Category: Daily Monitor

New details indicate that at least Shs397 billion from the Shs8.1 trillion supplementary expenditures approved by Parliament on Tuesday will go to Uganda’s health sector. According to the parliamentary Budget Committee report, the largest portion-Shs269b-will go to the National Medical Stores (NMS).

The remainder will be allocated to the Ministry of Health, the Uganda Heart Institute, and Moroto Regional Referral Hospital.

For NMS, the committee observed that the Shs269b will fund medical and health supplies for the newly constructed Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Referral Hospital in Mbuya and address wage shortfalls.

Part of the funds will also address gaps in the storage and distribution of additional GAVI (vaccine) supplies expected this financial year, as well as medical supplies handed over to the government by USAID. The money will also cover procurement affected by previous USAID withdrawals, the report said.

The health sector is struggling under a sharp drop in donor support, with external funding for the national health budget declining from 49 percent in 2022 to just 23 percent in 2025, according to a joint report by the Uganda National NGO Forum and the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD).

The report notes that this decline, coupled with insufficient domestic funding increases, has eroded service quality, leaving many vulnerable Ugandans struggling to access essential care.

Ms Flavia Kyomukama, the head of the National Forum of People Living with HIV/Aids Networks in Uganda (NAFOPHANU), said members are reporting stock-outs of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) due to distribution and supply gaps.

Previously, USAID coordinated drug distribution, ensuring facilities with excess supplies supported those experiencing shortages.

Kyomukama said: ‘NMS and Joint Medical Stores (JMS) are trying to catch up, but districts still report stock-outs. Redistribution is ongoing, but challenges persist.’

Ministry of Health Allocations

The Ministry of Health received a combined Shs87.6b under two requests. Shs17.95 billion will address shortfalls created by the withdrawal of US funding for essential health services, including laboratory operations, Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) programmes, health management information systems, and WASH initiatives.

Covering gaps

An additional Shs59.693b will cover other gaps caused by the US withdrawal, ensuring there are no drug stock-outs or related health crises. While some of this overlaps with the NMS allocation, the ministry oversees overall supervision, monitoring, and coordination of health services.

The ministry also received Shs10b for operational costs of the National Ambulance System, addressing fuel shortages and mechanical breakdowns that have left many ambulances non-operational.

Parliament cleared Shs40b for the Uganda Heart Institute to settle outstanding payments on the long-awaited 250-bed specialist facility in Naguru. The funds come from loans and grants provided by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the OPEC Fund, and the Saudi Fund for Development.

Construction of the $73 million (Shs268.6 billion) heart hospital began in February to expand cardiac care beyond Mulago hospital.

The facility, located six kilometres from Kampala’s city centre, will sit on 10 acres and comprise three blocks: clinical, administration, and accommodation. It will feature three operating theatres, two catheterisation labs, and 40 modern cardiac ICU beds.

Catheterisation involves inserting a thin tube into a body vessel to diagnose and treat conditions.

A smaller allocation of Shs249 million went to Moroto Regional Referral Hospital in Karamoja to enable the facility to spend Unicef funds already received for child nutrition programmes.

The committee noted that these funds were approved after the FY2025/2026 Budget and required supplementary approval before expenditure. However, challenges such as drug distribution and operational inefficiencies remain pressing concerns for Uganda’s health sector.

Allocation

-NMS: Shs269b – UPDF Hospital supplies, wages, GAVI and USAID stock

-Ministry of Health: Shs87.6b – Labs, NTDs, WASH, ambulance ops

-Uganda Heart Institute: Shs40b – 250-bed cardiac hospital, 3 ORs, 2 cath labs, 40 ICU beds

Health researchers have uncovered a silent HIV epidemic among spouses, where they are infecting each other, contributing 11 percent of total new infections in the country. This is driven by secrecy, extramarital affairs, lack of pre-marital or pre-relationship testing, and low uptake of prevention tools. Ms Anne Nabukenya and colleagues at Makerere University School of Public Health investigated drivers of infections among couples in Rakai District, one of Uganda’s longest-studied HIV hotspots. She observed that ‘married couples can be at an elevated risk of HIV infection.’

Of the 664 couples studied, 6.4 percent were in HIV-discordant relationships (one partner is HIV-negative and another is HIV-positive) while 5.8 percent were in concordant HIV-positive relationships (in which both partners were HIV-positive). But the 87.8 percent were in concordant HIV-negative relationships (both partners are HIV negative). ‘Of those in HIV-discordant relationships, 52.4 percent had the male partner living with HIV, while 47.6 percent had the female partner living with HIV. Overall, 12.2 percent of couples had at least one partner living with HIV,’ the report reads.

