Category: Daily Monitor

Police in Bukedi North Region are investigating the theft of electoral materials from the Butebo District Electoral Commission (EC) office after six lamps, each valued at Shs150,000, went missing under unclear circumstances.

The missing lamps were part of a consignment received earlier this month and stored inside the EC office premises, which were undergoing renovation at the time. The theft was reported under Butebo CRB 326/2025.

Bukedi North Regional Police Spokesperson, ASP Wilfred Kyempasa, confirmed the incident, saying the theft is believed to have occurred at an unknown time between November 17 and 22, while painters contracted to renovate the building had access to the rooms.

The complaint was made on November 27, 2025, by Mr John Orichom Puis, a 34-year-old Elections Assistant/Secretary attached to the Butebo District Electoral Commission.

According to the report, the Electoral Commission rents the premises from the landlord, Mrs Mwanamoiza Kikomeko Margaret, who hired painters from Kampala to carry out renovation works.

‘The renovation exercise, mainly painting, began on 17 November 2025 and was completed by 22 November 2025. Earlier, on 9 November 2025, the district received a consignment of electoral materials, mostly lamps and sealing tapes, which were stored in one of the rooms within the premises,’ ASP Kyempasa said.

On November 21, the painters reportedly moved the materials outside to allow painting and later returned them to the room and locked it. District staff also locked the room but did not verify whether all the items were intact.

Police say that on November 22, the painters shifted property belonging to the Commission driver into the same room so it could also be painted.

However, on November 27, when Orichom and the office attendant began reorganising the rooms after the renovation, they noticed that one of the boxes containing lamps was poorly sealed. Upon checking, they found that six lamps were missing. The office attendant conducted a thorough search and confirmed the loss.

ASP Kyempasa said police have opened a case file of theft, visited and documented the scene, photographed it and recorded statements from key witnesses.

He added that detectives are working to trace the suspects involved in the incident.

Police noted that the painters were residents of Kampala and were hired by the landlord, not the Electoral Commission, which limited the EC staff’s knowledge of the workers who had access to the rooms.

Investigations into the theft are ongoing.

In modern football, success is no longer only measured by trophies, match-day revenue, or sponsorship deals. Around the world, professional clubs rely on youth development and regulatory compliance to generate new and sustainable revenue streams.

For Uganda Premier League (UPL) clubs, training compensation and solidarity funds are powerful but underutilized opportunities.

To access these funds fully, clubs must commit to full club licensing under Fufa and Fifa regulations.

Fifa’s Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players (RSTP) reward clubs that train young players when they sign their first professional contract or are transferred internationally.

The 2024 Fifa training-cost categorisation places Uganda in Caf Category II, with a rate of US$30,000 per year for players aged 16-21.

For players aged 12-15, the rate is US$2,000 per year, which still represents a valuable contribution for early-stage training.

A player trained from age 12 to 21 could generate over USD 180,000 in training compensation if the receiving club is abroad or in a higher category.

This money can transform club operations, improve facilities, and sustain youth development programs.

Solidarity contributions provide an additional revenue stream, distributing 5% of international transfer fees to the clubs that trained players aged 12-23.

This means that UPL clubs producing talent for regional and global markets can benefit repeatedly as players progress in their careers.

However, accessing these funds requires full compliance with club licensing standards. Licensing ensures that clubs maintain proper youth development structures, financial transparency, legal documentation, and administrative systems.

Without licensing, even clubs that train top talent may miss out on compensation due to lack of proof of training or poor record-keeping.

Documentation is at the heart of claiming training compensation and solidarity funds.

The Transfer Matching System (TMS) requires precise records of player contracts, academy attendance, registration, and years of training.

Full licensing guarantees that every year a player spends in development is recognized and claimable.

In competitive international transfers, proper documentation can make the difference between US$200,000 received and nothing at all.

UPL clubs must therefore invest in professional administration and record management to protect these potential earnings.

Full licensing also builds long-term financial sustainability for clubs. It creates predictable revenue streams, increases the valuation of homegrown players, and strengthens negotiation power during transfers.

Licensed clubs also attract sponsors, investors, and support from football development programs.

Clubs such as Vipers and KCCA, which have invested heavily in youth academies, are excellent examples of how structure, governance, and licensing boost both performance and revenue.

The recent historic performance of Uganda’s U17 national team (CUBs) at the World Cup in Qatar demonstrates the immense talent emerging from domestic academies.

Several players in the CUBs squad came from UPL clubs like Vipers SC, KCCA FC, and SC Villa, highlighting the league’s role in developing future stars.

