Category: Daily Monitor

If Wednesday’s World Cup match marked the last time Guillermo Ochoa appears in Mexico colours, the 40-year-old goalkeeper could not have wished for a better send-off.

Brought on for the last 12 minutes with his team 2-0 up against the Czech Republicand cruising into the knockout phase as Group A winners, Ochoa lapped up the acclaim of fans at the Azteca stadium, the venue where he made his senior debut with Club America in 2004.

Making his sixth and final appearance at the World Cup, Ochoa maintained the clean sheet began by Raul Rangel as Mexico scored again late on to finish 3-0 winners.

Mexico will play at the Azteca in the round of 32 but barring a goalkeeping emergency he is unlikely to get on the pitch.

The veteran keeper, instantly recognisable by his curls, was content with his role.

“My first game, Azteca. My last game, Azteca. It’s been a beautiful final chapter of my career,” he told Mexican TV.

“Thank you, everyone.”

Roared on by a crowd dressed in green, white and red, Mexico did not overwhelm the Czechs but were worthy winners thanks to goals from Mateo Chavez, Julian Quinones and Alvaro Fidalgo.

The whole venue saluted Ochoa at the final whistle, a proper show of respect for a player whose flying saves and one-man acts of defiance became part of Mexican footballing folklore.

“He’s an example for all of us. He’s the first one in the gym and the last one to leave,” Chavez said of Ochoa.

“This is the icing on the cake of a great career. He’s an idol for us, he’s helped guide the group with his experience, and I’m very happy for him.”

For supporters, everything has followed the ideal script: a home World Cup, a perfect group run, and a legend walking off with the chants of his name ringing in his ears.

They are already daring to talk about the prospect of a long-awaited return to the World Cup quarter-finals.

Mexico have only reached that stage twice — in 1970 and 1986. When they were hosts.

There comes a point when financial results stop being just numbers on a spreadsheet. They begin to reflect the kind of business you are building, the standards you hold yourself to, and whether your shareholders can trust you.

Over the last few years, we have seen a real shift in how revenue collection and compliance are being managed. Tax systems are becoming more digital, enforcement is tighter, and businesses are expected to operate more openly and responsibly. For companies in regulated sectors like ours, the impact is immediate.

Measures such as digital tax stamps, excise changes, and stricter controls around credit notes are making it harder for businesses to cut corners or operate outside the system.

And honestly, that is not a bad thing. From a finance perspective, this changes how companies compete.

First, it gives businesses more certainty. When the market becomes fairer and leakages reduce, companies can plan better. Second, it changes how we look at discipline. Strong systems, proper controls, and good reporting require investment. But the cost of getting it wrong is much higher.

Penalties, damaged reputations, and operational disruptions can affect a business far more than the cost of compliance ever will. Most importantly, it is changing how investors and lenders look at businesses. Today, people want to work with organisations they can trust.

Predictability matters. When a company can clearly explain its numbers, stand behind its reporting, and show consistency over time, it gives confidence to investors, banks, regulators, and even customers. I also think Uganda’s private sector is going through a mindset shift.

For a long time, some businesses believed operating quietly or avoiding scrutiny gave them an advantage. But the market is changing. Investors are asking more questions. Regional trade demands higher standards. Governance and accountability are becoming harder to avoid. The businesses that will succeed in this environment are not just the biggest ones.

They are the ones that are disciplined, transparent, and able to build trust over time. Of course, there is still work to do. Many SMEs are still adjusting to digital tax systems and changing compliance requirements.

Businesses also need stronger internal cultures where financial concerns can be raised safely and addressed properly. Continued engagement between taxpayers and the Uganda Revenue Authority will also help businesses adapt more smoothly. But one thing is becoming clear.

Uganda is moving toward a market where transparency and accountability will matter more than ever. In that environment, financial discipline is no longer just about compliance. It becomes a real competitive advantage.

Fellow Ugandans, let me speak to you like a friend sitting under a shade tree. President Museveni has given us a clear direction for this term, 2026-2031. He calls it a ‘qualitative leap’ into higher middle-income status.

He wants every household to leave okukolera ekidda kyonka – working only for the stomach – and join the money economy. He is pushing agro-processing, tourism, minerals, and science. He has sent ministers house-to-house to teach ekibaro, the culture of calculating profit.

He even warned that this term will be one of ‘no more sleep and no corruption.’ I applaud this vision. It is about dignity.

On June 4, Band of Uganda announced a policy to ‘reduce cash dependence and enhance transaction traceability.’