The researchers found that the strongest predictors of HIV infection within marriage are living in a high-prevalence community, having had multiple previous marriages or couple relationships, and engaging in extramarital sex. ‘Individuals who had been in three or more previous couple relationships were almost four times more likely to be infected with HIV than those in the first marital union, while individuals who reported having more than one sexual partner were almost two times more likely to be in an HIV-infected relationship,’ the report reads further.

The 2023/2024 Joint Aids Review Report sheds more light on the matter. For those in marriages or cohabitating couples who were previously all negative, there were 5,300 new HIV infections. This was based on a study on a population of 5.4 million. According to the report, 11 percent of the 37,000 new infections were contributed by marrieds and those in cohabiting relationships.

The report also shows that more than 60 percent of new infections are contributed by females (36 percent never married; 12.2 percent previously married; and 9.8 percent female sex workers). The Rakai study dug deeper, highlighting the danger of remarriage or entering another couple relationship without testing.

Many people enter new unions or couple relationships after separation or widowhood without knowing their status, unknowingly carrying the virus from past relationships into the next relationship.

Low testing among couples

Canon Dr Ruth Senyonyi, the chairperson of the Uganda Aids Commission (UAC) Board, emphasised this concern around low testing among couples. ‘There is low uptake of couple testing, and the couples are not testing together. One goes and tests secretly, finds out they are positive, they come back and keep quiet,’ she said. ‘They start on medication, they don’t tell the partner. They should be going together [for testing], we encourage that,’ she added. Some people may be hesitant to reveal their status for fear of rejection, violence from the other partner, or being accused of infidelity, according to activists and researchers.

Testing positive for HIV doesn’t automatically mean the other partner is also positive, according to researchers. HIV positive partners are less likely to transmit the virus to HIV negative partners if their viral load is suppressed and undetectable, according to scientists. The low viral load can either be achieved naturally by an ‘elite controller’ or, more commonly, due to effective Anti-retroviral drug. The HIV negative partner may also have some natural bodily mechanisms which reduce HIV susceptibility or protect them totally. But this risk of breakthrough infection increases if the viral load of the HIV partner rises, often due to low medication adherence.

This can be prevented if the HIV negative partner uses and adheres to freely available Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), vaginal ring or condoms during intercourse with the partner. Ms Ritah Atuhaire from Kampala International University, in a separate study conducted in Bushenyi District, western Uganda, among 85 couples, found that unfaithfulness among partners a risk factor for HIV infection in marriage. Their 2023 report shows that 51 percent of the couples have ever had sex outside their relationship, while a few, 14 percent, never had sex outside their relationship.

Even cultural and religious practices are under scrutiny. While some have suggested polygamy could be fuelling the epidemic, the UAC director of planning, Dr Vincent Bagambe, pushed back. ‘It all boils down to the individual and how you are managing your relationship. Even if it is polygamy, you are still talking about a relationship between you and your partner,’ Dr Bagambe explained.

‘We have seen that HIV prevalence among the Muslim couples is not necessarily higher than that of the general population. But it is an area that requires more investigations,’ he added. Compared to Christianity, the Islamic religion has a higher tolerance of polygamy.

National surveys appear to support Dr Bagambe’s caution. In both the 2004/2005 and 2011 sero-behavioural surveys, Muslims consistently recorded the lowest HIV prevalence among major religious groups at five percent in 2004/2005 and 5.7 percent in 2011, compared with rates above seven percent among Protestants and Catholics in the same period.

According to UAC, pregnant women who test negative at their first antenatal visit sometimes seroconvert and test HIV-positive during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, indicating that they contracted infection midway. ‘The source of the infection maybe the spouse or from outside,’ observed Dr Nelson Musoba, the UAC Director General.

He said some of these mothers will also be considered for the long-acting injectable drug for HIV prevention, lenacapavir, after risk assessment, when the government rolls out the drug next year. Discordant couples, where one partner is HIV-positive and the other negative, are another priority group for the injectable drug.

‘If there are two people in a discordant relationship, the HIV negative partner is at risk of acquiring HIV, especially if the viral load from the HIV-positive partner is not controlled,’ Dr Musoba added. In the 2023/2024 Joint Aids Review Report, for those in marriages or cohabitating couples where one was previously HIV-positive and the other negative, there were 67 new infections in a population of 72,565, where the man was the one who was initially infected. While in a population of 236,000 where the female was the one initially positive, there were 117 HIV infections

Statistics from UAC 2025 fact sheet

– Four percent of women aged 15-49 reported having more than one partner.

