Category: Daily Monitor

When Mr Rodney Akongel Mukula announced his intentions to contest for Soroti City East parliamentary seat as an independent candidate, the news that circulated like a sudden storm through the city left many in disbelief.

Born on August 27, 1985, Mr Akongel, the lastborn of the three children of Flt. Capt. George Mike Mukula, one of the region’s most prominent political figures and a long-serving stalwart of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, decided to break away from the family’s political tradition of chanting for the yellow party.

Mr Akongel Mukula, a lawyer by profession and a businessman by occupation, pointed out that he contested as an independent candidate because he was not comfortable with the process of determining flag bearers through party primaries and that he wanted to be elected on merit.

‘If you were to put yourself in my shoes, what would you do?’ Mr Akongel asked.

Adding, ‘My father was the national vice chairperson of the NRM party Eastern region, and if I were to win the flag, what would my opponents and critics say? And if I were to miss the flag, what would they say? I guess they would say, I was supported by my father or if it’s to lose, they would say, the son is not popular,’ Mr Akongel said.

He pointed out that his candidacy as an independent without going through NRM primaries was because he never wanted to take part in the commercialised politics and spend through his nose in exchange for votes.

Mr Akongel believes in a three-pillar political ideology of economic empowerment to his electorate, social service delivery and good governance for accountable, inclusive and proactive leadership.

He condemned the commercialisation of politics and said that the city’s electorate has been facing gaps in leadership.

‘I am against the commercialisation of politics and in my tenure as a politician, I want to empower the electorate to live sustainably.’

Often donned in a white shirt and black trousers in his public appearances, many, including his political rivals, were left in disbelief, questioning why the son of the region’s top-most NRM mobilisers abandoned and deviated from his father’s party to run for the parliamentary seat under an independent ticket.

The other candidates in the race are Pascal Amuriat of the Democratic Front (DF), Isaac Orego of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), James Herbert Elaju on an independent ticket, Martine Ernest Abilu, independent and Moses Attan of the Forum for Democrat Change (FDC).

Mr Mukula described his son’s aspirations as a positive gesture for development.

More than 2,700 candidates nominated by the Electoral Commission (EC) to contest 519 parliamentary seats are set to officially kick off their campaigns today across the country.

The electoral contest includes 353 constituency seats, 146 District Woman seats, and 20 seats for Special Interest Groups (youth, persons with disabilities, workers, and older persons). Of the 2,711 candidates nominated for the 12th Parliament, 2,703 will campaign, after eight were cleared to join the race unopposed.

Those who sailed through include Mr Ofwono Opondo (Eastern Region, Elderly), Ms Anita Among (Bukedea District), Mr Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North), Ms Lillian Paparu Obiale (Arua District), Ms Ruth Rujoki Mushabe (Kiruhura District), Mr Moses Magogo (Budiope East), Ms Jeniva Arinaitwe (Rubirizi District), and Mr Emmanuel Banya (Koboko County), all representing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). The campaign period for parliamentary and local government candidates begins a month after the presidential campaigns and will close on January 13, 2026, just two days before the January 15 polling date.

EC warning

EC spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi urged candidates, their agents, and supporters to maintain peace, describing it as a key ingredient for national development.

‘Candidates must adhere to the guidelines issued during nominations. Observe peace and ensure everyone plays their role in conducting orderly campaigns,’ he said. Mr Mucunguzi also cautioned against election malpractice, voter bribery, abusive language, and spreading misinformation on social media. ‘Conduct yourselves peacefully, follow electoral laws, avoid bribery, vulgar language, and malicious content that divides communities,’ he emphasised.

Contestants and parties

A total of 18 political parties have fielded 1,428 candidates, while 1,283 independents will compete for 519 seats, comprising 353 constituency representatives, 146 District Woman MPs, and 20 for Special Interest Groups, including five each for youth, persons with disabilities, workers, and older persons. These elected MPs will join the 556-member 12th Parliament, alongside 10 representatives from the UPDF and other ex officio members. In the current 11th Parliament, the NRM holds a majority with 337 MPs, followed by Independents (87), National Unity Platform (NUP) 57, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) 31, Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) 11, Democratic Party (DP) 9, and one seat each for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Justice Forum (Jeema).

For the upcoming election, NRM has 514 candidates, NUP 297, FDC 214, and DP 94, while the remaining candidates are distributed among smaller parties.

