Category: Daily Monitor

Hundreds of residents in Bwamba County, Bundibugyo District, have welcomed the long-awaited construction of the Nyahuka-Mirambi Bridge, 15 years after the government first pledged the project.

The Shs7.5 billion bridge, contracted to Ruwangananyama Engineering Services Limited under the Ministry of Works and Transport, is expected to be completed and commissioned in April 2026.

The 20-meter, single-span structure stands 9.36 meters high, with a projected lifespan of 100 years, and will serve more than 600 residents who rely on the route for economic activity.

Locals said the old wooden makeshift bridge had repeatedly been swept away by floods, forcing traders and farmers to take longer alternative routes or abandon trips to markets altogether.

‘As residents who have lived here for years, the completion of this bridge will be a game-changer. People who didn’t want to use the longer alternative route of more than two hours were forced to walk through the water to cross the river-impossible for anyone carrying goods,’ said Ms Agnes Kabugho, a resident of Mirambi Sub-county.

She added that the lack of a reliable crossing had undermined agriculture, with farmers abandoning cocoa and other crops because buyers could not reach the area.

‘Middlemen would use longer routes to reach us and end up buying our produce cheaply. Even those with land could hardly sell to investors because vehicles could not access the area. But we now have hope that development will resume,’ Ms Kabugho said.

Bundibugyo District Chairperson Robert Tubakuniirwa described the project as long overdue.

‘It is going to greatly help the community. We have been facing serious flooding problems, especially during the rainy seasons, and farmers have struggled to access Nyahuka Market. We are happy the government finally secured funds to begin the construction,’ he said.

He warned that the contractor must ensure quality work, noting that several bridges had been destroyed by floods in 2019. ‘Failure to do so, floods will destroy the bridge in the shortest time. Here we are in a flood zone. We don’t want to waste the taxpayers’ money,’ Mr Tubakuniirwa said.

The Assistant Commissioner for Drainage Structures in the Ministry of Works and Transport, Eng. Okullu Jeroboam, explained that previous delays were caused by funding constraints.

‘The ministry was financially constrained and could not intervene immediately. But as the body responsible for planning and developing national road infrastructure, we recognized the bottleneck this posed for residents who have struggled to transport their goods to the market. This intervention is timely, and we hope the construction will greatly improve livelihoods once completed,’ he said.

Bundibugyo remains one of Uganda’s hard-to-reach areas, regularly affected by floods and landslides.

Several roads and bridges are still impassable, including a section of the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo road that recently sank, leaving communities reliant on improvised access.

We were raised to believe stability is the reward for hard work. We fall in love with familiar routines because the things that we have done frequently make us feel competent. With this foundation, most employees hope things will calm down after the next big change, the next big project, or the next big deadline, but then another one appears, followed by another.

Customers today expect greater speed and convenience, while competitors are delivering similar services at lower costs or with faster turnaround. For companies that want to stay relevant, standing still or moving slowly is no longer an option.

Change is often bold and strategic, but for most employees, it evokes a range of emotions. Work is not just where we go to earn a salary. It is where many of us quietly test whether we are still capable. It is where we find a fragile sense of safety and belonging. So, when change comes, it wakes up self-questions like: Will I still be valuable here? Will a new manager come in and undo everything I’ve built? Will this new system expose what I don’t know?

Resistance to change comes from a place where staff are questioning their worth and security. Even positive changes carry their own tremor. A promotion brings recognition, but also new expectations and more public mistakes.

A transfer offers growth, but takes away the comfort of your routine. Every organisational change asks you to say goodbye to something: a manager who understood your life without long explanations, a place where everyone depended on you for direction, an old system you could navigate with your eyes closed.

What hurts most people is not the change itself, but the pressure to behave as if nothing has been lost and smile through restructures, clap for every new announcement, and pretend any sad emotions are unprofessional.

You are allowed to momentarily miss the old version of things, but don’t allow yourself to sit in those emotions for long. Be ready to move on with the new beginning

The truth is, you cannot control who is appointed above you, or when executives decide that the business must ‘streamline’, ‘realign’, or ‘transform’. You can be excellent, loyal, consistent, and still not always be the author of organisational decisions. You may not choose the wave, but you can choose how you stand in it.

