension system

Wheel balance and alignment should go hand in hand with inspection of your suspension system.

A well-functioning system is made up of springs, shock absorbers and suspension bushes, with each part playing a different role.

For instance, while the suspension bushes, which are the rubber materials, absorb and cushion the vibrations every time you drive into potholes or a rough road surface, springs and the shock absorbers counter react to the shock the car experiences when you drive into a ditch or pothole. The shock absorbers absorb the shock and enable the car to be in a stable space.

‘However comfortable the car seats are, when one of or all the components of the suspension system is not in a good mechanical condition, it will affect stability of the car until it is replaced,’ Kasoma explains.

Oils and lubricants

Ideally, car oils and lubricants are fluids you should be checking daily prior to and after using the car regardless of whether you’re going for a short or long drive. Between when you start the car in the morning and when you stop the car in the evening, many things happen that can lead to a drop of car fluids, which can lead to loss of life or even the car itself. For example, low engine oil levels can lead to engine knock, which in most cases require you to replace an engine.

While water for wipers is a matter of topping up, fluids such as gearbox and engine oils, steering wheel and brake fluids and engine coolant should be at the required levels.

‘If you have been topping up engine oil for minor service for urban drives, consider having it replaced before you drive long distances. Check and ensure with your mechanic that you’re using the recommended oil grades because different classes and models of cars use different grades and quantities,’ advises Alvin Nkini, a mechanic at Dalas Auto Limited in Bunga.

Tyres and their components

There are different tyre types on the market and all cars are prescribed to use different tyre sizes. The costs also vary. What is also important to understand is that different tyres are used in different terrains, though there are those that are used in all terrains. Regardless, the tyres you use should have treads as these help you to brake effectively.

‘The tyres you use should be uniform in terms of size but should also have the same pressure. You can easily tell whether the tyres have the same pressure by carefully observing the tyres. If one or two of the tyres has less or more pressure than the other, when you’re driving, you will feel the car imbalanced on the road,’ Nkini advises.

Apart from the tyres on the vehicle, you also need to make sure that the spare tyre, a car component that you don’t frequently check, is in a usable condition with the right tyre pressure. You should also ensure that your trunk has the right wheel spanner size, car jerk screwdriver and the stud for a successful tyre replacement in case you experience a flat tyre on the road.

Brake system

The most important part in the braking system of a car are the brake pads. When they are getting worn out, the brakes make noise as you brake, a sign that you need to replace them.

On top of ensuring that your brake pads are still functional, you also must have the brake disk checked to confirm it’s not rough to affect the effectiveness of the brake pads.

‘When the brake disk is rough, it means the brake pads will wear out faster. The solution is to have it replaced or resurfaced because you don’t know at what point it will fail. Let your mechanic check the brake fluid levels and the brake calliper are in the required mechanical condition and levels before starting your journey,’ says Edwin Jjuuko, a mechanic in Wandegeya.

Head and rear/brake lights

Head and brake or rear lights play the same roles; to see and to be seen on the road amidst all road conditions. There are scenarios when you’re trailing a vehicle with defunct rear lights, or when there’s a vehicle on the incoming lane with a defunct headlight, that you could mistake for a motorcycle. In some cases, such motorists are not aware that their lights are defunct.

Refugees with disabilities decry exclusion in education, healthcare

Refugees living in Uganda have decried growing exclusion from financial-related projects, education, and healthcare services in the country.

Through their umbrella organisation, Association of Refugees with Disabilities (ARD), they have called upon the government to consider in key government programmes, especially education, health and financial-related projects.

They made the call during belated International Day of People with Disabilities celebrations.

According to the association’s executive director, Mr James Muombamungu, they need to celebrate the day because it brings them together to acknowledge their efforts and also share gaps associated with the inclusivity of refugees.

He said following the international aid cut, especially by the Donald Trump administration, many refugees with disabilities are gravely affected in terms of limited handouts like food supply, and this has been worsened by the fact that most refugees with disabilities can’t participate in farming, which is the major economic activity in their settlements.

It’s for this reason that Muombamungu wants the government to extend some support to deal with the worrying situation in the refugee camps.

“Funding for food has drastically reduced, and refugees with disabilities have no access to gainful employment. Therefore, we call upon the government to include refugees with disabilities in gainful economic activities. Let’s empower them and also include them in our society. We also lack inclusive schools in the refugee resettlement camps. The available schools are far away from the refugee camps, hence refugee children with disabilities can’t access them,” Mr Muombamungu appealed.