This success shows that UPL clubs have a direct opportunity to benefit from training compensation and solidarity funds as these players attract international attention.

With Fifa likely to make the U17 World Cup an annual event, more young players will become visible to scouts, increasing the likelihood of transfers abroad.

Clubs that train these players and maintain proper licensing will be in the best position to claim their share of these funds.

Investing in strong youth academies feeds talent into all national teams and strengthens Ugandan football overall.

Licensed clubs with professional youth programs create a foundation for future revenue while enhancing the league’s reputation.

They also motivate clubs to track player progress and maintain accurate registration records.

This ensures that each player’s development is documented and eligible for compensation at both continental and international levels.

UPL clubs that act now can turn youth development into a reliable financial engine for years to come.

In conclusion, UPL clubs must commit fully to club licensing to unlock training compensation and solidarity funds.

By aligning with Fifa standards, maintaining accurate records, and investing in youth programs, clubs can create sustainable revenue streams.

The success of the Cubs at the U17 World Cup demonstrates the real potential of Ugandan youth talent on the global stage.

Clubs like Vipers, KCCA, and SC Villa can benefit directly if they professionalize academies and secure licensing compliance.

Full club licensing is the key to transforming youth development into a financial engine while strengthening Ugandan football on all levels.

UPL clubs must therefore take immediate action to invest in youth development, secure full licensing, and maintain meticulous player records to ensure they reap the financial and sporting rewards of Uganda’s rising stars.

Last week, President Museveni returned to one of his predictable pet subjects, the courses universities teach.

In remarks delivered for him by Vice President Jessica Alupo at Lira University’s graduation, the President yet again called out ‘irrelevant’ courses. He did not elaborate, but anyone who has followed the debate knows what he meant.

For avoidance of doubt, Mr Museveni’s long-standing stance is that universities in Uganda, and arguably across Africa, given his avowed Pan-African inclinations, shouldn’t waste time teaching humanities and social sciences or, more broadly, the arts.

Instead, he wants higher education institutions to focus on sciences, again broadly conceived. This is an old debate I have written about here before, so there is an ad nauseam danger, but it’s worth another take.

I must declare my conflict of interest, upfront. I teach at a university for a living, also as a matter of professional passion and deep interest. I work in the disciplines that Mr Museveni construes as ‘irrelevant courses’, ironically, what he too studied at the University of Dar es Salaam!

Admittedly, I am biased, though I believe I can address this matter objectively and constructively. The reader can then judge. I want to make three arguments to counter Mr Museveni’s mistaken notion of ‘irrelevant’ courses.

First, the binary divide between relevant (science) and irrelevant (arts) courses is false, utterly misleading. It’s not either or, it’s both and beyond.

A properly educated graduate should have knowledge transcending one narrow discipline.

In Euro-American colleges and universities, students in natural sciences are required to take arts classes.

Many who ultimately specialise in arts or social sciences like economics, literature, politics, sociology, anthropology, etc., start out in their first year taking classes in math, Chemistry, Biology, etc. It’s common to graduate with a double-major in Biology and Literature!

Second, the charge of irrelevance turns on employability and ‘marketability’. The President is adamant we need scientists to power Uganda’s prosperity.

He also seems to suggest, albeit without evidence, that science courses guarantee employment, are in sync with market demand.

I say he makes this argument without evidence because we don’t have any reliable and credible national jobs data showing trends in employment across disciplines/fields of education, and no monthly/annual job hiring data with systematic sectoral breakdown.

There is no empirical basis to claim, for example, that a graduate of Chemistry easily gets a job than one who earns a degree in Literature. My hunch is that unemployment and limited job openings is a problem for all university graduates across education backgrounds and disciplinary specialisations.

One common refrain repeated a million times about Uganda’s education is that it produces job-seekers, not creators. In today’s Uganda, however, there is little basis to conclude that math graduates create jobs while those of economics or sociology don’t.

Starting a small business or working in a company in ways that expand employment opportunities for others is less a function of one’s degree/diploma course, more a result of Uganda’s underlying economic fundamentals and the social environment.

We have a miniscule private sector whose employment capacity doesn’t match the labour supply, regardless of the degree courses of graduates.

Mr Museveni has not produced evidence, for example, showing high demand for science graduates in any sector and little supply of the same from universities.

In the broader scheme of things, every society but especially an underdeveloped one like ours, no doubt, needs vocational and technical training in specific areas.

But there is no shortage of vocational and technical colleges in Uganda, yet it is highly unlikely that their graduates easily get jobs or are meaningfully and productively self-employed.