A useful first step is to name what you are feeling; ‘I am scared of being left behind.’ ‘I am angry that nobody asked for my input.’ ‘I am tired of always adjusting.’ Once you understand those feelings, they stop being a fog. You might realise you hate the new system; you dislike being thrown into it with no training.

Second, don’t personalise the change. Just because a department has closed does not mean you are useless. A title can change without your skills disappearing.

Ask yourself: How can I use what I know in this new environment? What do I bring that is still valuable, regardless of the label on my door? When your whole identity is tied to your title, your office, or your list of past achievements, every change can feel like a personal verdict. Remembering that your skills travel with you helps you manage yourself.

Third, show up as your very best. When everything around you is moving, keep your systems tight. Use a calendar to remember appointments.

Lastly, one silent enemy of healthy change is a familiar phrase: ‘We tried that before and it failed.’ It is usually seen as resistance. Much as something may have been tried before, it was at a different time, with different leadership and different resources.

Workplace change has become like air; it is everywhere. We may not control the forecast, but we can decide how rooted we will be, how we speak to ourselves in the middle of it, and how open we are to becoming people who can bend without breaking. With that mindset, change begins to look less like punishment and more like what it truly is: a persistent reality we can learn to navigate and a climate in which we can still grow.

Folks, it is Christmas season! You know, that time of year that sees diaspora Ugandans fill up miles upon miles of street corner bars with their strange accents and sweat adulterated designer perfumes. Bandali Rise regulars are about to find their usual ‘reserved’ tables reserved with the most expensive whiskys. They will throw tantrums and promise hell to the owners whose establishments they have patronised for the past 11 months of the year.

The bar owners will throw around empty excuses and ‘I wasn’t aware’ shoulder shrugs but they know deep down that the big spenders are in town and capitalism has to do capitalism things. So, regulars, take the backseat for now, the ba’summer are in town and they are loaded with the white and green notes emblazoned with bald, white fathers of the American Revolution.

It is the time when these ba’summer suddenly remember that they have been ‘actively farming’ (read: used some of their kyeeyo earnings to buy a few long-horned cattle that they keep in their fathers’ kraals in Kashari). Our social media timelines will be filled with smug selfies of them in designer Wellington boots that have never touched cow dung. It is for the gram. Nothing serious.

If you have been dating one of those long-legged, shisha smoking, hot baddies with thick yellow thighs only upstaged by their expensive taste, your friends might be best advised to have you on suicide watch. You might not see her this month. No, do not worry, she has not been kidnapped. The mu’summer who has been resident in her Snapchat inbox is in town and dollars have to be chopped.

When you find her on Bandali, exiting a posh G-Class, arms wrapped around a tall, muscular fella with an American accent and a silver grill, do not even be tempted to pretend to know her. Get a corner seat and watch her dance to EDM like a constipated goat undergoing exorcism. Do not put up a fight. Just respect the hustle and await your turn.

Like my friend Baldwin usually says, she is never yours, it is just your turn. Keep it moving. These fellas will soon be back to punishing winters and sweaty days and nights behind industrial machines and in corporate cubicles that can barely fit an Ankole cow’s backside. Do not sweat them. Just wait them out.

As you wait, kindly resist the temptation to stroll into these poorly decorated, sweat and heat filled Ugandan ‘malls’ in the name of buying Christmas gifts nobody has asked for and in all honesty, nobody needs. Use this period to read a book, volunteer with a local refugee organisation, hang out with your old folks, go for a hike or even catch up on sleep.

Happy holidays!!

Too much of anything is bad’ is a common saying we have all grown up reciting right through school to our day-to-day living. We do not know who first said it. However, we know who has said a few variations of it.

For example, the legendary American writer, humorist, and essayist Mark Twain is quoted to have once said; ‘Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.’

Similarly, American novelist, short story writer, and playwright Edna Ferber reportedly once said, ‘Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.’

We have all had our personal experiences with ‘too much of anything’ or ‘too little of anything’ – whether it is food, alcohol, dancing, love, name it! We have thus learned that moderation is best in most situations, whether we are indulging, supplying, or consuming.

But that is about things we can touch and feel. What about things of a general nature, like information, like news, or what looks like news? Is too much information/news bad?

Can it endanger our lives and the democracy we live in or aspire to live in? Or does too much information/news instead make us more knowledgeable, more discerning, more critical, etc?