– 15 percent of women had sex with a person who was neither their husband nor lived with them.

– 23 percent of men aged 15-49 reported having more than one sexual partner

– 34 percent of men reported having sex with a person who was neither their wife nor lived with them.

The Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate has expressed fears for his life and has opted to wear body armour.

Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, better known by his stage name of Bobi Wine, said his team had received intelligence of a pre-planned terror attack against him, similar to what happened during the 2021 presidential campaigns.

‘Given previous incidents where security personnel fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at our supporters and directly at our vehicle, the team has prioritised my safety above everything else,’ Mr Kyagulanyi told Monitor in a telephone interview.

‘Additionally, we have received credible intelligence pointing to planned acts of violence against me during this campaign,’ Bobi Wine said.

But Mr Kinuuma Rusoke, the police spokesperson, said they are yet to understand the level of risk that Bobi Wine is exposed to and has forced him into wearing body armour during his campaigns.

‘Mr Kyagulanyi has a special security detail and if he is feeling any risks around him, he has not informed [them] and that is information that he has kept to himself. We have done our best, although from their side, we are getting challenges because their level of cooperation is very low,’ Mr Rusoke said.

He said the police will interrogate the source of Bobi Wine’s body armour and also get further clarification on the matter from the relevant bodies. For the last one-and-half months, Bobi Wine has got involved in direct confrontation with armed security personnel as he tried to save some of his supporters from being beaten, fired upon, or arrested by the police.

In one such fracas in Mbarara District when the police ambushed and descended on his supporters, Bobi Wine jumped out of his car and struggled to stop police officers from pouncing on and dragging away some of his supporters.

Similarly, in Mukono Municipality, Bobi Wine told his supporters to go ahead of him as he stayed on the stage to watch who was being arrested. When the police attempted to arrest a boda boda, he came out to defend him and stop the officers.

Safety

Mr Fred Egesa, a commentator on security matters, said in such close-range confrontation, a bullet can be discharged and hit a candidate and would end in chaos for the country. He said protective gear would be crucial during such an altercation.

‘The body armour will be helpful in that it can deflect a bullet or neutralise it so as not to cause a lot of harm. These body armours are also important for long range shooters who would want to target the candidate,’ he said.

The 2021 presidential election campaign turned chaotic, prompting Bobi Wine to wear a bullet proof vest and helmet only two weeks into the campaign.

On many previous occasions, the police and other security agencies meted out violence on the team of Bobi Wine as many lost lives while others sustained injuries.

On December 28, Bobi Wine’s bodyguard Francis Ssenteza was run over by a military truck and died on the spot. On the same day, Mr Ashraf Kasirye, who was moving on top of the presidential candidate’s car while live streaming the event, was shot with a rubber bullet, rapturing his head.

In the same election campaign in Bugembe Town Council in Jinja District, Bobi Wine was pulled off during a live international TV interview which raised concern about the candidate’s safety with a section of his diaspora advisers, who secured him a body armour.

Bobi Wine at the time said the incidents had been aimed at him but instead hit the people around him. Multiple sources yesterday said a meeting sat immediately after the Monday violence in Kira Municipality to decide on whether or not Bobi Wine should resume wearing a bullet proof vest and helmet.

‘The leaders in the meeting agreed that the principal has to wear a bullet vest so that those that wield power can know that the situation is not good on his side,’ said a source that attended the meeting but preferred to remain anonymous.

Bobi Wine says the recent remarks by police chief Abas Byakagaba are meant to expose him and his team to more brutality and violence from the police and other security agencies.

Bobi Wine also says he has survived multiple assassination attempts referring to the Arua Municipality fatal shooting in 2018 where his bodyguard Yasin Kawuma was shot dead in his car by a sniper.

Isaac Mariera and Lillian Koowe began the week in top jovial moods after they were crowned as the best players from a sizable field which competed in the fourth and final leg of the Katogo Golf Series presented by I and M Bank at Entebbe Club.

Mariera was in a league of his own after he mastered the tournament format ‘In Regulation’ to finish with a best score of 68 nett off handicap 10 at the par-71 course.

‘This win feels very exciting, but also a bit overwhelming, because I know I now have to maintain a certain level of play every time I step on the course,’ said Mariera.