Third, there is a fundamental misunderstanding of the value and meaning of university education. If attaining usable technical skills needed for accomplishing specific tasks was the primary or exclusive goal, we shouldn’t have universities; instead, everyone attends vocational and technical colleges! Simple.

Better, a secondary education and graduating high school, at the very maximum, would be enough for anyone to get a job because, in nearly every profession, the so-called practical skills and technical knowledge are attained through apprenticeship and on-the-job training.

Contrary to the hype and marketing gimmickry about ‘practical training,’ tertiary and university education does not mechanically confer ready-to-use skills from the classroom.

Rather than specific skills, regardless of what one studies, the crux of a university education is to attain intellectual liberation, to gain the independence of mind and ability to think for oneself, be perceptive in understanding problems, and creatively devising solutions even without having applicable technical knowledge.

The value of a university degree is not reducible to a job one gets or does not. Once out of the halls of a university and the hallowed site of campus space, what matters is not what someone studies, rather, whether the university experience equipped them to think and do.

For evidence, a certain graduate of political science organised a fighting group that took him to State power in 1986, has since ruled Uganda uninterrupted for 40 years, and still counting!

Ugandan authorities have confirmed the death of a fisher-woman after eight nationals were ambushed while fishing along the River Nile in South Sudan, officials said on Saturday.

The attack occurred on November 27, 2025, when three Arabic speaking armed men in army-green uniforms, resembling those of South Sudanese rebels, opened fire on the group, killing 39-year-old Joyce Peta from Gbari Village, Metu Sub-county, Moyo District.

‘Three unidentified armed individuals attacked the people in their temporary shelters along the river shores,” said North West Nile Police Public Relations Officer Collins Asea.

One person was killed, and others managed to escape but remain unaccounted for, according to police records.

The survivors, including fishermen Savior Lukaja, Ginya Simon, Charles Kenyi, Nataline Kojoa, and fishmonger Rose Asio, 50, returned to Uganda and were treated at Gbari Health Center II before being referred to Moyo General Hospital.

Peta’s body has not yet been recovered, but her one-year and eight-month-old baby was rescued by a Good Samaritan and handed over to relatives.

Authorities are working with South Sudanese forces to locate the deceased and the remaining missing persons.

‘The security situation at the Uganda-South Sudan border is calm,’ said Moyo District RDC Geoffrey Filbert Ocailap, adding: ‘These Ugandans went to fish about 20km into South Sudan. We are taking steps to ensure the safety of our people and have restricted crossings this festive season.’

RDC Ocailap said five individuals initially went missing, with two later found injured and the whereabouts of three others still unknown.

The district security committee has also intensified border patrols and urged communities to report suspicious individuals.

‘The community has a responsibility to identify wrong elements within their midst and inform authorities,’ the RDC added.

On Saturday, Ugandan officials emphasized that the attack occurred outside the country’s territory- and does not reflect domestic security conditions.

Authorities said they would continue to monitor the area closely and coordinate with South Sudan to prevent further incidents.

Past incidents at Uganda- South Sudan border region

August 2009: Armed Sudanese forces attacked and halted MTN construction work at Jale in Moyo District.

September 2009: Seven SPLA soldiers attacked farmers in Gwere Village, Lefori, claiming the land belonged to Sudan.

November 2010: SPLA soldiers arrested 13 farmers in Gwere village, Lefori sub-county, accusing them of encroaching on Sudanese territory and taking them hostage.

March 2012: Nine Ugandan MPs were held hostage by SPLA soldiers in Lefori while conducting a monitoring exercise on disputed land.

March 2018: Gunmen from South Sudan attacked families in Padiga village, Metu sub-county, Moyo District, raiding 836 animals. During the pursuit, a UPDF soldier was killed.

July 2025: The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) clashed with South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) at Fitina Mbaya and Goboro villages after South Sudanese soldiers allegedly established a detachment 200 metres inside Yumbe District, Uganda.

For a moment, Uganda Cubs made the world stop and listen. Their fearless run at the 2025 Fifa U-17 World Cup peaked with that unforgettable night when they matched France pound-for-pound and beat the 1987 champions and last year’s finalists 1-0 in their final Group K game.

It was followed by another statement performance in the Round of 32 where they eliminated 2023 African champions Senegal. But the fairytale ended in the Round of 16 after a painful 5-3 penalty shootout loss to Burkina Faso, a defeat that brought the journey to a halt but not the lessons.