Today, we live in the information age. Wherever and whenever one turns, there is a flood of information in multiple formats – print, audio, video, or all rolled into one. It comes straight into our palm through smart mobile phones on social media or through the old/ legacy media.

So, how does ‘too much’ information in this information age of internet, social media, et al affect us, and how do we respond to mitigate its impact? These are the questions US professors, Susan A. Nolan and Michael Kimball, tried to peel back in their essay, ‘Critical Ignoring: A Strategy for Information Overload’ (November 23, 2025). I received mine courtesy of the American Press Institute (API) weekly newsletter, ‘Need to Know’.

The authors observe that, particularly during elections [in the USA – and same in Uganda], the public tends to be bombarded with a lot of information through various mediums to the extent that often times they are unable to tell what information is correct from what is disinformation or misinformation.

Flooding the public with information as a political strategy is credited to US President Donald Trump’s media strategist, Steve Bannon, who reportedly said: ‘All we have to do is flood the zone…Every day we hit [the media] with three things. They’ll bite on one, and we’ll get all of our stuff done, bang, bang, bang.’

The impact? ‘Flooding the zone might work as a political strategy, but it takes a psychological toll on media consumers. For example, polls show that 65 percent of US adults have felt the need to reduce their media consumption because of information overload and ensuing feelings of fatigue.

Moreover, experimental research has found that a habit of closely following political news is a chronic stressor, often leading to negative emotions.’ Do you see the same in Uganda’s ongoing 2026 general election campaigns? Are you fatigued by too much political information? Have you ‘switched off ‘as a result?

Well, to cope with the information overload, people tend to adopt what is termed as ‘critical ignoring’.

This is ‘a type of deliberate ignorance, which refers to the conscious choice to ignore information even when the costs of obtaining it are small or nonexistent. So, as you scroll through the news on a social media feed, you can-and should-make choices about what to ignore.’

The authors share a few clues to help us decide what information to ignore and what to consume, namely: One, content that is polarizing.

Two, does it appeal to intuition or common sense? Three, it has no sources or the sources are not credible. Four, information that seems to be released as a distraction. Five, it involves unsupported accusations, particularly of a political opponent. Just ignore these. Six, it promotes the threat of a bogeyman or a scapegoat.

Important caution: ‘Don’t ignore everything. The idea of critical ignoring is to strategically decide not to consume certain content. But this is not meant to be in service of blissful ignorance of the world around us; rather, it’s meant to protect our cognitive resources for when it really matters.’

When Paul Kato plants maize on his land in Katikara Village in Kyabigambire, Hoima District, he already knows what he will harvest. Whether he applies fertiliser or not, the yield rarely changes. Season after season, Kato bags between 17 and 18 bags of maize per acre. That consistency, he says, is the most frustrating part.

‘I have tried applying fertiliser several times but nothing changes,’ he explains. ‘I assume when I go the extra mile to apply fertiliser, I should be getting like 30 bags. But I end up with the same 17 or 18. To me, it feels like a waste of money.’

Across Bunyoro, many farmers share Kato’s experience. Some have given up on fertiliser entirely, convinced that it simply doesn’t work in their soils. But agronomists insist something else is at play.

Beneath the surface

According to Dr Joseph Ekwangu, a crop agronomist at Bulindi Zardi, what farmers see as ‘fertiliser failure’ is often caused by soil conditions they cannot see with the naked eye.

‘When you do all the recommended agronomic practices, you get the desired yields. But some soils are naturally fertile and may not need fertiliser at all. Others need it in smaller amounts. This can only be known after soil testing,’ Dr Ekwangu says.

Much of Bunyoro has soils with low pH, meaning they are acidic. Acidic soils create a major problem for phosphorus, one of maize’s most important nutrients. When the pH is low, phosphorus becomes fixed in the soil and cannot be taken up by the maize roots, even if applied in the right quantities.

‘You may actually be wasting fertiliser for no good reason. If your soil is acidic to the point where nutrients get locked up, you should not be applying fertiliser blindly. Bring your soil for testing so we can advise you properly,’ Dr Ekwangu explains.

This trend is not unique to Uganda. FAO reports and fertiliser manuals across East Africa confirm that acidic tropical soils often retain or ‘lock up’ phosphorus, reducing fertiliser efficiency by up to 40 per cent.

Maize needs fertiliser in small meals

To reduce nutrient loss in such soils, Dr Ekwangu recommends a technique gaining ground across Africa: split fertilisation.