Ahead of the campaigns, EC officials met candidates and their agents from October 24 to 27 to harmonise campaign venues and schedules across the country. Political parties have also guided their candidates on adhering to electoral laws and maintaining peaceful campaigns throughout the 60-day campaign period.

Unopposed MPs

* Ofwono Opondo: Eastern (Elderly).

* Anita Among: Bukedea Woman.

* Thomas Tayebwa: Ruhinda North.

* Lillian Paparu Obiale: Arua Woman MP.

* Ruth Rujoki Mushabe: Kiruhura Woman.

* Moses Magogo: Budiope East.

* Jeniva Arinaitwe: Rubirizi Woman.

* Emmanuel Banya: Koboko County.

As campaigns for Members of Parliament (MPs), local councils, and mayors begin today, many voters remain unclear about the specific roles and mandates of the leaders they elect.

Across communities, citizens continue to demand services such as ambulances, hospitals, schools, payment of school fees, and road repairs from candidates-tasks that legally fall under government ministries and local government authorities.

Article 79 of the Constitution outlines the core functions of MPs. Primarily, they are responsible for legislation, making laws to ensure peace, order, development, and good governance in the country.

MPs also have a representation role, presenting the views, needs, and grievances of their constituents on the floor of Parliament. Under budget approval, MPs scrutinise, debate, and approve the national budget, including government borrowing and loan requests. Furthermore, through their oversight role, MPs monitor government operations to ensure public resources are used efficiently, lawfully, and for their intended purposes.

However, tasks such as constructing roads, paying medical bills, providing personal financial support, or directly delivering health and education services are not part of an MP’s official mandate. These responsibilities fall under ministries, government departments, agencies, and local governments.

Reality on ground

Some MPs say the realities on the ground force them to perform roles beyond their mandate. ‘Once elected, voters expect you to provide services directly. Many Members of Parliament try to lobby, and when that fails, you often end up buying these services yourself,’ said Mr Anthony Akol, the MP for Kilak North.

‘If you don’t meet these expectations, you risk being voted out. We are dragged into performing roles that are not ours as MPs,’ he added. Mr Yusuf Nsibambi, the MP for Mawokota South, added that MPs are often pressured or ‘blackmailed’ into delivering services outside their mandate.

‘The government focuses on classified accounts and the military, which has little impact on the common man. There are no hospitals, no planning for roads, no proper school programmes. We are torn,’ Mr Nsibambi said.

‘I came to Parliament without taking any loans, but now you cannot survive without borrowing or selling personal property to stay connected with your electorate,’ he added. Ms Christine Kaaya, the Kiboga District Woman MP, noted the decline in service delivery.

‘People used to access support directly from the Ministry of Agriculture or local government departments. Today, voters approach MPs demanding agriculture extension services or other benefits, which are not part of our mandate,’ she said.

Under the Local Government Act, Cap 243, responsibility for service delivery rests with district, municipal, town council, and sub-county administrations. Councillors serve as a link between communities and local government, raising concerns in council meetings, debating and passing budgets, and monitoring the implementation of government programmes in education, health, roads, water, and agriculture sectors.

They also participate in making local by-laws but are not required to finance projects from personal funds. Their mandate is to ensure that government resources are used effectively and technical officers are held accountable.

Sections 28 and 30 of the Local Government Act designate the mayor as the political head of a city or municipality. The mayor oversees implementation of government programmes and urban development policies, including city planning, road networks, building standards, sanitation, garbage collection, market management, and municipal services. The mayor works alongside councillors and technical staff, led by the Town Clerk or City Clerk, to ensure urban services are delivered efficiently.

Offering services.

Once elected, voters expect you to provide services directly. Many Members of Parliament try to lobby, and when that fails, you often end up buying these services yourself,’ Anthony Akol, MP for Kilak North

Taking loans.

“I came to Parliament without taking any loans, but now you cannot survive without borrowing or selling personal property to stay connected with your electorate,’ Yusuf Nsibambi, MP for Mawokota South.

An unspecified number of people were left injured, and others were soaked after a strong rainstorm disrupted a campaign rally organised by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) leaders in Namutumba District, tearing down tents under which attendees had sought shelter.

The incident happened shortly after the First Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Rebecca Kadaga and State Minister for Lands Ms Persis Namuganza, arrived at the rally venue.