On paper, it sounds modern. In practice, I think it is a hurried push toward a cashless society. You cannot force a mother into the money economy by taking away her cash. Imagine a widow in Nakasongola who sells tomatoes by the roadside. She has no smart phone, no Internet, and electricity is unreliable.

The nearest mobile money agent is a boda boda ride away. If you make cash hard to use before giving her alternatives, she will not magically start using a banking app. She will sell only to middlemen who exploit her, or go back to bartering. Instead of entering the money economy, she gets locked out.

Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga money will become useless if people fear touching it.

The PDM programme sends billions directly to Saccos. If cash is the enemy, members will see their PDM savings as a trap, fearing someone in Kampala watches every shilling.

People will flee the very system meant to catch thieves. Groups may withdraw funds and hide cash in tins. Agro-processing needs willing traders, not suspicious citizens. The ATMS strategy calls for value addition – processing coffee, dairy, and cotton locally. This requires willing traders and factory workers. Most learnt about mobile money slowly, by choice, because they saw its convenience.

Now, if cash is choked without explaining why, those moving toward digital will distrust the whole system. When policy arrives without patient explanation, investor confidence crumbles. Tourism cannot survive on traceability alone.

Many tourists carry cash, especially in remote areas. Shouting ‘cashless’ before reliable point-of-sale machines exist embarrasses us.

A tourist who can’t pay a sculptor due to a network outage leaves with a bitter story, telling others Uganda is not business-ready. Forced systems repel visitors. The mineral sector will go underground – literally.

Mineral-based industrialisation depends on formalising artisanal miners and small gold dealers. If you tell an artisanal miner in Busia that all payments will be tracked, he will sell gold across the border where cash speaks. We lose revenue, and domestic processing starves. This will create a black market, not transparency. Science and innovation need freedom, not fear.

Young innovators need policies tested and improved with users, not imposed. Most traders I spoke to in Kampala had not heard of it. This crushes the entrepreneurial spirit that science, technology and innovation depend on. Short-term confusion, long-term resistance. This circular will cause cash hoarding, price distortions, and payment quarrels.

Long-term, if people link cashlessness to hidden agendas – foreign control, surveillance, even biblical prophecy – resistance hardens. A fearful population won’t pay taxes, save, or borrow. The timing could not be worse. Oil is about to flow, promising double-digit growth. If the payment system managing that wealth is built on public mistrust, corruption will find smarter digital holes.

Forced digitalisation without buy-in breeds sophisticated thieves. The President has given us a beautiful vision. It is practical, home-grown, and grounded in mobilisation. But a rushed, cashless policy is like forcing bitter medicine without explanation – the patient will spit it out and lose faith in the doctor. I ask local leaders: How can you implement PDM if your people fear the digital shilling?

I ask the President to call Central Bank and inquire: Who did you consult? Where is the house-to-house sensitisation? Let us digitalise, but the Museveni way: by teaching ekibaro, winning hearts, not killing cash before the village is ready.

The news that the government plans to build a world-class international airport in Mbarara City, in western Uganda, has opened up the region for scrutiny over service levels required to support operations of such a modern facility.

From questionable state of the roads linking to tourism sites such as national parks to pipes drying up due to receding levels of River Rwizi waters and a scarcity of top-tier hotels, questions about Mbarara readiness abound.

There are also concerns about specialist healthcare facilities and pool of consultants to handle medical emergencies, with quick referrals to the capital, Kampala, where all national referral hospitals are concentrated, complicated by the 270-kilometre distance.

The airport, according to President Museveni’s February directive, is to be built by a Uganda-Chinese consortium to replace Nyakisharara airfield, about 10 kilometres from Mbarara City centre.

The earmarked investors are to use existing government land for the aerodrome and buy additional hectares to make 21 square kilometres that initiators say is required for the project. They are expected to relocate, at their cost, the Ibanda-Mbarara highway and build auxiliary infrastructure within the precincts of the airport whose construction is to be modelled on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

Following news of the planned airport development, residents speak of a scramble by speculators to buy land ostensibly for the development of hospitality facilities and high-class real estate, both commercial and residential.

However, local elected leaders and bureaucrats, as well as private sector players, are upbeat that available facilities and services in Mbarara City can suffice in the interim and gaps covered through upgrades and new constructions over the next four years within which the airport is planned to be completed. While admitting that the City is not yet developed like world-class megalopolises in Europe or Asia, despite the airport class ambition leveling those on those continents, the availability of vast virgin means Mbarara can be turned around quickly with vast investments.