For Koowe, ecstasy gripped her after returning 75 nett off handicap 11, thereby winning an air ticket from RwandAir to a destination of her choice, just like Mariera.

‘Oh my God, this ticket is nice. I feel so nice, I feel I have to put more effort in my game,’ she said.

‘The In Regulation format was quite interesting. My approach was to target the green consistently and keep my short game solid,’ Koowe said.

The format considered individual scores where one had to hit the green in a specified number of strokes: one stroke for a par-3, two shots for a par-4, and three on for a par-5.

In case a green was missed in regulation, then a stroke penalty would be added to the player’s score but the penalty would be waived if one finished the hole with a par either by chipping in or putting smartly.

Koowe hit 13 greens in regulations and missed the greens of par-3 Holes No.2 and No.6, par-4 Holes No.3, No.4 and No.14. She saved to make a par on the fourth green though.

However, on the other par-3 Holes No.8, No.10 and No.16 and the par-4 No.17, Koowe hit the greens in regulation but struggled with the putting.

‘The game we played was so interesting, so disturbing. First, I did not know about it (format) but what they explained, that is what I tried to follow,’ she added.

Katogo Golf began as a group which would share a ‘katogo’ meal after a round of golf in Entebbe back in 2008 and on Saturday, their patrons Kiryowa ‘K.K’ Kiwanuka and Edward Kabuuchu were rewarded.

‘Since you came, the Series has become something special, something we sometimes can’t even fully recognize,’ remarked Kiwanuka. ‘On a personal note, expenditures have reduced, and it has become a true friendship. I and M Bank has even helped make it an East African affair.’

And the honour took Kabuchu by surprise. ‘I didn’t know it would turn out this way. We are who we are today because of our sponsors, I and M and their co-sponsors,’ he said.

The blue-themed after ‘par-tee’ on the day was electrified by the performance from Elijah Kitaka and comedian emcee Patrick Idringi.

I and M BANK KATOGO GOLF SERIES 2025

IN REGULATION TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Overall Lady Winner: Lillian Koowe 75 nett

Overall Male Winner: Isaac Mariera 68 nett

Gross Winner: Michael Tumusiime 74

MEN’S GROUP WINNERS

GROUP A

Winner: Paul Nuwagaba 77 nett (c/b)

Runner-Up: Paul Nyaduma 77 nett (c/b)

GROUP B

Winner: Kevin Ninyesiga 79 nett (c/b)

Runner-Up: Elly Mukasa 79 nett

GROUP C

Winner: Timothy Musiime 77 nett

Runner-Up: Milton Ocen 79 nett

LADIES’ GROUP WINNERS

GROUP A

Winner: Rita Apell 76 nett

Runner-Up: Martha Babirye 77 nett

GROUP B

Winner: Edith Wamalwa 83 nett

Runner-Up: Christine Mutegi 85 nett (c/b)

LONGEST DRIVE

M: Twinemanzi Tumubweine

L: Martha Babirye

NEAREST TO THE PIN

M: Picole Lukyamuzi

L: Harsshitha Loganathan

The 2025 NCBA Uganda Junior Golf Series wrapped up its first season for the 2025/6 calendar in style at the Lugazi Golf Club late last month, capping a year of inspiring performances and renewed commitment to nurturing Uganda’s next generation of golf champions.

The grand finale brought together over 100 junior golfers aged between 5 and 18 from across the country, showcasing the best of emerging local talent.

Launched in 2021, the NCBA Junior Golf Series has steadily evolved into a bedrock of Uganda’s sporting calendar, combining competition, mentorship, and education to help young athletes build confidence and discipline both on and off the course.

Speaking at the finale, Mark Muyobo, Chief Executive Officer of NCBA Bank Uganda, reaffirmed the bank’s deep commitment to youth empowerment through sport.

‘Through the NCBA Junior Golf Series, we are helping shape well-rounded individuals by nurturing talent, confidence, and leadership. Golf teaches patience, discipline, and integrity, values that extend far beyond the greens,’ Muyobo said.

This year, he said, has been particularly special, adding that the bank has sponsored Peter Mayende, to compete in the ‘Out of Africa’ tournament in Dubai on December 12th.

This year’s edition built on the momentum of previous seasons, featuring enhanced training camps, improved coaching, and greater international exposure for top performers. NCBA sponsored 24 of the most promising juniors from nine golf clubs across the country, giving them access to elite training and competitive opportunities.