The unexpected rainstorm sparked speculations among some of the superstitious attendees who were overheard giving their own interpretations of what they had witnessed.

Mr Peter Nduga, a resident of Kamudole ward, Ivukula Sub County claimed Ms Kadaga’s ancestral spirits were trying to warn her against campaigning for President Museveni, citing his alleged role in undermining her during the NRM CEC elections in which she lost the female vice chairperson seat to Speaker of Parliament, Ms Anita Among.

“She’s been in leadership for years, campaigning for Museveni, but this has never happened to her. Her ancestors and Busoga’s spiritual spirits from Igenge and Kamuli were annoyed with Kadaga. She even forgot to sing Busoga’s Anthem,” Mr Nduga said.

Ms Kadaga and Ms Namuganza organised the rally to mobilise Namutumba residents to welcome President Museveni, who is scheduled to campaign in the district on November 15 as he seeks retain power in the 2026 General Election.

Mr Solomon Kaswabuli, Namutumba District National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, believes the incident was a sign of Museveni’s impending downfall, claiming it’s an unprecedented event in Uganda’s history.

According to Mr Kaswabuli, the event was dramatic, with accusations that Kadaga is again doing a disservice to Ugandans and Basoga by campaigning for Mr Museveni’s re-election, echoing concerns about her role in removing the presidential age limit as former Speaker.

“Mama Kadaga removed the age limit, now we’re stuck with an 80-year-old candidate. She’s quick to switch sides, saying Museveni’s bad when he opposed her on the NRM CEC post, but now she’s all about him. To me, she’s a hypocrite and a problem for Busoga,” Mr Kaswabuli said.

The rainstorm damaged the Master of the Ceremony’s stage, tents, and equipment, but spared buildings and crops, leaving many wondering about the significance of the incident.

Some spectators compared it to the whirlwind at former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s burial ceremony, suggesting it’s a sign of spiritual unrest, and that the ancestors’ spirits are not to be taken lightly.

Ms Kadaga, speaking after the storm, apologized to the people of Busoga and urged them to forget what happened during the NRM CEC elections, asking for their support for President Museveni’s re-election.

“I know what happened affected you and me too, but let’s leave that behind and support NRM. I’ve come to tell you we still need the NRM and President Museveni for this country’s development,” she said.

Ms Kadaga mobilized NRM flag bearers and independent candidates to campaign for President Museveni who has been in power since 1986.

“It’s not just NRM flag bearers who should campaign for President Museveni, even independents can do so,” Kadaga said.

Ms Namuganza said the Bakono are ready to support and vote for President Museveni, but they want him to grant them Bukono District.

“We want our own Bukono District because we’re not getting the services we need in our current district,” Ms Namuganza said.

Gloria Muzito’s name will now forever be etched in memory for providing an ‘ah’ moment for Ugandan swimming.

Muzito clocked 25.59 seconds to win gold in the women’s 50m freestyle at the 6th edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

She completes a trend started by Kirabo Namutebi bagging silver in the same event at the last edition in Konya, Turkey.

Muzito’s is the first international gold in Uganda’s conventional swimming, although, overall, Husnah Kukundakwe got a couple of para-swimming ones in Konya.

“I am very happy and thankful for my gold,” Muzito said in the aftermath of her swim.

The 22 year old was dominant from the heats on Saturday. She topped the second heat in 25.77. The heat also included her teammate Tara Naluwoza Kisawuzi, who finished 3rd in 28.21 with Indonesia’s Nadia Aisha Nurazmi between them in a time of 27.08. Nurazmi eventually bagged bronze (26.18) behind Egypt’s Farida Hisham Ahmed Osman (26.04).

In the semis, also on Saturday, Muzito lowered the national record (NR) 25.66 that she set at the Swedish Nationals in June to 25.58 to qualify for the finals with the best time. Kisawuzi clocked 27.88 to bow out of the final.

Muzito had a slow start in the final but after 10 arm pulls, she was clearly poised to take charge of the race. She duly did and brought gold home in 25.59 – making it the third major championship she is medaling at in just over a year. She bagged 100m free gold and 50m free bronze at the Africa Aquatics Swimming Championships in Angola in April 2024 about a month after collecting 100m free bronze at the African Games in Ghana.

More to come

She is poised to push for more honours in the 100m and 200m freestyle events.