Uganda is planning to construct Nyakisharara International Airport, which according to President Museveni, will have two 5.5-kilometre runways, and another 3.5-kilometre runway for exclusive VIP use, making it one of the largest in the whole world.

The business case made by both the President and promoters of the development is that Nyakisharara is located centrally between Asia and South America, and locating a transit, refueling and logistical hub there will attract long-haul China-Brazil flights, presently connecting via Madrid and other capitals, and boost trade and tourism in Uganda.

Aviation experts say Mbarara, elevated to a city just in 2020, is not prepared to host an international airport due to the dearth of high-end infrastructure and untested viability claims, especially when the existing Nyakisharara airfield processes 40 or so passengers monthly.

According to AL Global (ALG), a global logistics and transport consultancy, an international airport must meet six criteria in order to provide excellent services and consumer experience.

These are efficient passenger processing and flow including; speedy security immigration, streamlined transfers and baggage management; tech-driven passenger experience like real time accurate information, high speed connectivity, widespread if self-service kiosks; high infrastructure like roads, pickup services, and easy connectivity.

Others are commercial and hospitality services like diverse retail and dining, premium lounge, insurance, health services; and sustainable operations like green initiatives, such as solar power, waste reduction, and eco-friendly practices, improving the overall reputation of the airport.

Mbarara at present is far from meeting any of these benchmarks, despite potential.

The City Council collects about Shs3.2 billion in local revenue a year, which is less than the cost of building one kilometre of paved road, yet the central government has not made provisions in the 2026/27 Financial Year budget to cater for infrastructure outside the mandate of the airport investors.

The economic mainstays of cattle-keeping and agricultural processing (tea, grains, edible oil) are inadequate to attract or sustain profitable cargo business, the insurance and financial markets underdeveloped and telecommunication services are less than satisfactory.

That makes it incomparable with airports such as Frankfurt (Germany), Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) (France), Doha Airport (Qatar), and Dubai International Airport (United Arab Emirates) that Nyakisharara on paper aims to rival, further exposing the handicaps for Mbarara.

Hotels and accommodation None of the current hotels in Mbarara falls under a 5-star category, according to the latest ratings by the Uganda Tourism Board.

According to the 2025 Tourism Industry Performance Report released in April this year, 117 hotels were rated countrywide, with four ranked 5-star hotels, 17 four-star hotels, 28 three-star hotels, and 66 two-star facilities.

Kampala, according to the report, currently hosts the only four 5-star hotels while the whole of western Uganda, including Mbarara, hosts thirty-one hotels.

Ms Jean Byamugisha, the Chief Executive Officer of Uganda Hoteliers’ Association (UHOA), said that Mbarara has 20 hospitality facilities that subscribe to the association.

‘…these include two 4-star hotels and two three-star hotels. But the whole of western Uganda has over 100 facilities including lodges in national parks,’ she said.

Two Ugandan companies bidding to build an international airport in Mbarara City in partnership with Chinese counterparts, were founded only in the last six years and have cross-shareholding.

Our investigations show that Base 7 International Aviation Academy Ltd (B7IAA), established on May 10, 2019, and Hamster Business Solutions Limited, incorporated on December 21, 2022, own six shares in each other.

The former has total share capital of 2,000,000 while the latter has share capital of 5,000,000 and neither firm has filed annual returns since founding, according to Uganda Registrations Services Bureau records. Available details show that B7IAA has six individual shareholders, with four of them with the highest number of shares (15-17) doubling as directors.

These are Mr Ham Kamuntu, Mr David M. Kamanya, Mr Charles Mugabi and Mr Alex Kyakunzire, who is also the company secretary. The others are Jeremiah M. Aronda and Ms Patience Ataho.

The second company, Hamster Business Solutions Limited, has a similar shareholding structure and directorship; six shareholders out of whom four – Mr Patrick Kangume, Ms Sylvia S. Komuhangi, Mr Eddie K. Sengendo and Mr Harrison Asiimwe – are directors. Two of the shareholders are Chinese nationals Guo Dong and Jing Hong.

Representatives of the two Ugandan firms, a UK-registered entity and two big-ticket design and construction companies in China, have jointly received a presidential nod for them to build an international airport at the present-day Nyakisharara aerodrome.

In his directive to Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, President Museveni said the mega facility would serve as a mid-point transit, logistical and refuelling hub for long-haul flights between Asia and South America, specifically China and Brazil, two of the largest economies in the world.