For a brief spell, the belief grew that Uganda had risen to a level where competing with the traditional giants no longer felt like a dream.

Whether that belief becomes reality remains a debate for the future, but what is clear is that Ugandan talents often burst onto the scene with mercurial promise before their careers flatten along the way.

It is difficult to predict the trajectories of these young Cubs, just as it is easy to foresee several players from that French side graduating to elite leagues or even future World Cups.

There should be curiosity, perhaps even anticipation, about where razor-sharp James Bogere will stand compared to France’s Rembi Himbert seven years from now.

Because for Uganda, playing at a Fifa tournament is often the dream itself. But for mighty footballing nations like France, this is only where the bigger dream begins.Over the decades, the World Cup U-17 has introduced names that would go on to dominate the sport including the greats like Ronaldinho, Andrés Iniesta, Toni Kroos, Cesc Fàbregas to Africans Like Nwanko Kanu to Victor Osimhen and many more.

World Cup U-17 is the first door to global international football while the Fifa World Cup is the pinnacle of football success.

Currently, there are more than 20 players who have managed to follow that golden path from playing at the U-17 World Cup to becoming senior World Cup Champions. Since the 2010 World Cup played in South Africa, success has consistently followed teams with deliberate processes and not mere talent or luck.

Spanish blueprint

Few examples capture this better than Spain’s class of 2010. Seven members of that World Cup-winning squad including Iker Casillas, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fàbregas, Pepe Reina and David Silva, first wore the national jersey as teenagers at U-17 level.

Their success was the fruits of two decades of deliberate cultivation. After years of underachievement in the 1990s, Spain doubled down on youth development through a unified football identity codenamed ‘La Filosofía del Juego’ translated to ‘The Philosophy of Play’. This language of possession and intelligence was spoken through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy to Real Madrid’s Cantera.

By the time those young stars matured, they were collectively synchronized and not just individually gifted. The tiki-taka style that mesmerized the world with two Euros and a World Cup title between 2007-2013 had been rehearsed since their teenage years but the U-17 stage was their first dress rehearsal.

Germany’s rebirth

Germany’s 2014 triumph tells an equally compelling story of what reform and reinvention can do. The Germans suffered a humiliating group stage at the Euro 2000 with only one point. That was a turning point where the German FA decided to rebuild by setting up nationwide academies and advocated for mandatory development structures in every Bundesliga club and intensive education for the coaches.

From that squad, the likes of Toni Kroos who won the Golden ball at the 2007 U-17 World Cup and a few years later, Mario Gotze, another product of this system, scored the winning goal in the 2014 final against Argentina in Brazil, came from.

France’s golden generation of 2018

But besides those two meticulously executed projects that are now struggling to regenerate, there’s this beautiful story of France’s 1998 and 2018 World Cup victories. Decades before Kylian Mbappe was born, France built their now-famous Clairefontaine Centre in 1988.

The facility, call it a factory, spans about 56 hectares with pitches, gyms, classrooms and five-star accommodation. This hub polishes teens between 13-15 years who are subjected to a daily rigorous training routine while pursuing academics. The training majourly focuses on individual technique and tactical awareness.

This facility birthed some great French talents Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka who were key to World Cup 1998 and Euro 2000 victories.

By 2018, France could call upon a generation raised to think and play collectively. Though only Benjamin Mendy from the 2018 squad featured at an U-17 World Cup, many others including Mbappé, Pogba, Varane, Griezmann and Umtiti were delivered from that furnace.

As Arsène Wenger once said of the French approach, ‘You don’t just create footballers in France; you educate them in the game.’

Modern lessons

Qatar 2022, too, had some glimpses of this trend with champions Argentina. Several players including keeper Emiliano Martinez and Nicolas Tagliafico played at U-17 before their glory. Martinez was in Nigeria in 2009 and later emerged Golden Glove winner in Qatar including that heart-stopping save against Mbappe in the final minutes.

Morocco, closer to Europe than the Sub-Saharan Africa has adopted a French-like model that is already yielding after becoming the first African country to reach World Cup semifinals and recently won the U-20 World Cup. Morocco is recreating the Clairefontaine with their own $15m King Mohammed VI Academy in Sare. The project launched in 2009 providing intensive football training and a school education to teenagers between 13 to 18-years.

Our own lessons

Stories of rebuilding are not only foreign. Back here, about a decade ago, youth football faced numerous hurdles including limited structure, underfunded and non-regulated academies, age cheating and no clear pathways for talents besides school.