‘The maize plant isn’t greedy. It eats slowly. If you apply everything at once, more will be wasted, especially in acidic soils. When you split, you give the crop what it needs at the right time,’ he says.

Traditionally, farmers apply 50kg of DAP per acre at planting. But Dr Ekwangu says this is where most of it goes to waste.

Instead, he advises: apply 25kg at planting, then apply 25kg at first weeding, around three to four weeks later.

This, he says, ensures nutrients reach the plant during the most critical growth stages.

Studies from Tanzanian and Kenyan maize research stations show that splitting nitrogen and phosphorus doses can increase yields by 15-30 per cent, especially in regions with rainfall variability or acidic soils.

Soil testing

Despite its importance, soil testing remains rare among smallholder farmers. Yet it is the first step in unlocking better fertiliser performance and often in saving money.

A soil test reveals the soil’s nutrient levels, pH and organic matter content. Most maize thrives in soils with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0, but many parts of Bunyoro fall below this range.

‘Before you invest in fertiliser, spend a small amount on a soil test. It might show your soil is already fertile, or that you only need small doses of fertiliser,’ Dr Ekwangu says.

Without this knowledge, farmers may apply fertiliser year after year without any benefit.

Beyond fertiliser

Even with the correct fertiliser and split application, maize still demands proper agronomy. Poor spacing, late weeding, and low-quality seed can all undermine fertiliser efficiency.

Maize responds best when: spaced correctly, weeded early, planted using improved seed varieties and grown in well-prepared soils with good moisture.

Without these conditions, even the best fertiliser cannot push yields beyond a certain point.

Turning point

After learning about soil acidity and split application, Kato says he is willing to try a different approach.

‘Maybe my soil is already fertile. Or maybe I’ve been applying incorrectly. I want to know the truth before I spend more money,’ he says.

Agronomists say this shift in mindset is critical. Fertiliser is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is a targeted tool that works only when applied correctly and under the right soil conditions.

‘When farmers understand their soil, they stop wasting money. And when they apply fertiliser using split doses, they finally start seeing the yields they expect,’ Dr Ekwangu says.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Small change, big difference

A smallholder farmer can save a significant amount of money on an acre of maize simply by changing how they approach fertiliser use. The first and most important step is soil testing, which costs between Shs20,000 and Shs30,000. This small investment provides crucial information about soil pH and nutrient levels. Many soils in Bunyoro are naturally fertile or only slightly deficient, meaning they do not require the full one-bag fertiliser dose that most farmers apply by default. A soil test can therefore save a farmer from buying fertiliser unnecessarily, potentially saving up to Shs120,000 before planting even begins.

Savings continue when the farmer uses the findings from the soil test to apply fertiliser more efficiently. Instead of buying a full 50kg bag of DAP, which costs about Shs150,000, a farmer may only need 25-35kg depending on the soil’s nutrient status. This reduces spending by an additional Shs60,000. When fertiliser is applied in a single dose at planting, much of it is lost due to leaching or fixation in acidic soils. Splitting the application, half at planting and the rest during first weeding, ensures that more nutrients reach the crop at the time when it needs them most. This increases fertiliser efficiency without increasing fertiliser cost.

The benefits of these two practices extend beyond savings.

Farmers, who currently harvest 17 to 18 bags of maize per acre regardless of whether they use fertiliser, often see yield improvements when they combine soil testing and split fertiliser application. Many farmers in similar soils in western Uganda report harvesting between 22 and 25 bags per acre after adopting these practices. Even a modest increase of three bags translates into an additional Shs270,000 in income, given current maize prices.

In total, a smallholder farmer can earn and save an extra Shs450,000 on a single acre through soil testing and correct fertiliser management. These gains can be channeled into preparing land for the next season, buying improved seed, expanding acreage, or supporting household needs.

The Ministry of Works and Transport has taken over and commenced mandatory inspection of vehicles in the country.

The mandate was initially given to Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), a Swiss company that specialises in inspection, verification, testing and certification services.

Mr Kharim Kibuuka, the acting vehicle inspector at the Ministry of Works and Transport, said the inspection kicked off on Monday with government vehicles until February, followed by commercial, goods and passenger service vehicles from March, and private vehicles will follow in that order.