It remains unclear how implementation of the presidential directive has progressed. Some bureaucrats, speaking on condition of anonymity in order not to appear to publicly challenge the head of state, however questioned the rationale of clearing Ugandan companies with no footprint of airport infrastructure development, and without a feasibility study, to construct a world-class airport where one of them failed to establish an aviation academy under a MoU with the government.

The Nakasero-based Hamster Business Solutions Limited, which presents itself as an investment and development consulting firm, was not part of the March 2020 MoU.

However, B7IAA, the signatory, said it partially fulfilled terms of the deal, explaining that the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted other arrangements, including on-boarding of its 360 Aviation South African affiliate.

On its website, B7IAA indicates that it specialises in operating a flight academy and pilot licensing, providing airport services, maintaining aircrafts, chartering flights and simulator training.

The government handed to the company the Nyakisharara airfield, north of Mbarara City centre, for establishing an aviation and flight training academy, which did not happen. Its director David Magaga Kamanya, however, told our sister NTV-Uganda television station that they established the school and graduated students.

This account contradicts findings by a government team that no such students were presented for certification by the regulator, Uganda Civil Aviation Authority, as required by law.

The bureaucrats concluded that B7IAA lacked finances, had no aircraft or parts of an airplane for hands-on skilling of trainees and did not even establish a library, despite being offered Nyakisharara aerodrome to domicile its operations.

‘The objectives of the MoU have not been achieved … due to lack of funds by B7IAA to fully establish and operationalise the Academy,’ the team noted.

The company has brushed aside concerns about its financial muscle and technical expertise to construct an international airport, pointing instead to its potential partners: Blackrock Uwekeza Ltd, Hunan Construction Investment Group Co. Ltd and China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute (CSADRI).

In meetings with President Museveni, first in September 2025 and again in February this year, the project promoters fronted Blackrock Uwekeza Ltd, incorporated in the UK on May 24, 2022 originally as FINOWL Investments Ltd, as the lead financier.

The UK government records show that registered activities of the company include financial services, security dealing on its own account and fund management.

Our investigations show that the two Chinese companies – both state-owned – linked to the planned Nyakisharara project are financial A-listers with demonstrable infrastructure designing, planning, financing and execution record.

Some of their notable works include developing mega airports, national parks and bridges in China and a presidential palace in Burundi.

However, neither of the Chinese firms is registered in Uganda. In the fifth and final installment tomorrow of our riveting series, Chasing Big Dreams in the Air, read about how upcountry aerodrome facilities are breaking apart, contrasting the government’s priority to build a new international airport instead, plus Uganda Civil Aviation Authority’s quick-fix plans.

The Police in Koboko District have arrested four of their own and launched a manhunt for five soldiers over the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old pupil of Nuru Islamic Primary School on Thursday evening, and injuring another of Nyarilo Primary School.

The deceased was identified as Buruga Hassan, a male juvenile, a Kakwa by tribe, and a resident of Gbulabulanga Cell, Teremunga Ward, North Division, Koboko Municipality. 16-year-old Hamid Hazim, also a Kakwa by tribe, sustained injuries on the leg.

West Nile Regional Police Spokesperson, SSP Josephine Anguchia, said the case was registered by Boboli Muhammed, the head teacher of Nuru Islamic Primary School in Koboko Municipality, where the incident occurred.

SSP Anguchia said the officers had responded to quell chaos within Koboko Municipality by a section of rowdy students who caused distractions and blocked the Koboko-Oraba road after an athletic competition.

”It’s alleged that, on Wednesday 24th June 2026 at around 6:30pm, Koboko District Community Liaison Officer (CLO) received a phone call from one of the community members within Koboko Municipality about the rowdy students from athletics, who were causing distractions in Koboko town, and blocking the Koboko-Oraba road.”

Adding that: ”He responded with a patrol vehicle of crews on board comprising of three police officers and five UPDF officers, all armed.”

SSP Anguchia said upon reaching the scene, the rowdy students pelted stones at the officers, damaging the police patrol vehicle, which prompted the officers to shoot live bullets in the air to disperse them.

However, in the process, the stray bullets hit one pupil, who died on the spot and injured another on the leg.

Police say a case of murder by shooting is being investigated, noting that relevant steps, including documenting the scene of the crime already been taken.

SSP Anguchia said further investigation points out that the students were also attacking road users.

”Different forensic exhibits were recovered, including three guns, live ammunition, cartridges, blood samples and clothes of the deceased.” She said.

Adding that: ”Four of the suspects who are police officers were charged and detained; meanwhile, the five suspects who are UPDF officers are yet to be identified and charged.”