“It (Riyadh gold) is a result of the hard work I put in. I am very excited for the rest of the competition and ready to go,” Muzito said.

Meanwhile, Kisawuzi also qualified for the women’s 50m butterfly semis after clocking 29.77 to finish 5th in her heat. She was 6th in her semifinals with a slightly improved 29.73.

For the men, Jesse Ssengonzi finished 5th overall in the 50m fly final with a new NR 24.22. First he clocked 24.83 to finish second in his heat behind Turkey’s Berk Ozkul. Ssengonzi then clocked 24.62 to finish 4th in the race’s second semifinals.

In the final, he lowered his time made at the World Championships in Singapore (24.32) earlier this year as he marginally missed out on a podium position.

Both Ssengonzi and Tendo Mukalazi were involved in 50m freestyle. They both finished 7th in their respective heats with Mukalazi clocking 24.82 in Heat 5 and Ssengonzi 24.35 in Heat 6.

The four swimmers combined to finish 4th in their heat in the moxed 4x100m freestyle relay. Ssengonzi got them started off with a 54.01 while Kisawuzi did the second leg in 1:03.60 to take the cummulative time to 1:57.61.

Mukalazi clocked 55.89 to take the time to 2:53.50 while Muzito’s stunning 52.70 shift stopped the clock at 3:46.20 for the relay.

By press time, all four swimmers were headed for the 100m free with some of them expected to make the semis. Muzito was also tipped to make the finals due Tuesday.

Quraish Kalyango lives with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Since he survived an accident in December 2013, the 32-year-old has struggled to have children through sperm injection, in vain.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a specialised form of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). During the procedure, a single sperm is injected directly into an egg. The method is used to treat severe male infertility or when standard IVF has failed.

SCI is a devastating event in a man’s life. In most cases, although the victims continue to have normal sperm production, they cannot ejaculate naturally and require medical assistance to retrieve sperm.

Kalyango, a resident of Tula Village, Kawempe Division, Kampala City, has never succeeded in having children through sperm injection due to the high costs involved.

In government health facilities, a sperm injection procedure costs Shs10m, and more than Shs25m in private facilities.

‘In 2020, I got capital to start a business of selling shoes. I planned to save the profits for a sperm injection. In 2023, I visited Mulago National Referral Hospital twice, thinking that the medical team would sympathise with me, but the amount is fixed and cannot be reduced,’ Kalyango narrates.

Before the sperm is retrieved, one has to undergo extensive examinations to determine if they can still produce sperm. Kalyango was asked to pay Shs500,000 for the medical examinations.

‘After the checkup, the doctor said I was able to have children. However, I did not have the Shs10m to continue with the procedure. I only had Shs1m. My business can only cater for my rent and my daughter’s school fees,’ he says.

Kalyango’s wife abandoned him after the accident. His desire to have more children has pushed him into different relationships in the hope that when he gets funds, the women go through IVF treatment.

‘However, whenever I fail to raise the money, those women leave me. Unfortunately, during the relationships, I spent a lot of money on them to keep them interested in me. They needed active men. When you are disabled, women disrespect you,’ he laments.

With his daughter in Primary Seven, Kalyango wishes to have two more children.

A devastating fate

On December 19, 2023, Kalyango, then a driver, travelled with his boss to Lyantonde District. During the night, on their way back, his boss told him to rest and took over the wheel.

‘I slept off. When I woke up, it was 3pm, and I was lying on the floor at a hospital in Kyotera District. I heard someone calling my family members using my mobile phone. All the beds were occupied, but when my relatives came in, a doctor removed a dead body from a bed and I occupied it,’ Kalyango recalls.

He was paralysed from the waist down. In early 2014, he was transferred to Mulago Hospital for better treatment, where he remained for more than a year.

‘The medical bills were too high. The medication alone would cost between Shs250,000 and Shs500,000. My property was sold so that I could have another chance at life. When I was discharged, I found that my wife was living with another man in my home,’ he says.

In disappointment, Kalyango returned to his parents’ home in Mutukula Town. However, there was no one to care for him, as his mother was a businesswoman and often away from home.

‘I developed sores on my back and buttocks from lying in the same position for days. In November 2015, my wife called me to pick items from our home since she had moved on. She abandoned our two-year-old child in the house. She said she could not live with someone she could not have sex with,’ he says.