Mr Hassan Mulondo, a member of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said most refugees with disabilities lack access to information and government programmes like the Parish Development Model (PDM), which only caters for natives.

“Persons with disabilities have a gain of 10 per cent on PDM programme, but this is only for natives with disabilities, while refugees with disabilities are not catered for. This is a huge barrier to socio-economic transformation,” Mr Mulondo said.

Mulondo also expressed displeasure on the design of Uganda’s education curriculum which he says doesn’t suit or match with refugees who come from foreign countries to settle in Uganda.

“The education curriculum was designed for only Ugandan natives with disabilities. For instance, the medium of communication is English yet in other foreign countries, children are taught in different languages,” Mr Mulondo added.

The 2025 winner of Miss Ability Western Uganda, Jennifer Kubawo Bumali, observed that most schools are not user-friendly to persons with disabilities, citing a lack of toilet facilities for disabled children, sign interpreters and exclusion in sporting activities.

She also revealed that PWDs are usually segregated in the job market because some organisations don’t believe that they can perform well.

She appealed to the government and other actors to provide a platform for PWDs to work in an inclusive work environment.

“In most cases, we are not given a chance to work because we have disabilities, yet we also can perform like our counterparts who are abled. I implore the government to employ sign language interpreters in schools such that we are also included in the education sector,’ she said.

The town clerk of Rubaga Division, John Bosco Bashinyora, said Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has put in place a strategic plan for inclusivity, adding that the government has put in place several laws to support refugees with disabilities.

The head of Gender, Child Protection and Human Rights Advocate at the Norwegian Refugee Council, Ms Mercy Florence, called upon stakeholders to implement all government programmes that benefit refugees with disabilities rather than leaving them on paper.

She condemned those who stigmatise persons with disabilities and urged the government to accelerate access to information among refugees with disabilities

The United Nations has called on Uganda to safeguard democratic spaces and ensure all voices, including those of the Opposition, are freely heard, just one month to the 2026 General Election.

Speaking at the commemoration of International Human Rights Day in Kampala yesterday, Mr Leonard Zulu, the UN Resident Coordinator, urged Uganda to embrace tolerance, inclusion, and respect for divergent opinions, especially at a time when political actors are feeling the heat on the campaign trail.

‘It is essential that every person in Uganda, including women, girls, older persons, people with disabilities, refugees, and all those at risk of being left behind, can exercise their rights without barriers, stigma or discrimination,’ he said.

Mr Zulu said it is not productive in a democratic society to bottle up people’s emotions and prayed for a peaceful election next January. ‘Human rights are not self-executing; they require vigilance, active participation, and unwavering commitment. The voices of women, persons with disabilities, youth, and marginalised groups must be heard and respected; we must protect the rights of everyone, everywhere in Uganda. I wish the country a peaceful, violence-free electoral period.’

His remarks come hot on the heels of running battles between National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, and security agencies that have had no beds of roses since last month. Recent events in Mbarara and Kiruhura districts; Kawempe in Kampala, and Gulu City saw uniformed and plain-clothed men brutalising members of NUP. There have also been rocky incidents of diversion, tear-gassing, arrests, and reported injuries among party supporters.

Mr Zulu also conveyed a message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who reminded states that civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights are ‘inalienable, indivisible and interdependent,’ stressing that societies must protect the most vulnerable if human rights are to flourish. Quoting Nelson Mandela, the resident coordinator said: ‘To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.’ Uganda marked the day under the theme: ‘Strengthening democratic space: Upholding freedom of expression, speech, association, media and security of person.’

The UN said the theme is both timely and crucial for maintaining public confidence in the electoral process because trust, once broken, is hard to mend, and you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Mr Zulu said Uganda is a signatory to major international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He further said the country has strong constitutional bodies; the Judiciary, Parliament, the Human Rights Commission, the Inspectorate of Government, and civil society, which together form a framework for accountability, reminding citizens that the wheels of justice may turn slowly, but they do turn.

The UN urged Ugandans to remain vigilant and actively protect the rights of all citizens during the election period, saying human rights ‘begin in small places, close to home,’ and must be upheld everywhere because charity begins at home. Representing the Opposition at the event, Mr George Musisi, a member of NUP, said freedoms of expression, association, and assembly have deteriorated during the ongoing campaigns, warning that the period is turning ‘for the worse’ instead of showcasing the vibrancy expected of campaign season.