After Uganda was banned for fielding overage players against Rwanda in the U20 AFcon qualifiers in 2016, Fufa got the memo and acted. Their focus shifted to rebranding and restructuring of the Fufa Juniors League that had been launched in 2015.

With support from Fifa, Uganda received critical resources that funded travel for teams on away, salaries for the coaches and support for refereeing and match management.

This move created a clear pathway from grassroots to national teams. UPL teams had to compose U-17 sides to give youngsters a chance for consistent competition and exposure under trained coaches.

It yielded results as Uganda Cubs won Cecafa U-17 twice in 2018 and 2021 and progressed to the respective Afcon U-17 2019 and 2021 finals. A good number of players from that lot graduated into the Uganda Hippos (U-20) and won a silver medal at the Afcon U-20 in Mauritania in 2021 consequently qualified for the 2021 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Indonesia but that never happened as the tournament was cancelled due to Covid.

Some of the youngsters from that lot are now central to the Uganda Cranes, including Allan Okello, Aziz Kayondo and Kenneth Semakula.

The Juniors League seems to have slowed due to financial constraints but Uganda can draw lessons from global projects most especially the French they beat in that historic moment and now Moroccan models.

U-17 graduates to win the senior Fifa World Cup

France (1998)

Emmanuel Petit

Brazil (2002) Ronaldinho

Italy (2006)

Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti

Spain (2010)

Iker Casillas, Xavi, Pepe Reina, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fàbregas, David Silva

Germany (2014)

Roman Weidenfeller, Toni Kroos, Mario Götze, Shkodran Mustafi

France (2018): Benjamin Mendy

Argentina (2022)

Emiliano Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico, Exequiel Palacios

President Yoweri Museveni has directed all Parish Development Model (PDM) leaders and SACCO officials to stop demanding collateral security from beneficiaries, particularly youth, before disbursing PDM funds.

The directive was issued during his interaction with journalists from the Kigezi sub-region, held at Irenga State Lodge in Ntungamo District on Wednesday.

“This habit is wrong and must stop immediately,” President Museveni declared. “The PDM is designed for people still engaged in subsistence farming so they can escape the poverty trap. Beneficiaries only need to present a clear plan showing how they intend to use the funds profitably.”

The President was responding to a question from Moses Muhwezi, a journalist with Country Radio in Rukungiri, who highlighted complaints that some SACCO leaders habitually exclude young people from accessing PDM money on grounds that they lack property to offer as collateral. He said that 30 per cent of PDM funds should be given to youth.

During the interaction, President Museveni reiterated that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has focused on seven key pillars: peace and security, infrastructure development, wealth and job creation, improved service delivery, market access, and regional political integration.

He criticized opposition presidential candidates for ignoring the critical issue of market access and continental integration in their manifestos, insisting that without guaranteed markets, no African country can achieve sustainable development.

“When I listen to these so-called presidential candidates moving around the country making all sorts of noise, you never hear them talk about markets for Africa,” President Museveni said. He gave a practical example: “In Uganda we now produce over 5.3 billion litres of milk annually, yet domestically we only consume about 800 million litres. Where do you expect the surplus 4.5 billion litres to go if we don’t have a consolidated regional or continental market?”

The President stressed that creating and accessing large, reliable markets remains the missing link in Africa’s economic transformation, and any leader who fails to prioritise it is not serious about development.

President Museveni also urged Ugandans seeking jobs in Arab countries to remain at home and create their own employment using available government programmes and opportunities. He cautioned against politics based on religion and sectarianism, saying such practices hinder national development.

He clarified the difference between national development and individual wealth creation, noting that a country can register impressive development while some citizens remain poor if they do not participate in poverty-alleviation initiatives.

President Museveni called on voters to hold their elected leaders accountable and use them to fight corruption among civil servants.

The IRA public notice is the clear starting gun for AAR’s next chapter in Uganda. AAR General Insurance has been approved to transact non-life insurance business, extending AAR beyond its long-standing health membership organisation operations.

In practical terms, AAR is shifting from being primarily a health-cover specialist to a multi-line insurer.

The approval matters because it places AAR directly into the toughest and most competitive part of the industry, where scale and distribution are already entrenched.

A crowded market

The 2025 third-quarter Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) market performance report shows that the non-life market remains crowded, with gross written premiums standing at about Shs875.6b, yet the bulk of this is clustered among a few giants.

Old Mutual General leads with roughly Shs185.8b, followed by SanlamAllianz (Shs173.3b), and Jubilee Health with around Shs95.6b.

Together, these three command roughly half of all non-life premiums, and the top five take close to two-thirds.