Mr Kibuuka, who made the revelation in Kampala yesterday at the launch of the road safety campaign under the theme, ‘Safe vehicles for a safer Uganda,’ said members of the public who would wish to bring their vehicles earlier for inspection are free to do so.

He said the inspection is part of the country’s wider road safety strategy to reduce road accidents caused by mechanical failures and environment pollution from poorly maintained vehicles.

The mandatory inspection was initially planned for April, before it was moved to July and later postponed again over concerns of operational readiness, and ongoing stakeholder consultation.

Areas of inspection

Mr Kibuuka said the inspection would focus on external body, lights and visibility, internal security features, side-slip test, suspension test, brake test, emission testing, undercarriage inspection, and headlamp aim testing. Upon inspection, the ministry will issue a certificate of fitness that is required for every vehicle to operate on the country’s public roads.

‘Uganda has witnessed increased motorisation over the years, but with it comes the challenge of unroadworthy vehicles operating on public roads. Many accidents, air pollution cases and traffic congestion incidents are linked to vehicles in poor mechanical condition,’ Mr Kibuuka said.

Mr Kibuuka said the inspection comes at a cost, with motorcycles charged Shs5,500, saloon SUV vehicles Shs50,000, passenger service vehicles/taxis at Shs49,000 and heavy vehicles and buses at Shs60,000.

Mr Kibuuka said the government has taken over seven inspection facilities that were formerly run by SGS at Namave on Jinja Road, Kawanda on Bombo Road, Nabbingo on Masaka Road, Namulanda on Entebbe Road, and upcountry stations in Mbale, Mbarara, and Gulu cities. He said the government would increase the vehicle inspection centres across the country.

‘In terms of service enhancement, we are going to leverage technology so that we achieve efficiency while providing this service. We encourage people to book for vehicle inspection services before they come to the facility because we do not want people to come and line up at the facilities,’ Mr Kibuuka said.

He stressed the mandatory inspection would enhance safety by ensuring all vehicles on the road meet the minimum mechanical safety standards, reduce harmful emissions and improve air quality.

Mr Kibuuka said the inspection services would be streamlined using automated systems for consistency, accuracy and transparency, as well as supporting compliance with national and international road transport standards.

He said commercial vehicles would be inspected once every year, and private SUVs once every two years and those who will not comply will have their vehicles impounded and legal action taken against them.

‘But this doesn’t mean you can’t come in at any time or you can be compelled to come in at any time should your vehicle be found on the road it can be impounded for re-inspection,’ Mr Kibuuka warned.

He said should the vehicle fail the first inspection after one has paid, they would be given a window of 30 days to come back for a do-free inspection.

Gen Katumba Wamala, the minister for Works and Transport, called for compliance, saying the exercise would help in reducing the high number of road accidents in the country.

‘Let’s have our vehicles inspected to protect the lives of Ugandans on the roads. We have talked about this many times, and how it is unhealthy for us; every year to talk about the huge numbers in road accidents. We should find a way of reducing and reversing the trend,’ he said.

Gen Katumba said the Electronic Penalty System (EPS) was suspended because it had flaws but would be reintroduced after being re-evaluated.

‘We did realise that the EPS had some flaws, among which was that our speed limits on the roads are given by engineers, and not in consonance with the cameras. For example, you would find around Katabi [on Entebbe Road], there is a sign which shows 60km/ph speed limit. The camera was charging people at 45 kilometres, so there is a mismatch there,’ Gen Katumba said.

‘The EPS system will come back, we are refining the issue of speed on the road with speed on the camera. We are looking at the rates, and the charges – are they affordable – but also the payment system.’

Background

SGS commenced its services in November 2016 with seven inspection centres in Kampala, Gulu, Mbale and Mbarara.

In 2017, Parliament halted the mandatory vehicle inspection on grounds of high fees charged by SGS, arguing that the mandate should be left to the police. SGS was charging Shs54,752 for the inspection of motorcycles, Shs59,000 for buses, Shs100,000 for taxis and Shs147,500 for trucks.

A coalition of foreign missions and delegations, including the British and Canadian High Commissions, the Embassies of Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the European Union Delegation, have issued a joint statement urging Tanzania to release all bodies of those killed in the October electoral violence to their families.

While expressing deep concern over the recent events in Tanzania, the foreign missions also urged President Samia Suluhu’s government to free political prisoners and allow detainees to get legal and medical help.