‘We have had more than 60 days of presidential campaigning and nearly 50 days of parliamentary campaigns. At the beginning, people kept saying the campaign was peaceful. Yes, it was largely peaceful, but it was never seamless. There were always frictions and blockages,’ Mr Musisi said the honeymoon period was short-lived. He revealed that more than 400 of their supporters had been arraigned in court on one charge or another.

‘Police claim these people threw stones or assaulted officers, yet out of those 400, fewer than 30 have been charged with assault and less than 30 with stone throwing,’ he said, adding that the numbers don’t add up.

‘In Pader, when 89 people were arrested, the charges in court were completely different from what the police had said. Recently, when more than 80 people were arrested, police again issued statements alleging assault and stone throwing, yet the charges were different,’ Mr Musisi explained, saying the authorities were trying to move the goalposts.

Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party president Jimmy Akena has accused President Museveni of being responsible for his disqualification from the 2026 presidential race.

The Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified Mr Akena, along with Mr Joseph Ochieno and Mr Dennis Adim Enap, from contesting for the presidential nomination under the UPC ticket, citing their ineligibility to hold a valid UPC party card as required by the party’s constitution.

EC’s decision stemmed from UPC’s internal wrangles, with Mr Akena’s leadership term having expired without formal extension by the party’s organs. While addressing journalists at the party headquarters in Kampala yesterday, Mr Akena accused President Museveni of being the mastermind of his disqualification.

He urged his supporters to alternatively vote among other presidential contenders but not Museveni.

‘I want to tell you, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is responsible for my disqualification, and I have been telling all members who support Akena that Museveni is responsible for my disqualification. Whoever wishes to vote for Akena, please don’t vote for Museveni; rather, vote for one of the other seven candidates. And if you don’t want any of them, write my name, Akena, on the ballot,’ said Mr Akena.

Mr Akena also condemned the violence against the National Unity Platform presidential candidate and his supporters, emphasising the need for peaceful elections. ‘Let’s have an honest conversation; if you have the best ideas for Ugandans, please present them. The people of Uganda are wise; they should be able to see which is a good idea and which is not. If they don’t vote for you, sit down and revise, let’s have an honest conversation because that’s what an election is all about,’ he said.

But Mr Faruk Kirunda, the deputy presidential press secretary, challenged Mr Akena to urge his wife, also the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ms Betty Amongi, to resign from President Museveni’s Cabinet if he truly believed the President was involved in his disqualification. ‘First, can Mr Akena urge his wife to resign from the Cabinet since the person he is raising these allegations against is her boss? Why would he watch as she serves a ‘bad and malicious leader’?’Mr Kirunda questioned.

Mr Kirunda also demanded evidence to support Mr Akena’s claims, asking if he had raised the issue with IPOD, the forum promoting inter-party dialogue.

‘Can he provide evidence to back the allegations? Has he raised them with IPOD where he is a member?’ he asked.

He attributed Mr Akena’s problems to internal UPC conflicts, citing court decisions against him. ‘According to what has been happening, and I think the public has been following, Mr Akena’s problems originated within UPC. They had wrangles, and the courts decided. Is President Museveni in court?’ Mr Kirunda asked.

Mr Kirunda added that Mr Akena isn’t a significant threat to Museveni’s presidency, pointing out that other candidates went through the process unscathed.

He urged Akena to address UPC’s internal issues and consider trying again in the next electoral cycle. In October, President Museveni downplayed Mr Akena’s allegations of his interference in his disqualification from the presidential race, saying he wasn’t even aware of Mr Akena’s candidacy.

Residents of 17 uncoded parishes in Tororo District are appealing to the government for inclusion under the Parish Development Model (PDM), claiming they have been excluded from previous disbursements.

The calls came during the official launch of the fourth batch of PDM fund disbursements in Nyemara Parish, Iyolwa Sub-County, presided over by Defense and Veterans Affairs Minister Jacob Oboth Oboth on Wednesday.

Nyemara, which has not benefited from any of the three prior disbursements, is among the 17 parishes seeking government attention.

Area LCIII chairperson Benjamin Oketcho said inclusion under affirmative action would help residents recover from the stigma and economic challenges of being left out.

‘We love the NRM government but what hurts us is that other parishes in the neighborhood are benefiting from the money while we are just looking at them and this makes us think that government is against us,’ Oketcho said.

Defense minister Oboth Oboth consoled the residents, apologizing for delays and promising that the Ministry of Local Government is finalizing the coding of the remaining parishes.