Two of the sponsored players went on to represent Uganda at the Kenya Invitational Tournament, finishing in second and eighth place respectively, results that helped reinforce Uganda’s reputation as the second-strongest junior golf nation in East Africa.

Modeled after the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, the NCBA Junior Golf Series provides a direct pathway for young Ugandan golfers to qualify for elite global events such as the Rome Classic in Italy and the Big 5 Junior Golf Championship in South Africa.

‘We believe in creating opportunities that empower youth through skill, mentorship, and exposure. The NCBA Junior Golf Series is preparing young Ugandans to succeed locally, regionally, and internationally,’ Muyobo said, adding that since inception, the series has produced breakout stars who have become the new faces of Ugandan golf.

‘Players who once carried golf bags and watched from the sidelines are now competing with confidence. Their success proves that when talent is given a platform, it can flourish,’ Muyobo noted.

Beyond competition, the NCBA Junior Golf Series has become a platform for personal growth. Through mentorship from experienced golfers and professional coaches, participants learn key life skills such as resilience, focus, and teamwork, traits that extend beyond sports.

Theo Van Rooyen, Director of U.S. Kids Golf in Uganda, hailed the series for its impact on grassroots golf development. ‘The NCBA Junior Golf Series has become a pillar of Uganda’s sporting calendar. It has done more than introduce young people to golf. It has ignited a deep and lasting passion for the game while creating opportunities for mentorship and growth,’ Van Rooyen said.

He added that the initiative has bridged the gap between sport and opportunity, connecting young players with the business and sporting communities and building a sustainable pipeline for Uganda’s golf ecosystem.

This year’s finale at Lugazi Golf Club not only celebrated competition but also marked how far junior golf has come in Uganda.

Over the past four seasons, the NCBA Junior Golf Series has evolved from a national event into a regional benchmark for youth sports development, attracting participants from Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

The tournament’s unique format, combining multi-day competitions with skill-building clinics and mentorship, ensures players are not only competing but also learning. The structure mirrors NCBA’s holistic approach of using sport to instill discipline, confidence, and lifelong values.

Looking ahead, Muyobo said NCBA will continue investing in junior golf through training programs, and expanded exposure opportunities.

‘Our goal is to ensure that the NCBA Junior Golf Series remains impactful, inclusive, and transformative. We want to see Ugandan golfers competing at the highest levels, and it all starts here,’ he said.

The series is also aligned with NCBA’s broader social impact agenda, which includes education, sustainability, and community development. In addition to nurturing talent, each leg of the tournament integrates environmental activities, such as tree planting drives, as part of the bank’s 10 Million Trees by 2030 campaign.

Imagine a truck arriving at your warehouse with goods you know you desperately need. They align with the future you have projected. They represent freedom, protection, and progress.

They carry value that will transform your operations for years to come. But as you stand there receiving these goods, grateful for their arrival, you remain wary of a roadblock just outside your gate. A hinderance with the power to undo everything you have procured. An obstacle that does not care how far the goods have travelled or how important they are for your future.

That roadblock is Uganda’s outdated HIV/Aids prevention and Control Act. Despite the funding disruptions that have threatened Uganda’s health system this year, we have been listed among the countries to receive support from the Global Fund and the United States government for the rollout of long-acting Lenacapavir, the twice-yearly injection that offers six months of protection against HIV. Science has delivered an HIV prevention tool that complements the options Uganda already has such as the ABC approach, oral PrEP, the dapivirine ring, and long-acting Cabotegravir.

Lenacapavir offers six months of protection, which means people at risk of HIV no longer need to take a daily pill. This convenience reduces the pill burden, which may in turn improve adherence, strengthen continuity of prevention, and ultimately lower new HIV infections, contributing to a better quality of life. Lenacapavir is also discreet and offers genuine choice. Young women and girls who are exposed to HIV can now select a method that fits their realities. That freedom of choice is empowering, and it naturally reduces stigma because prevention becomes a private, dignified, and self-directed decision.

The economic benefit of Lenacapavir for Uganda’s health budget is significant. Every infection prevented is treatment avoided. The more people who remain HIV-free because of long-acting prevention, the fewer resources the country will spend on lifelong HIV treatment. Now this science arrives in Uganda and meets a law that criminalises having HIV. A law like this creates fear, which means people avoid testing because they do not want to be labelled criminals. When the law makes testing feel dangerous, people stay away from the very services that are meant to help them.