A school field in Mukono has become one of Uganda cricket’s most powerful classrooms. During Sunday’s high-profile ICC Women’s T20 World Cup encounter between India and South Africa in England and Wales, a short clip lasting barely 20 seconds from Uganda’s ICC Women’s Cricket Week celebrations at Mt St Henry’s Secondary School – Mukono was beamed to millions across the globe.

For Cricket Uganda (CU), it was priceless exposure.

For the 200 girls who took part in the June 17 activities, it was proof that their small steps on a school field had become part of cricket’s biggest global conversation.

The footage showcased energetic drills, smiles and participation during Uganda’s Women’s Cricket Week activities, reinforcing the country’s growing commitment to women’s cricket and the girl child.

‘Women’s Cricket Week gives us a global platform to showcase the local momentum we are building,’ CU Hon Secretary Denis Musali said.

‘By investing heavily in these regional activations, we are not just teaching a game; we are building sustainable structures that will support the sport for decades to come.’

Global airtime

The timing could not have been more significant.

As the world focused on the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup, Uganda’s grassroots programme found itself sharing the same global stage.

The activities at Mt St Henry’s brought together more than 200 students who received basic cricket lessons from members of the Victoria Pearls and CU development coaches led by Davis Turinawe. The sessions focused on batting, bowling, fielding and fun games designed to make the sport accessible.

CU Women’s representative on the board Lelia Namaganda Ondeko believes the moment was bigger than television exposure.

‘Aligning our local development with the global T20 World Cup creates a powerful narrative,’ Ondeko said.

‘It shows these young women that they are part of a massive, supportive global community.’

Leaving Marks

Victoria Pearls captain Janet Mbabazi said the players were delighted to take cricket directly to schools. ‘As Victoria Pearls, we are happy to come out and share knowledge and to let the girls know that there is a women’s cricket team out there,’ Mbabazi said.

‘We have been able to share our skills and introduce the sport to this school. I will be grateful for some of the girls to make it to the Victoria Pearls team because it means I left a mark.’

The presence of national team players transformed cricket from something seen on television into something tangible. The students shook hands with internationals, learnt directly from them and imagined themselves wearing national colours one day.

Hunger grows

For development coach Solomon Lubwama, who works extensively in Mukono, the impact is already visible. Girls have continued returning to training after the event and interest in the sport has increased.

‘Our next step is to ensure Mt St Henry’s has equipment and ongoing technical support,’ CU development manager Davis Turinawe said.

‘Bringing over 200 girls onto the field in a single afternoon shows the massive hunger for the sport.’

The school itself has already shown promise after reaching the semifinals of the 2026 Sky View Girls Schools Cricket Week in Gulu.

Mt St Henry’s head teacher Teopista Nakalembe believes cricket can become a pathway to education and opportunity. ‘I would like to appreciate ICC and Cricket Uganda for choosing Mt St Henry’s and for keeping our children interested in the game,’ she said.

‘In the academic arena, sports are given a special place, more so the girl child. Today we have started and I know we shall grow the game here.’

And perhaps that is the true legacy of those 20 seconds.

The world may have seen a short television clip but Mukono saw possibilities and the Victoria Pearls saw future teammates.

And somewhere among those 200 girls could be the next Ugandan cricketer to walk onto a World Cup field.

THE TALKING POINT

Lasting Legacy. Television exposure disappears after the broadcast ends, but participation remains. The real victory for Cricket Uganda is not the 20 seconds of global airtime but the hundreds of girls who now know that cricket belongs to them too. If equipment, coaching and school programmes follow, Mukono could become one of Uganda’s next women’s cricket nurseries.

Rwanda defeated Uganda’s Silverbacks 89-83 in an entertaining international friendly at BK Arena on Wednesday night as both teams stepped up preparations for the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.

The Silverbacks made an impressive start, taking control of the opening quarter with an aggressive offensive display and disciplined execution at both ends of the floor.

Uganda dictated the early tempo and carried a 23-20 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

Rwanda, however, responded emphatically in the second quarter. The hosts tightened their defence, forced turnovers and found their scoring rhythm, producing a dominant spell that turned the game on its head.

Rwanda outscored Uganda heavily in the period to erase the deficit and surge into a commanding 56-38 halftime lead.

Uganda improved after the interval, showing better ball movement and increased defensive intensity as they sought a route back into the contest.

But despite the Silverbacks’ renewed energy, Rwanda remained in control and entered the final quarter leading 76-61.

The visitors mounted a spirited fightback in the closing period, steadily trimming the deficit and setting up a tense finish.

Uganda’s late rally threatened to complete an unlikely comeback, but Rwanda held firm in the closing minutes to seal a deserved six-point victory.