‘On behalf of government I stand here to apologise for the delayed consideration of your parish in the PDM but also assure you that the ministry of local government is working towards ensuring that all uncoded parishes are coded and start benefiting from this programme,’ he said.

He encouraged residents to enroll in other government initiatives, including Emyooga, Grow Project, Uganda Women Enterprise Programme, and Youth Livelihood Programme, while awaiting PDM inclusion.

Oboth Oboth also appealed to residents to support President Museveni and other NRM candidates ahead of the 2026 general elections.

‘This government loves all its citizens and the cabinet that I am part of has identified the challenge and it’s being worked on. I’m optimistic that soon you will be considered; however, this should not demoralize you from demanding to be part of the other programmes,’ he explained.

The minister also announced plans to disburse compensation to victims of the Lakwena and Force Oboye Back (FOBA) conflicts, including Iyolwa residents.

George Oketcho, Budama South NRM parliamentary candidate, noted that delayed support could affect the party’s performance in the 2026 polls.

‘Hon minister, the environment here shows how people are needy and delaying to reach them with support infringes on their rights, and they are right to complain. However, with your explanation, they are now contented,’ he said.

About PDM

The Parish Development Model (PDM) was officially launched by President Museveni on February 26, 2022. It is a government-led poverty alleviation program.

The Buruli Cultural leadership has raised concerns over a lack of clarity surrounding the government’s planned 7,200-megawatt nuclear power plant in Nakasongola District.

Isabaruli Mwogezi Butamanya, the cultural leader, said the limited information available to the public has created uncertainty among local communities, leaders, and the cultural institution itself.

‘We don’t have the answer to the many questions raised regarding the planned nuclear plant at Kasenyi parish including the actual size of the land planned for the project among many other issues. It’s upon the government to address the concerns,’ he said on December 10 during his 21st coronation anniversary at Kibira Village in Nakasongola Town Council.

Butamanya welcomed development projects that improve livelihoods but cautioned his subjects to guard their cultural heritage.

‘Nobody will help you build and love your culture. You should ensure that you jealously guard your culture and language from disintegration,’ he added.

Local leaders have been actively seeking clarification even as Nakasongola County MP Noah Mutebi and LC5 Chairperson Sam Kigula confirmed that a district delegation had engaged the Office of the Prime Minister over the nuclear plant concerns.

‘The Prime Minister Ms Robinah Nabbanja together with the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development will be in Nakasongola District to interact and possibly give more information about the planned nuclear plant very soon. We hope the fears and concerns will be addressed,’ Mutebi said at the coronation event.

Public Service Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa, delivering President Museveni’s message, noted that officials are coordinating an engagement meeting with local stakeholders.

‘The Prime Minister together with the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development will be in Nakasongola for purposes of meeting the stakeholders about the nuclear project. We should not mix the nuclear project with the ongoing political campaigns as people of Nakasongola District,’ he added.

On his part, Buruli Cultural Institution Prime Minister Samuel Kasirye emphasized that key cultural sites, including Kageri Hill in Nakasongola Town Council, have already been secured for cultural tourism.

The nuclear project, slated for Kisenyi Parish in Kalungi Sub-county, will be Uganda’s second-largest.

Reports indicate that approximately 300 households may be displaced from an area covering about 3,000 hectares.

Officials say the site offers ideal geological conditions, reliable cooling waters from Lake Kyoga, and no known seismic or volcanic risks.

The project is also expected to include social service improvements such as enhanced road networks.

I arrived in Gulu with friends on Friday evening, the air drifting to that northern chill that goes down with sunset. Quick pleasantries with friends in the running community at Kaunda Grounds, bib pickups, hotel check-ins and we were set for the next day’s big event. Bar the night-long nerve-racking music at my hotel, where high school students were having a party, I still managed to put in some sleep.

Beautiful Saturday morning

Saturday morning had hoteliers fussing with flasks of spiced tea, boda boda men weaving patiently through the early quiet, and the unmistakable hum of a place preparing for something big. I was one of roughly 1,500 runners – that’s the number of kits sold – taking on the second edition of the Gulu City Marathon, and even before the race began, you could feel it. This wasn’t just a run. It was a reunion, a celebration, a mild rebellion against gloom. It was Uganda presenting its best face – cheerful, resilient, and endlessly welcoming.