If they do not test, they will not know their status. And if they do not know their status, they cannot make informed decisions about whether to start HIV treatment or whether to use HIV prevention tools, especially if they are at risk. Science has already provided these tools: treatment that suppresses the virus, and prevention options that protect people before exposure. But without testing, none of this reaches the people who need it. Lack of testing also reduces disclosure, breaks trust, and eventually affects adherence because people operate in secrecy instead of safety.

The result is that the law ends up keeping people away from the systems that could protect them. Instead of slowing HIV transmission, it drives it underground. Instead of supporting prevention, it actively undermines it. The law creates the very silence that science is trying to break. Uganda now stands at a moment when science is offering us a new beginning. Long-acting prevention is here. Global partners are ready. Communities are ready. Young women are ready. The only part of the system still living in 2014 is the law. If we want the goods at our warehouse to reach the people they are intended for, we must clear the road ahead.

As Uganda moves toward the polls to choose a new Parliament, this cannot be a forgotten issue. The HIV legislation must be at the top of the legislative agenda. Our next Parliament must decide whether Uganda will move forward with science or remain anchored to a past that no longer protects us.

Traders at Tororo Modern Central Market shut down operations Wednesday morning and stormed municipal council offices to protest high taxes and rental fees, disrupting business across the town.

The vendors, led by their Chairperson David Musana, accused council authorities of imposing excessive charges on market stalls and lock-ups while failing to regulate street vendors operating nearby.

‘We have moved to neighboring markets like Busia and Mbale where rates are much lower. Tororo Municipal Council is overcharging us,’ Musana said in a memorandum presented to the Resident District Commissioner (RDC).

Traders said the council charges Shs15,000 for a standard stall, Shs150,000 for a ground-floor lock-up facing outwards, Shs100,000 for those facing inwards, and Shs70,000 for first-floor lock-ups.

‘This is unfair competition,’ said Juma Magona Jamagara, a trader, adding that: ‘We are forced to reduce our prices to match hawkers who operate outside the market and pay no taxes, while we shoulder multiple levies.’

Other vendors raised concerns over working conditions. Restaurant operator Ocho Mukulu said shared kitchens have deterred customers, prompting some to consider relocating their produce to the streets.

Richard Onyango Jimmy, another trader, accused municipal officials of double standards, pointing to the council’s failure to collect fees from unlicensed vendors outside the market who sell similar goods.

The protest effectively trapped town officials in municipal offices as vendors surrounded the buildings to prevent their departure.

The standoff ended after intervention by RDC Hajji Sadik Bategana, who persuaded traders to reopen the market.

‘My office is in total agreement with you,’ Bategana told the vendors.

He added: ‘I am directing the council speaker to convene an urgent council meeting within 48 hours to address your grievances. Please resume business as some of you sell perishable commodities.’

Town Mayor Kenedy Orono Nyapidi responded that vendors were involved in setting the contested rates.

‘Before finalizing rental rates, we consulted sector heads who guided us on what to levy. I am surprised that they are now challenging the same rates,’ Nyapidi said.

He added that the council would not be intimidated by protests, noting that vendors who find the rates too high are free to leave, allowing municipal authorities to lease the stalls to other tenants.

Forty-three years after Uganda registered its first HIV/Aids case among the fishing communities, the epidemic remains a major challenge in island districts like Kalangala. The burden is heavy on islanders, especially the young generation, who navigate daily pressures linked to poverty, risky behaviours, and limited guidance. For Mr Godfrey Galiwango, 21, a student at Bumanji Polytechnic Institute, growing up in Kalangala meant being surrounded by temptations that put boys at high risk of contracting HIV. ‘At landing sites, we have sugar mummies. They offer us money between Shs10,000 and Shs20,000 to sleep with them. For boys whose families cannot afford scholastic materials or school fees, it becomes tempting to have unprotected sex,’ he explained.

Mr Galiwango added: ‘When it comes to boys involved in money-making activities like fishing, they are a target for grown-up women who seduce young boys to engage in risky sexual acts.” He commended school health clubs for keeping him and others safe from such temptations through peer-to-peer education, training, and continuous engagement on HIV/Aids and other diseases by focusing on abstinence and condom use, among others . ‘I joined what I thought was a music class, but later learnt it was a health club. From primary to secondary, we were trained on how to protect ourselves from being dragged into unprotected sex,’Mr Galiwango said.