In a market like this, the leaders don’t just dominate volume; they shape pricing, broker attention, and the biggest corporate accounts.

Thus, AAR is arriving to win share rather than defend one already built, and it must do so in a space where the easiest growth pockets are already claimed.

The timing also adds another layer. IRA has been openly nudging the industry towards consolidation, encouraging mergers that create stronger balance sheets and more resilient insurers.

AAR is, therefore, entering while the regulator is nudging the market to become fewer, larger, and better capitalised players.

This reduces room for fragmentation and raises the bar for any newcomer. In short, the market is tightening just as AAR steps in.

Jubilee Allianz-Sanlam General factor

IRA’s 2025 third-quarter report captures the most important recent consolidation: the amalgamation of Jubilee Allianz and Sanlam General into SanlamAllianz.

What used to be two separate premium books competing independently has become a single heavyweight with about Shs173.33b in gross written premiums, instantly ranking second in non-life with almost one-fifth of the market share.

Thus, creating a larger combined player becomes a default short-list choice for brokers and corporates because it can write bigger risks, spread costs, and project long-term stability.

For mid-tier insurers, the competitive pressure rises; for new entrants like AAR, the space for ‘easy early wins’ narrows, because the top is now guarded by fewer but substantially larger rivals.

AAR already has a launchpad

But AAR’s advantage is that it is not entering from scratch. In the health membership organisations segment during the 2025 third quarter, AAR Health wrote about Shs33.78b out of a total market of roughly Shs53.92b, giving it around 62.6 percent market share.

Growth year-on-year is minimal, signalling maturity, but dominance on this scale provides stable cash flow, an extensive provider network, and deep corporate relationships.

Those relationships are exactly the channels that can be converted into non-life sales through cross-selling, bundled corporate solutions, and a ‘one-stop’ proposition for employers that already trust AAR for health.

Process completed

IRA’s approval completes a plan, which, in June, AAR Group chief executive Justine Kosgei said had been initiated last year to establish an entity through which they would underwrite key sectors such as motor third-party insurance and the mining industry.

He also disclosed that AAR had injected Shs8.85b into the group, part of which was allocated to Uganda operations to secure the license for general insurance.

Starting operations in Uganda, he said, would also act as a stepping stone for eventual expansion into DR Congo.

Thus, its non-life approval lands AAR into a market that is crowded and dominated by a few giants, where IRA’s consolidation push is tightening the competitive space that has already been redrawn by the merger of Jubilee Allianz-Sanlam General into SanlamAllianz, creating a near-20 percent giant.

But AAR enters with a starter advantage that few newcomers have: overwhelming health membership organisations leadership, fresh capital backing, and a focused product thesis around motor third-party and mining, designed to scale through existing corporate relationships and regional technology push.

This is not an entry for entry’s sake; it is a timed expansion from a health stronghold into a newly consolidated, high-stakes non-life market.

But it must brace for a long fight to survive in an industry that seems to be crowded already, and the regulator’s push for mergers and acquisitions.

We could not readily get a comment from IRA. Questions inquiring about the matter had not been responded to by press time.

President Museveni has pledged to establish a special government fund to boost tea enterprises in the Kigezi Sub-region. He said the fund would stabilise the tea sector and enable farmers to receive subsidised fertilisers, among others.

‘It’s me that launched tea growing in this area after visiting the Bwindi area, where I found people in Kayonza planting tea in the lowlands, then I called Rt Hon Amama Mbabazi and asked him why the people in the highlands were not involved in tea growing. He intervened, and we boosted the tea enterprise in this area,’ the President said.

Speaking during a rally at Rwere Playground in Kirima Sub-county, Kanungu District, the Mr Museveni shared his successful tea campaign in Kigezi, where he mobilised farmers to embrace good farming practices and to grow tea.

‘It’s the NRM government that boosted the tea enterprise in Uganda,’ President Museveni said. He added that the special fund would operate like the Parish Development Model to support tea farmers and their colleagues who grow crops such as cocoa and coffee.

Farmers have long called on the government to establish a special fund where they can acquire loans at low interest rates to purchase fertilisers for their tea and pay after selling their produce.

Mr Museveni said if re-elected, his government would continue giving tea farmers and factories support, adding that tea is one of the key foreign exchange earners of the country.

He said the standard of living of people who embraced tea farming in the sub-region had improved. The President promised to rehabilitate the Ntungamo-Rukunguri road, tarmac the Hamurwa-Kerere-Kanungu-Buhoma-Butogota-Ikumba road (149km) and the Ishasha-Katunguru road.