By 6am, Kaunda Grounds had become Uganda in miniature. Some children in overgrown shirts. Veterans stretching like coiled springs. A collection of happy recreational runners just ready to create another chapter of memories! Foreign runners took in the morning glow with that awestruck look people get when they’re discovering northern Uganda for the first time. The organising committee chairperson, Mr Francis Gimara, paced around with the confidence of a man who had done his homework. And in the mix, as reliably enthusiastic as ever, was tourism evangelist Amos Wekesa – darting around the place like he was powered by the region’s optimism itself.

Son of the soil and Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao, and Ugandan Olympian Halimah Nakaayi flagged off the races.

A half hour later, we were pounding through streets that told stories of promise: new buildings rising, well-paved roads smoothing out, old corners blooming with fresh commerce.

Traditional Acholi dancers lined sections of the route – drums, calabashes, ululations – all forming a soundtrack that pushed you forward even when your lungs suggested otherwise. The sun climbed steadily, but the city was already glowing. Northern Uganda has known darker mornings. Yet on this one – this rare, precious one – you could almost believe the past was a distant country. The runners beside me spoke mostly of the beauty: the boulevards, the greenery, the surprisingly forgiving terrain (well, if you stopped at the 21st kilometre ha ha).

Race and economy delivered

One Kenyan quipped that ‘if this city keeps growing at its current pace, they’ll need a marathon week, not a day.’ We laughed, partly because he meant it, partly because it felt good to imagine. And the race itself delivered. Mr Allan Andiema’s 2:17:16 in the 42km was a smooth blend of grit and grace. Ms Joy Roberts, who seemed to float more than run, claimed the women’s crown in 3:25:53.

In the half marathon, Mr Peter Akwech (1:03:03) and Mr Evas Nasasira (1:15:43) dominated their categories. The wheelchair competitors drew some of the day’s loudest cheers in 10km – testimony to a spirit that thrives far beyond medals and times. There were cash prizes, some runners earning airline tickets, and a rare kind of joy in watching a city benefit directly from sport.

Restaurants were full – some popular ones like Sanyu on Aliker Road struggling to put up with the enormous orders, hotels filled, fuel stations busy, even salon owners spoke of an unusual Friday-night rush. Gulu’s economy was running its own race, and winning.

Ugly face of security forces brutality

But even as the marathon bloomed into this celebration of humanity, culture, heritage and health, something ugly was brewing barely half a kilometre away. The kind of thing that forces you, unwillingly, to step out of your runner’s high and confront the contradictions that shadow our progress. By mid-afternoon, the light had changed. What had been a bright, hopeful morning now felt unsettled, despite Kaunda Grounds being well guarded by the army from the chaos that ensued a stone-throw away.

Word began filtering through that violent confrontations had broken out near Awere Grounds, where National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, was set to hold a campaign rally. Street gangs, part of the Ghetto Youth group formed early this year to solicit support for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leaders, as reported in this publication early in the week, armed with crude objects descended on his supporters and beat them as police and the army looked on.

Vehicles were vandalised and some shops looted. Several people were injured. Later, security forces clashed with the candidate’s team as they attempted to move through the city, clobbering Kyagulanyi’s security detail with sticks in broad-day light and bloodying one of them in the head.

Frustrating contradictions

A few hundred metres away, we had been celebrating peace, wellness and community. And yet, in another corner of the same city, citizens legally participating in an electoral process were being met with force and intimidation. It felt like two Ugandas running on parallel roads, one sprinting toward a future it fully deserves, another stubbornly looping back to old habits.

And this is the painful part: even as we try to promote Uganda through initiatives like the Gulu Marathon and others, through tourism, culture, sport, innovation, there remains a section of the security apparatus that keeps subtracting from the nation’s goodwill. You cannot tell the world to come and enjoy this beautiful country at 9am, then unleash fear upon its citizens at 2pm. That contradiction is not just inconvenient; it is counterproductive.

As the chaos subsided, social media was awash with images and accounts, politicians trading accusations and citizens aghast. ‘My life is in danger,’ Mr Kyagulanyi told his cheering supporters after he managed to get to the venue in time before the official closing time of 6pm. He added: ‘The NRM hired goons to attack my supporters. ‘Even if IGP [Inspector General of Police] Abbas Byakagaba is aware that I should hold a rally here, the police and UPDF [Uganda People’s Defence Forces] do not want me to have one. They want to block me so that I reach here after 6pm.’

The Electoral Commission (EC) condemned the violence.

‘Law enforcement should use restraint in applying any measures. and these measures should be humane and commensurate with the circumstances,’ EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said later in a statement. ‘If there should be any disagreement, the default position should be dialogue. rather than violent confrontations.’