Today, as a peer educator at his school, he shares the same knowledge with others, including those living with HIV. ‘If a fellow student has HIV, I advise them to take their medication and give them hope for a better future,’ Mr Galiwango said. Beyond school, he uses community radios and village visits to spread HIV prevention messages. ‘I see myself as a foot soldier for HIV prevention in my village and school, especially among my age mates,’ Mr Galiwango said, adding that with support from Brass for Africa, a non-governmental organisation, he has reached more than five villages spreading the prevention message. However, he faces stigma and hostility from some community members.

‘They mock me saying what I do isn’t for my age, that I should quit because I’m not the first to care about HIV,’ he said. Ms Gloria Easter Awori, also 21, a student at Serwanga Lwanga Memorial Secondary School, said health clubs have been a lifeline since she joined one in 2017. She said several girls give in to transactional sex to access sanitary pads, among other reasons-putting them at risk of contracting HIV/Aids and other diseases. ‘In clubs, we are always given pads and trained to make reusable pads. That has kept many girls and me from being tempted with money for pads in exchange for sex,’ Ms Awori said. She said clubs have also helped her support vulnerable girls across landing sites such as Kasekuro, Kagoonya, and Kasenyi by providing sanitary pads and offering peer to peer guidance.

At Bridge of Hope Nursery and Primary School, Joshua Ssemanda, a 12-year-old pupil, encourages all boys to join health clubs to be moulded into better citizens. ‘I couldn’t join groups of boys who take marijuana and alcohol. We receive counselling that keeps us from sexual acts,’ he said. At Serwanga Lwanga Memorial SS, Ms Grace Nakayaga, 18, said health clubs have taught her to be assertive. ‘I now have the confidence to say no and keep myself in school to avoid sexual acts that would expose me to HIV and pregnancy,’ she said. Ms Nakayaga added that clubs provide important information, including the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), abstaining, and self-control. The student said with such information, she can help others. ‘No one should undermine us. We can help more girls reduce HIV prevalence among our age group.

There are things I can influence a fellow girl to do which another couldn’t,’ Ms Nakayaga said. District records show that since 2017, Kalangala’s HIV prevalence has reduced from 18 percent to 12 percent. Ms Teddy Namuli, the district HIV focal person, said the decline reflects the collective efforts from all stakeholders. Ms Namuli applauded the health club programme for equipping young people with vital information to keep safe. ‘Youth spreading prevention messages has also played a big role among people of their age,’ she said. Available statistics show that Kalangala’s teenage pregnancy rate has also dropped-from 32 percent to 23 percent. At Serwanga Lwanga Memorial SS, the deputy head teacher, Mr John Paul Ewong, said health clubs have reshaped students’ behaviour.

‘We allow students from these clubs to speak during school parades. Their interactions have improved their morals,’ he said, adding that there is a dramatic decline in school pregnancies. Mr Ewong added: ‘We used to start every term with pregnancy tests, and many girls would test positive. But this year, we have not registered any girl pregnant.” He,however, said there is a need for more comprehensive training sessions beyond the short parade messages. ‘We need a full day off each year to let peers fully exhaust all information into fellow youth,’Mr Ewong said. The peer-to-peer programme, delivered through the school health clubs is part of the health care ambassador programme introduced by the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Brass for Africa.

Mr Ronald Kabuye, the national coordinator of Brass for Africa, said more than 300 schoolchildren across Kalangala have been enrolled in the Health Care Ambassador Programme since 2017. He explained that the programme uses music to attract youth, whom health workers train to become health care ambassadors. The programme has trained 392 ambassadors who have conducted over 1,000 peer-to-peer sessions in various schools since 2017.

Uganda’s annual diaspora remittances have now surpassed the Shs6.5 trillion mark, the Senior Presidential Adviser on Diaspora Affairs , Mr Muhammad Bagonza, has revealed.

Mr Bagonza, who is also the head of the Diaspora Unit in State House, made the remarks last week during the 2025 Uganda-Qatar Diaspora Convention, hosted by the Ugandan Embassy in Qatar capital Doha, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The convention brought together more than 400 Ugandan migrant workers, diaspora leaders, government officials and private sector partners. It followed a three-day programme aimed at building the capacity of embassy staff and diaspora community leaders-strengthening their approaches to migrant welfare, service delivery and community coordination.

‘Ugandans in the Gulf region contribute between 38 percent (Shs2.24 trillion) and 40 percent (Shs2.6 trillion) of that total (Shs6.5 trillion),’ Mr Bagonza was quoted as saying while delivering national updates.