President Museveni asked the people of Kanungu to explain to other Ugandans the importance of peace and security in the country since they live next to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

‘1.3 million people are now employed in the new factories established by the NRM government, and this is three times the government jobs available in the country, which are just 480,000 jobs. You must embrace the link between wealth and job creation. Poor roads are a result of a lack of discipline during the budgeting process,’ President Museveni added.

The Kanungu District NRM party Chairman, Mr Caleb Kipande, commended President Museveni for ensuring peace and security in the district despite the armed conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and asked the people in the area to vote for him massively in the forthcoming election.

‘We are grateful for the 80 million tea seedlings and five million coffee seedlings you have given to us in Kanungu District. We thank you for supporting the Kayonza Tea Processing Factory, our district farm at Katete, and the Matanda irrigation scheme,’ Mr Kipande said.

Mr Kipande also asked Mr Museveni to fulfil the pledges he made.

Human rights defenders in Uganda are calling for an independent oversight body to hold accountable members of the security forces who may commit human rights violations during the election process.

This follows concerns over brutality, abductions, and other forms of violations.

Ms Margret Sekaggya, the Executive Director of Human Rights Centre Uganda, emphasized the need for an independent body similar to those in neighboring Kenya to check actions during protests.

“The concerns about brutality, abductions, and other forms of violations are a major concern among Ugandans during this election period, and there is a need to address the excesses of the security forces through an oversight mechanism and strengthening civil-military intervention,” Sekaggya said.

“We need to create an independent oversight body to ensure that those who commit human rights violations are held accountable,” she added.

Mr Robert Ssempala, the Executive Director of Human Rights Network for Journalists, expressed concern over the increasing number of attacks on journalists covering elections, saying it’s a worrying trend that needs to be addressed.

“We have seen cases where Uganda People’s Congress activists deliberately and intentionally assaulted journalists using very offensive and harassing words without any provocation,” Ssempala said.

He cited cases of journalists being assaulted, harassed, and having their equipment confiscated by politicians and security personnel.

The UPDF Director of Human Rights, Maj. Gerald Bamwitirebye, denied allegations of abducting civilians, saying its arrests are intelligence-led and aimed at catching criminals.

“We don’t conduct abductions. We conduct arrests, which are intelligence-led, and we arrest criminals,” Maj. Gerald said, defending the UPDF’s Special Forces Command (SFC).

The office of Director of Human Rights and Legal Services at Uganda Police, condemned violence and emphasised that the police have mechanisms in place for the public to report complaints against police officers.

“Violence is not a good thing. We all condemn it,” SP Philip Mangeni said, adding that police have put in place mechanisms for the public to lodge complaints against officers.

The police and UPDF have assured the public that they are working to address human rights concerns and ensure accountability for any violations.

Mr Nicholas Ogwang, Regional Human Rights Officer, Lira Regional Office, emphasised the importance of a peaceful electoral process, free from violence, human rights violations, and abuses.

‘As a Commission, we have been able to monitor the ongoing electoral process, especially in this region, and I must say that so far the security agencies working together with the political parties around, so far it has been good. We have not seen the kind of scenes we are seeing in other regions,’ he said.

‘And we pray that we don’t see here in this region, but we also pray that those that we are seeing in other regions in this country, we need to have them stopped such that together we can have a very peaceful election – an election that is not tainted with blood, an election that is not tainted with human rights violations and human rights abuses,’ he added.

The People’s Revolutionary Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Mr Frank Bulira Kabinga, has accused the government of hindering his campaign efforts.

Mr Bulira told NTV-U on Tuesday that his campaign funds have been frozen, party supporters intimidated, and his campaign materials confiscated.

The presidential candidate, who previously served as a personal assistant to the late Dr Aggrey Kiyingi, is set to unveil his manifesto next week as he prepares to traverse the country.

The country is preparing to go to polls on January 15 to elect the President and the people’s representatives in the 12th Parliament.

The Electoral Commission (EC) launched presidential campaigns on September 29, after nominating eight candidates. Since then, campaigns have been largely peaceful, with the exception of the violence in some parts of central Uganda.

During an interview with NTVU at his party’s office in Kampala, Mr Bulira said: ‘We got financial issues after my accounts were frozen, many presidents who are friendly to Dr Kiyingi and to our party were intimidated. Can you imagine even reaching an extent of blocking World Remit, a money transfer company, blocking it in Uganda, not to bring in money in Uganda, because World Remit used to transact money sent by Dr Kiyingi.’