The friendly formed part of both nations’ preparations for the next window of the World Cup 2027 Qualifiers, providing coaches with a valuable opportunity to assess player combinations and fine-tune tactical approaches ahead of competitive action.

While Uganda will draw encouragement from their strong opening quarter and determined fourth-quarter comeback, Rwanda will take confidence from a dominant second-quarter performance that ultimately proved the difference between the two sides.

John Deng Geu led the charge for Uganda, scoring 20 points in the contest.

The team was without Nike Sibande Dejur and Marvin Musiine-Kamali, who were yet to join arrive in Kigali.

The two are expected to be with the team before if flies out to Luanda, Angola Tuesday next week.

South Sudan next for Silverbacks

The Silverbacks will continue their preparations with another test against South Sudan on Friday before meeting Rwanda again on Saturday.

South Sudan are also holding a training camp in Kigali ahead of the resumption of the qualifiers.

In the current standings, South Sudan lead Group A with a 2-1 record after the opening window, while Rwanda sit bottom of Group C following three consecutive defeats.

The upcoming friendlies are expected to offer all three teams valuable match practice before competitive action resumes.

Observers yesterday cautioned that the bid to unseat the Leader of Opposition in Parliament would run into legal headwinds, even as members of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) remained upbeat, insisting they would find a way through the legal thicket.

The Buyaga West MP (NRM), Mr Dennis Namara, yesterday set the ball rolling on a bid to oust the LoP, only days after the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and head of the PLU, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, warned the current office holder, Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, that ‘he would lose his seat very soon.’

Political experts and constitutional lawyers have separately slammed the move as ill conceived and in bad faith, a poisoned chalice aimed at weakening the Opposition.

Mr Peter Walubiri, a constitutional lawyer, said: ‘The country is already suffering from the worsening rule of law and the only hope we had was strong Opposition which they want to weaken by choosing the Leader of Opposition.

As a country we are doomed… .’ Dr Juma Kakuba Sultan, a lecturer of Political Science at Kyambogo University, wondered why it is the NRM spearheading a Bill that directly concerns the Opposition.

‘Ordinarily complaints would have come from the Opposition but what we are seeing is the Opposition being weakened because the NRM will have an influence on the person who shall become the Leader of Opposition and this weaken democracy. There is no good intention in this entire Bill because after weakening the Opposition, nothing good will come from that House,’ he said.

As Mr Namara formally notified the Clerk to Parliament of his intention to seek leave to introduce a Private Member’s Bill amending the Administration of Parliament Act, a move aimed at rewriting the rulebook on how the LoP is chosen, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oboth Oboth, was presiding over the handover of PLU General Secretary position.

Tingey County MP Fadil Twalla (NRM) took the reins of the PLU office from Daudi Kabanda, the Kasambya County representative (NRM). What began as a war of words on the X-platform between Gen Muhoozi and Mr Ssenyonyi has now snowballed into a looming amendment that could upend the long-standing tradition of selecting the LoP.

At present, the Opposition party with the largest parliamentary caucus nominates the LoP, and the Speaker merely informs the House.

In his June 24 Notice of Motion to the Speaker, copied to deputy Speaker and the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Namara said: ‘In accordance with Rule 58 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, I hereby give notice of my intention to move a motion for leave of the House to introduce a Private Member’s Bill entitled ‘The Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2026.”

The Clerk to Parliament, Mr Adolf Mwesige, confirmed receipt of the Notice, saying he had already passed it on to the Speaker for ‘further management.’

‘I have forwarded it to the Speaker who has the powers to put it on the Parliament Order Paper for further management,’ he explained.

Last week, Gen Muhoozi authorised Mr Kabanda to spearhead efforts to unseat Mr Ssenyonyi, insisting that a PLU-affiliated member should take up the mantle.

The NRM commands a lion’s share of the 12th Parliament, with 372 members. The leading Opposition, National Unity Platform (NUP), to which Mr Ssenyonyi belongs, holds 49 seats.

Uganda Peoples Congress has 12, Forum for Democratic Change has 9, Democratic Party has 6, People’s Front for Freedom (2), and Alliance for National Transformation has 1. Of the 68 Independents, 42 are known to lean toward the NRM, cementing its dominance.

Any Bill requires the support of at least three-quarters of the House at its second reading to pass. Mr Namara and his colleagues are reviving a Bill that had once been laid to rest, after suffering a natural death in the previous Parliament when Mityana South MP David Lumu attempted to introduce it.