Highlighting credible reports of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests, and the concealment of bodies, the statement urged authorities to release all deceased individuals to their families and ensure political prisoners have access to legal and medical support.

The international community also called on the Tanzanian government to address shortcomings identified in preliminary election reports by the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC).

US ‘reviewing ties’ with Tanzania

The statement comes a day after the US government said it was reconsidering the state of relations with Tanzania in the wake of Dodoma’s heavy-hand response against post-election protesters.

The announcement, which piles fresh pressure on Tanzanian leader Samia Suluhu Hassan, said Washington was concerned with the security agencies’ violent response to protests, including killings. The US said such actions ‘raise grave concerns about the direction of our bilateral relationship and the reliability of the Tanzanian Government as a partner.’

‘As a result, the United States is comprehensively reviewing our relationship with the Government of Tanzania. The Government of Tanzania’s ongoing repression of religious freedom and free speech, the presence of persistent obstacles to US investment, and disturbing violence against civilians in the days leading up to and following Tanzania’s October 29 elections, required this reconsideration of our ties.’

This move could be a step backwards for Samia who had retooled ties with Washington after taking the mantle of presidency in 2021, following the death of the inward-looking John Pombe Magufuli.

The Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Mr Nathan Nandala Mafabi, has slammed the recycling of various poverty alleviation projects that he said have never lifted Ugandans out of poverty.

While campaigning in Tubur Sub-county and Ojom in Oculoi Sub-county, Soroti District, Mr Nandala, instead, said his party has a more effective and credible strategy to lift Ugandans out of poverty. ‘For the last seven electoral cycles, President Museveni has dangerously used anti-poverty slogans which have failed to remove the people from poverty,’ he told supporters yesterday.

‘In 1996, it was Entandikwa; in 2001, Okulembeka; in 2006, Bonabagagawale; in 2011 Prosperity for All; in 2016, Operation Wealth Creation; in 2021, Emyooga, and most recently PDM in 2026. These programmes have only helped him to cross the political bridge,’ he added.

Mr Nandala said the FDC government, if voted into power come January 15, 2026, will prioritise stabilising agricultural sector, which remains the backbone of most rural communities. He highlighted the need for a comprehensive national crop insurance scheme to protect farmers from losses due to drought, pests, and unpredictable weather.

‘I have seen gardens of maize dry. As FDC, we will introduce insurance schemes so farmers no longer suffer alone,’ he said. He also pledged to revive the Cooperative Bank and establish an agricultural bank to provide affordable credit tailored to farmers and smallholder producers, adding that these institutions would be rolled out within his first year in office.

On youth empowerment, Mr Nandala promised to offer subsidised motorcycles at Shs2m to support youth employment and give each university graduate Shs1m upon completing their studies as part of an economic starter package.

The FDC presidential candidate attributed the country’s poor service delivery to what he termed widespread corruption ‘presided over by President Museveni himself,’ claiming that graft has crippled key sectors such as health and education.

Mr Jonathan Erau, the FDC parliamentary candidate for Dakabela County, pledged to champion issues affecting his constituency, including limited water sources, poor roads, inadequate health infrastructure, and low teacher staffing, once elected.

History shows you cannot afford more than two losses if you want to remain in the hunt for the Finance Trust Bank Fufa Women Super League trophy.

In fact in the last four seasons, the champion has lost only once. In 2022, She Corporate lost once, matching their direct rivals Kampala Queens (KQ).

In winning the 2022/23 and 2024/25 trophies, KQ lost once. Kawempe, who were chasing them in both seasons lost thrice and were duly pushed out of the title race.

In the 2023/24 season, Kawempe lost twice en route to winning the title but they fortunately beat chasers KQ twice.

From that background, KQ already look like they need to dig themselves out of a deep hole this weekend if they are to defend their title this season. They have lost back to back games, sit eight points behind leaders Kawempe (25 points), and therefore, cannot afford another slip as they travel to Kachumbala to take on Amus College on Sunday.

KQ beat Amus by two goals home and away last season but the latter are yet to lose at home this season. They have won thrice and drawn twice in five home games, and will know that a win this weekend puts them just a point KQ.

KQ, on the other hand, have not been the best of travellers this season. They have won twice, drawn twice, and lost once in five away games so far.