The Gulf region comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). His remarks were reinforced by Mr Patrick Batenze of Liberation Community Finance, who spoke about safe and credible investment pathways available in Uganda.

The convention was also addressed by Dr Julius Buaruhanga of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), who outlined micro and small enterprise opportunities that Ugandans in the diaspora can invest in to support both personal income growth and national economic development.

Capacity-building workshops led by Ms Victoria Nabiteeko of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Kampala, equipped embassy staff and diaspora leaders with practical skills in migrant welfare support and ethical community management.

Attendees The convention, co-led by Mr Bagonza and Ms Desree Barlow, the presidential assistant and head of the Research Desk in the Office of the President, drew a wide cross-section of Ugandans living and working in Qatar.

Dr Mohammed Baswari Kezaala, the deputy head of mission, applauded the strong unity demonstrated by Ugandans in supporting the national Under-17 football team at the Fifa World Cup.

He also noted growing bilateral cooperation, marked by the opening of Qatar’s Embassy in Kampala, which he described as a milestone made possible through the goodwill of His Highness the Emir of Qatar.

As we approach the festive season, every parent carries a mixture of excitement, responsibility, expectation and sometimes hidden anxiety.

This long holiday brings children and relatives home for weeks to celebrate the festive season together, and it quietly raises the question: What should I, as a parent, be thinking about right now? The way you prepare your home, heart, and time in these weeks will shape your child’s emotional well-being, behaviour, and memories long after January ends.

As December starts, planning early is key. Many school-going children are coming from a stressful academic term, some disappointed, some relieved, and others simply exhausted. As a parent, the first thing on your mind should be reconnection. Not the kind who asks for marks, reports, or comparisons, but the kind who says: ‘I’m glad you are home. I want to know how you are doing.’ Your child needs emotional safety before they can open up about their true experiences of the term.

To others, it will be a long-term time of a whole year’s work, and now they are looking forward to the festive season to relax, even if it is just one week. Take time to reconnect together and create a relaxing mood for everyone to enjoy the festive season.

Children or some of our family members thrive where there is structure, warmth, and stability. The festive season often disrupts routines, yet children still need some level of predictability.

Think ahead: How will the days look? Are there family values you want to reinforce: respect, responsibility, kindness, self-control?

A peaceful home doesn’t just happen; it’s nurtured through intentional communication, shared responsibilities, and modelling the behaviour you want to see.

Plan to use this holiday to evaluate together how each family member will model family values and identity, and ensure home is home everyone runs to for peace.

The holiday spirit easily tempts children into excessive screen time, late nights, overeating, or idleness. As a parent, it is wise to think about boundaries clear but loving ones. The festive season is not a break from parenting; it simply invites more creativity.

Set gentle rules, agree on screen schedules, and guide your child in making healthy use of their free time without turning the home into a battleground.

A home is a product of behavioural formation and character building.

This holiday is a rare opportunity for children to grow in ways school cannot offer. Think about life skills: cooking, cleaning, budgeting, public speaking, helping in family business, volunteering at church or in the community, or learning something new like an instrument or sport.

These activities build confidence, responsibility, and character. The festive season should shape who your child is becoming not only how much they are celebrating.

During the holiday rush, gifts are easily remembered and quickly forgotten. What lasts are moments. Moments of walking together, sharing stories, preparing meals, praying as a family, or visiting relatives.

As you think about your plans this season, prioritise presence over presents. Don’t only think Christmas season will be enough to cover up that gap. Start now as school holidays have started. Your child may not tell you directly, but your attention is one of the greatest gifts they long for. Your presence speaks louder than Christmas presents or expenses you are planning.

Festive seasons come with risks like peer pressure, exposure to harmful content, unsafe environments, reckless behaviour, and unhealthy influences. This holiday also comes with political campaigns across the country.

A parent’s mind should be alert. Where will your child be? Who are they spending time with? What are they doing online? Are they also on the campaign grounds where we have seen teargas? Is your child safe from any political harm in your community? Love requires both trust and vigilance. Parent with both heart and wisdom.

Open your mind to think beyond the usual guards or fence at home. While enjoying the celebrations, think also about the transition into a new year. How will you support your child to grow academically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially?

What habits do you want them to build? What family conversations should happen now before the next school term arrives, or during the Christmas long break, which happens once a year with other family members?

The festive season is not just a break; it is a window-an opportunity to strengthen your child’s heart or family’s bond, shape their behaviour, and deepen your ties.