Like Mr Namara, Mr Lumu was on August 29, 2024, granted leave by Parliament to table the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which sought to change the mode of selecting the LoP and other positions reserved for the Opposition in Parliament.

He later tabled the Bill to amend the Administration of Parliament Act, Cap 272, which provides for the election of the LoP by the Opposition party with the greatest numerical strength in Parliament.

But when the Bill came under committee scrutiny, several political parties – including FDC, UPC, and ANT – rejected its proposals, arguing it was brought ‘in bad faith,’ and would undermine multiparty democracy, and sought to weaken the Opposition. On March 12 this year, Parliament withdrew the Bill following widespread objection.

Moments after Mr Ssenyonyi addressed reporters at Parliament last week – condemning the arrest and detention of former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, Gen Muhoozi took to X, vowing to oust Ssenyonyi and ensure that ‘their’ candidate takes over.

‘I want a new Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. And I will get him. He will be endorsed by me,’ Gen Muhoozi posted on X, later announcing that he had instructed PLU MPs to study how Ssenyonyi could be removed ‘as soon as possible.’

Mr Kabanda promptly responded, assuring the PLU chairman that ‘two weeks are enough.’

Mr Namara told reporters at Parliament yesterday that the proposals he intends to table would benefit all Opposition parties, including NUP. ‘The current law has a lacuna, because the Parliament, the people who elected him, the Opposition members of Parliament who selected this particular Leader of Opposition cannot remove that member from being a Leader of Opposition,’ he said.

He added: ‘What happens? They provide only four grounds that if he is withdrawn by the political party which sponsored him or number two, if he ceases to be a member of Parliament or if that political party which he represents no longer has membership in Parliament. But is that one enough? The President of Uganda, under the Constitution can be removed by Parliament. You are aware that the Speaker of Parliament, his deputy, Cabinet ministers, and even members of Parliament can be removed. What about the Leader of Opposition? Who is at the level? Because the law provides that he is at the level of Cabinet.’

Article 82A of the Constitution, introduced by the Constitution (Amendment) Act, 2005, formally establishes the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Its operational framework is provided under the Administration of Parliament (Amendment) Act, 2006, which vests the power to appoint the LoP in the Opposition party with the largest numerical strength in Parliament.

The Speaker’s role is limited to formally announcing that party’s nominee to the House.

Mr Ssenyonyi, the Nakawa West MP, was retained as LoP after serving in the same position during the latter half of the previous Parliament.

Ugandan sugar manufacturers have protested over a new Excise Duty that the Kenyan government plans to implement starting July 1. This change will see the tax on imported sugar rise significantly, from Kshs7,500 ($60 or Shs21,400) per ton to Kshs40,000 ($308 or Shs1.1 million) per ton.

The manufacturers have informed the First Deputy Prime Minister and East African Affairs Minister, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, that the new levy contained in the Finance Bill, 2026, passed by the Kenyan Parliament and awaiting the President’s signature to become law, poses a high threat to Uganda’s sugar industry.

In the June 20 letter seen by this Newspaper, the disgruntled manufacturers under the umbrella of the Uganda Sugar Manufacturers Association (USMA) implored Ms Rebecca Kadaga, the East African Affairs Minister, to immediately intervene and save the development that will deprive them of the current Kenyan market that consumes up to 100,000 tons per year.

The letter copied to Minister of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives (MoTIC), and his Finance, Planning, and Economic Development counterparts, the USMA members led by their Chairperson Jim Mwine Kabeho, said: ‘Prior to this effective 1 July 2023, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) imposed an excise duty of KShs 5,000 per ton (approximately USD 38.5 per ton). Subsequently, this duty was increased to KShs 7,500 per ton (approximately USD 60 per ton).’

When contacted, officials from the Trade Ministry confirmed the development, which they said Ugandan authorities have started an engagement with their Kenyan counterparts.

The Ministry’s Commissioner in charge of trade, technology, and innovations, Mr Dennis Ainebyoona, said that the Trade State Minister Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi has already escalated the matter to the Kenyan authorities, waiting for the responses.

Kenyan President William Ruto told reporters at State House on June 23 that the excise duty increment from Kshs7.5 to Kshs40 on a kilogram of sugar is aimed at safeguarding 17 operational sugar industries and the livelihood of two million farmers and 10 million Kenyans whose livelihood depends on sugar.

Impact

Mr Kabeho said that the proposed increment, once implemented, will have a severe implication on Uganda sugar, including reducing competitiveness of Ugandan sugar in the Kenyan market, and restriction of market access contrary to the spirit of regional integration under the East African Community (EAC.