‘My t-shirts, a container of t-shirts from China, were confiscated. Presidents were intimidated. I was called three times and we were told that if we dare to see any money coming from Zambia to support this campaign, it will be like opening up war with Uganda. But we are not rebels. We are peacefully contesting with Mr Museveni,’ he added.

Despite the alleged obstructions, Mr Bulira said he has a clear strategy focused on door-to-door mobilisation, town hall meetings, and selective rallies aimed at direct voter engagement.

‘Secondly, because we have been on the ground for the past three years. Besides the 15 years since Dr Kiyingi initiated the Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation, I was his personal assistant. I know all our contacts district to district. I know all our network. And that is why it was so easy for us to collect the required signatures, and we made up to more than the required number of signatures. So that very system is the one we are using to canvass our votes and support. What Ugandans are missing is my physical appearance,’ he said.

Despite some voters questioning his ability to lead the country if given the chance, Mr Bulira said he is a seasoned politician who began his leadership journey in the Democratic Party where he was a member of the Uganda Young Democrats. He said he was once a spokesperson of the Uganda Young Democrats, and mentioned the late Dr Kiyingi, the founder of the Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation, as a mentor. The Uganda Federal Democratic Organisation has since merged with the Revolutionary People’s Party. Speaking on his presidential bid, Mr Bulira said he is driven by a desire for structural and governance reforms.

He argued that a federal system would empower regions, strengthen accountability, and decentralise decision-making.

‘Our manifesto is revolving around, first and foremost, in the first 100 days to bring on board Parliament and see that we [not only] declare Uganda as a new federal democratic republic under the Revolutionary People’s Party, but to change and become the federal democratic republic of Uganda, and we move on to the federal arrangement.

Confidence in winning

Mr Bulira added: ‘In this race, no candidate has what the Baganda call ‘ekiddako’ (next steps). Everyone is looking at, ‘let’s contest with Mr Museveni. The rest, God will decide. I believe that Mr Museveni can leave the presidency, and we have someone new in the State House.

Mr Museveni, in case he needs political continuity, can lead the Opposition. I believe that he can be the next leader of the Opposition if he still wants to be in politics, and we can take over the presidency, and we can give him his privileges as a former president, as is in other countries.’

Calls for free and fair elections

Mr Bulira called for a free and fair election. He said Uganda should perform their civic duty of electing leaders at all levels of governance. ‘I urge Ugandans to be at the polling stations. We are also working in the background to see that the rights of Ugandans to vote for their next president are not being played with.’

He also condemned high-handedness exhibited by security personnel against supporters of Opposition political parties. He cited a recent incident in Kawempe, a Kampala City suburb, where security personnel clashed with supporters of the National Unity Platform party presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine.

He referred to such incidents as a threat to democracy. Mr Bulira urged the Electoral Commission, which is chaired by Justice Simon Byabakama to ensure proper electoral processes are followed.

‘It was so unfortunate that this happened in the middle of this campaign that Mr Byabakama says that it is smooth and the election is going to be free and fair. We are going to have rallies and town hall meetings. But we, as a party, based on the previous conduct of my boss, know how to deal with the security, which is undisciplined. We deal with the individual officers, but not even the entire force. And those will be the lessons for the others. So, I don’t expect any security agents to try to play around with my rallies,’ he said.

HIS POLITICAL JOURNEY

‘My name is Frank Bulira Kabinga, son of Fred Katende Luyombya and Miriam Nakanwagi Luyombya. I was raised in Kasubi, Rubaga North. I hail from Luweero District in Kikyusa, Bamunanika, Kiwanguzi, and Kireku.”

”I’m a grandson of Milton Kabinga Balwana, a great fighter of the Uganda army of Idi Amin, and afterwards one of the leaders of the Damasco battalion, the seventh battalion of the NRA [National Resistance Army] in Damasco, Luweero. ”

”I’m a professional secondary teacher and a lecturer. I studied at Kasubi Church of Uganda Primary School, Mengo Senior Secondary School, Old Kampala Secondary School, and Kyambogo University.”

” I was a former personal assistant to Dr Aggrey Kiyingi, the late cardiologist who died in Australia two years back.”

”I was one of the founding leaders of the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD) in Kyambogo and Makerere University.”

“I was part of the second generation of UYD that took over from the first leadership of Dr Lulume [Bayiga], the Rose Namayanjas. So, I was in the second generation of UYD, which was headed by Susana Abbo, who crossed and is now in the NRM [National Resistance Movement].’