Yet, the police and the army have largely boasted of a record to disregard these paper proclamations without any repercussions. The security forces insisted on their own narrative. ‘He defied the agreed route and decided to use the Main Street on foot, and he had some scuffles with officers as they pleaded with him to use the agreed route,’ David Ongom Mudong, the Aswa West police spokesperson, said.

‘However, he successfully managed to use Main Street up to his rally venue.’ Mr Amos Wekesa, also an organiser of the Rwenzori Marathon, admitted to the Daily Monitor that he was frustrated by that Saturday afternoon’s unfortunate events but added that well-meaning Ugandans should not give up. ‘What happened (from the security forces) is sad, and of course discouraging,’ said Mr Wekesa.

‘But we have resilient people – and it won’t stop us. Security, police and the army included, are funded by taxpayers. And if violence discourages business, you are, in effect, undermining the same revenue that keeps those institutions running.’ Mr Wekesa added: ‘Gulu Marathon injected money into local business that weekend – hotels, restaurants, shops, economic life surged. Such energy should be supported, and not frustrated.’

Gulu’s resilience still won

And for those of us in Gulu that day, the contrast was simple and troubling: a city that had opened its arms to thousands in the morning had to briefly close its shops in the afternoon because of political turbulence. Yet somehow, even with that shadow creeping over what had been a perfect day, Gulu did what Gulu always does. It healed quickly. It kept moving. Later that evening, after the dust had settled and I’d finally hung the beautifully engraved elephant medal around my neck, I took a slow tour of the city with a friend.

We rode atop an open-roof 1972 Jeep like tourists rediscovering a place they already loved. BJ’s and D-Plus bars were alive, just as was the concert tailored for Gulu locals by the marathon organisers at Kaunda Grounds. The iconic St Joseph’s Cathedral looked magnificent under the night sky. The streets that we had pounded in the morning were calm again – wide, well-lit, full of opportunity. Some runners continued to Murchison Falls the next day, stretching the marathon into a wider tourism adventure. It felt like a poetic refusal to let the previous day’s ugliness define the weekend.

The charitable component of the run, 10 percent of proceeds going to the Martin Aliker Youth Skilling Centre in Abole, reminded everyone that the marathon was always about something greater than personal bests. It was about giving, building, empowering.

Hard juxtaposition

And yet, as I replayed the day in my mind, the juxtaposition refused to fade. Here we were, citizens doing exactly what every country dreams its people would do: celebrating health, unity, culture, sport, tourism and entrepreneurship. And right beside us were forces undoing that work at breathtaking speed. You cannot run toward progress while others drag you back into the mud. You cannot market Uganda as peaceful while afternoon headlines show chaos. You cannot cheer thousands of runners in the morning then allow violence against voters in the afternoon. You cannot ask citizens to build, grow and promote the nation while punishing them for exercising their rights. One of those paths must eventually give way to the other.

Symbol of resilience

Gulu City Marathon, like northern Uganda itself, has become a symbol of resilience. The region endured two decades of unspeakable hardship during the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) war. It rebuilt. It reinvented itself. It opened its gates to Ugandans and foreigners alike. Initiatives like this marathon are part of that ongoing transformation. Hopeful, practical, unifying. And that is why the events of last Saturday afternoon stung so sharply. Not because they were new, but because they contradicted the very spirit of the city hosting us. They dimmed a shine that Gulu had so painstakingly polished.

But Gulu refused to stay in the dark. It lit up again. It danced again. It welcomed again. Even after the chaos, the city asserted its identity, a place of opportunity, beauty, and astonishing potential. As I left the next day, medal in bag, muscles thankful, I kept thinking about that contrast. Ugandans are doing their part. They are innovating, running, building, dreaming, and investing. They are putting the best versions of their districts and cities on display. The world sees it. The country feels it. Gulu proved it.

Now imagine what would be possible if those tasked with protecting the public stopped tripping the country at every turn. Imagine a Uganda where the heavy hand rests. A Uganda that understands that you cannot market tourism with one hand and suppress citizens with the other. A Uganda that lets mornings like the one we enjoyed in Gulu last forever, unmarred by the shadows that sometimes follow.

Because if the people keep adding, and some sections of the security forces keep subtracting, Uganda will keep running in place, sweating hard, going nowhere.

But if we run in the same direction , citizens, leaders, institutions, our country might just find the finish line it has deserved for so long.