The increment, he added, will also lead to loss of export opportunities for Ugandan sugar manufacturers, reduce foreign exchange earnings and investment returns within Uganda’s sugar sector, and as well have a potential disruption of the livelihoods of thousands of sugarcane farmers and workers who depend on the sugar sector.

‘This is more than a double increase in taxation. Kenya is now using tax to block our sugar from entering their country because it is going to be so expensive for Kenyans to buy Ugandan sugar,’ he told the Monitor in a telephone interview yesterday.

Mr Ashish Monpara, the chairman of the Modern Group of industries and a member of the Sugar Council, said that the tax increment will have a direct impact on the consumers, which will affect the manufacturers and the entire sector since the demand will go down.

‘Higher prices are likely to reduce consumer demand, impact sales volumes, increase working capital requirements, and place additional pressure on an industry that already faces rising production costs,’ he said

He added, ‘We are closely studying Kenya’s new tax measures. If the increased duty is targeted at imports from outside the region, it could strengthen the competitiveness of Ugandan sugar in the Kenyan market. However, if it applies to Ugandan exports as well, it would reduce our competitiveness and affect regional trade. We hope all EAC member states continue to support free regional trade while protecting their industries in a balanced manner.’

Although he was not privy to the letter, Jim Mugunga, the Finance Ministry spokesperson, is aware that under the East African Community, there are agreements that have been reached that are intended to enable open trade and minimize protectionism.

‘…that matter can be handled by the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of East African Community Affairs through the existing protocols to resolve the matter.’

Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of East African Community Affairs were futile as the Minister’s phone was off since she is said to be in Arusha, Tanzania, and that of the ministry spokesperson

In August last year, Ugandan officials led by Gen Mbadi and their Kenyan counterparts, led by Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade, and Industry Lee Kinyanjui, agreed to eliminate all existing tariff and non-tariff barriers hindering cross-border trade between the two countries.

During the August 29-30, 2025, meeting, the ministers directed that all products originating between Kenya and Uganda to be treated as transfers and not imports, committing to fully implement all trade-related commitments under the EAC treaty and protocols.

Mr Kabeho said that this development appears to be reversing the gains leading to reduced competitiveness of Ugandan sugar in the Kenyan market, restricted market access, loss of export opportunities, reduced foreign exchange, and potential disruption of the livelihoods of thousands of Ugandan sugar farmers.

Starting in 2011, when Uganda was allowed to import duty-free sugar to address the shortage that it was experiencing, Kenya and Uganda have been involved in a sugar war, with Kenya accusing Uganda of importing more of the duty-free sugar, repackaging it as Ugandan-manufactured sugar, and dumping it in Kenya under the cover of the East African community free movement of goods and services protocol.

In 2014, Kenya blocked Uganda’s sugar from entering its territory before other products, such as eggs, maize, and milk, followed suit.

‘We wish to note that the previous increases in excise duty on imported sugar have been raised on several occasions, including during the 46th and 47th Sectoral Council on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment meetings under the East African Community framework held in Arusha plus the 25th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community Head of State on 7th March 2026 Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania where it was agreed that all outstanding non-tariff and tariff barriers to trade be resolved within the community by 30th June 2026. Despite these resolutions, the matter remains unresolved and continues to escalate,’ he said.

Mr Monpara, who is popularly known as the King of Ugandan sugar, said that sugar is a basic household commodity consumed by millions of people every day, and that explains why many countries either do not impose excise duty on it or keep such taxes relatively low because it is considered an essential food item.

‘A significantly higher excise duty risks increasing the cost of living for consumers while reducing the competitiveness of the domestic sugar industry. We therefore hope there will be continued dialogue between the Government and industry to ensure that revenue mobilisation is balanced with affordability for consumers, the competitiveness of local manufacturers, and the long-term sustainability of the sector,’ he said.

In Uganda, the sugar industry is one of the largest agro-industrial sectors, supporting hundreds of thousands of farmers, creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs, and contributing significantly to the economy.

‘As manufacturers, we remain committed to investing in Uganda, supporting farmers, creating employment, and contributing to the country’s economic growth. If the increased duty is applied to all imported sugar, including imports from Uganda, Ugandan sugar will become more expensive in Kenya,’ Mr Monpara said.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), a detailed global trade data analyser, Uganda remains among Kenya’s major export destinations with an increment of exports growing at 1.27 percent from $893M in 2019 to $951M in 2024. Uganda’s exports to Kenya, however, remain low from $399M in 2019 to $527M in 2024.