Pande, Akadinda turn on Olila

But before they think of the top of the table, KQ must concern themselves with She Corporate, who are second on 20 points. The latter host joint-bottom side Olila High School (four points) at Fufa Technical Centre, Njeru on Saturday.

Olila will come up against some familiar faces like Saddam Pande, who coached them for eight years until 2024, and Gillian Akadinda, who played in their defence for several years and is now in Corporate’s midfield.

Kawempe host the stubborn Makerere University, who have just seven points this season, on Sunday. Makerere once came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Kawempe’s title winning season but apart from that, Kawempe has always got the better of them in the valley. It is the reverse fixture that Kawempe worries about.

This season, Makerere, has also picked just one point in four away games while Kawempe have dropped just two points in five home games.

Strugglers’ clashes

Makerere will play but also keep tabs on the clash between fellow strugglers Asubo Ladies (four points) and Uganda Martyrs (nine) plus the one where Lady Doves (also on seven) host Rines (11).

Asubo has picked just two points at home while five of Martyrs’ points have come on the road. The latter have also won their previous two fixtures at Asubo.

Meanwhile, Rines have not won in their four fixtures in Masindi but they have been competitive travellers this season – with just one defeat in four games. Doves, on the other hand, have already lost two and drawn two home games, beating only the bottom-placed Asubo.

On Saturday, She Maroons host St. Noa Girls, who have had coach Tonny Mawejje resign from duties early in the week. Mawejje, who has been linked with a return to the men’s Uganda Premier League side Police in a technical director role, had St. Noa in 4th with 13 points but wrote in his resignation letter that “it was in everyone’s interest that we part ways.”

FTBFWSL FIXTURES, 10am

SATURDAY

She Maroons vs. St. Noa Girls, Luzira Prisons

She Corporate vs. Olila HS, FTC Njeru

SUNDAY

Asubo vs. Uganda Martyrs, Kampala Quality

Amus College vs. Kampala Queens, Amus Kachumbala

Lady Doves vs. Rines SS, Katusabe Masindi

Kawempe Muslim vs. Makerere University, Kawempe

The Uganda Cup final between Heathens and Black Pirates arrives on Saturday with the crackle of a rivalry that needs no selling.

It’s the Cup’s defending champions against the league kings, two giants locked in a duel wrapped in unpredictability and just enough chaos to suit both sides perfectly. This is exactly the kind of script Heathens and Pirates thrive in.

And if the stakes weren’t already towering, the added confusion of a final whose venue remained undecided before press time has only heightened the tension.

Heathens is about preserving a legacy that few clubs in Ugandan rugby can match.

With 13 titles already in the bag and as the defending champions, they enter this final as the custodians of the Cup’s history.

Their journey to the final has been steady and disciplined with dominant group stage wins over Impis 29-6, Kitgum Lions 57-6 and put away Victoria Sharks 37-17 followed by a 44-28 quarterfinal victory over Rams and then a 22-13 composed semifinal win against Buffaloes.

Their head coach Tolbert Onyango understands exactly what lies ahead.

‘Pirates is the most experienced side in this Cup in terms of years played. They’ve got a good squad, hard workers at the back, and a backline full of superstars,’ he said in an interview with FatCats podcast.

‘We’ll put in our homework and show up on Saturday. I hope the final is at Kyadondo because we really didn’t know where the game would be played. But wherever it is, we’ll give it our best.’

Swagger

The Black Pirates, meanwhile, arrive carrying the swagger of crowned league champions and the hunger of a club desperate to complete a double that has evaded them for seven years.

Their numbers in this Cup have been frightening with a 154-9 demolition of Kigezi Silverbacks, a 98-10 thrashing of Walukuba Barbarians and a 41-15 dismantling of Mongers in groups.

They then put 69-20 past Impis in the quarters before surviving a nerve-wracking 24-23 semifinal battle against Kobs.

Central to that run has been Isaac Massa, the tournament’s top points’ scorer, who stepped into kicking duties after injuries to William Nkore and Ivan Magomu.

‘I’ve just focused on my role and my commitment to the team,’ Massa said. ‘All teams were tough, but we always wanted it more.

Just expect a great game because we’re giving it our best shot to finally win a Cup that has dodged us for a while.’

2025 UGANDA CUP

Final – Saturday

Women: She-Wolves vs. Nile Rapids

Men: Black Pirates vs. Heathens