Like Kalyango, Andrew Mutebi, a resident of Njeru Municipality, Buikwe District, also suffered a SCI. The high cost of sperm injections has also blurred his hopes of having a child.

‘At the time I had an accident in 2015, I had not yet fathered a child. I had a girlfriend and we were planning to get married in 2016. During the accident, my spinal cord was fractured and I underwent several operations at Mulago Hospital, each costing Shs800,000,’ he narrates.

When the doctors informed his girlfriend that Mutebi would not have children sexual intercourse, she abandoned him. She eventually got married to another man in 2019.

‘The cost of a sperm injection has affected me mentally and psychologically. Sometimes, when I look at other men’s children, I cry,’ Mutebi says, tears flowing down his cheeks.

A study, Quality of life of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries: a cross-sectional study at a tertiary hospital in Uganda, published in the African Health Sciences Journal in 2023, found that the overall self-reported quality of life among patients with traumatic spinal cord injury was generally poor.

‘Most participants (58.3 percent) had incomplete spinal cord injuries, and 84.5 percent had complications. The presence of complications and injury severity significantly affected quality of life,’ the study reads in part.

Traumatic SCIs are devastating and disruptive to an individual’s life. The study found that with the increasing long-term survival after SCI, health-related quality of life has become crucial in the rehabilitation process.

‘The self-reported quality of life in the vast majority of participants was rated as poor because a majority had no functional independence and already had complications. Uganda, as a country, does not have a single specialised institution or program dedicated to the rehabilitation and reintegration of SCI patients back in the community,’ the report reads.

The study further found that most patients with SCI are discharged from the hospital without any comprehensive follow-up or rehabilitation program. Oftentimes, they are referred to peripheral health facilities in their home districts for follow-up and rehabilitation.

However, most of these facilities are poorly equipped, do not have physiotherapists or occupational therapists, and community support is inadequate. Further, the available physical and occupational therapists have limited experience in managing these patients, and this predisposes them to complications and frequent hospitalisation.

‘All factors in this study were significantly associated with psychological well-being and social relationships. Furthermore, married participants reported a better quality of life than the single or separated individuals. They benefit physically and emotionally from their spouses and easily adapt to their new life situation,’ the report reads.

Spousal support also offers the much-needed social support and facilitates societal integration. On the other hand, caring for a patient living with SCI places a heavy economic, physical, and emotional burden on the primary caregivers.

A call to action

Myleen Kyomuhendo, a para-athlete and chairperson of the Spinal Injuries Association Uganda (SIAU), decries the limiting costs of artificial insemination.

‘Of the 372 men with SCIs, only five can afford sperm injections. These injuries torment them mentally and break their marriages because they cannot have sex normally,’ she says.

Kyomuhendo calls on the government to subsidise IVF services to enable these men to have children.

Sperm injections are more expensive than the usual IVF procedure because they involve injecting the sperm directly into a woman’s egg. Failure to conceive through ICSI is generally not due to the procedure but rather to challenges in sperm acquisition and sperm quality.

A 2022 study, Sexuality, intimacy, and reproductive health after spinal cord injury, found that SCI is a life-altering event often accompanied by a host of anxiety-provoking questions and concerns in the minds of affected individuals.

Questions regarding the ability to resume sexual activity, partner’s satisfaction, as well as the ability to have biological children are just a few of the unknowns facing patients following the devastating reality that is SCI.

‘Following SCI, men face numerous complications, including erectile dysfunction and infertility. It is estimated that 90 percent of men with SCI cannot father a child naturally. However, women with SCI can conceive and deliver children with nearly the same success rate as the general population,’ the report reads in part.

When surveyed, patients affected by SCI ranked sexual and reproductive functions as major factors affecting their quality of life.

‘To date, multiple safe and effective treatments are available to address many of the sexual and reproductive obstacles posed by SCI. Safe and effective methods of sperm retrieval maximise the chances of biological fatherhood in men with SCI,’ the report reads.

The availability of, the cost, and applying multiple pharmacological treatment modalities for sexual dysfunction strengthens relationships.

Government says an efficient, accountable, and responsive public sector is the engine of private sector competitiveness, especially in less diversified economies such as Uganda.

Speaking at the Second Annual Doing Business Forum in Kampala, a forum that brought together senior government officials, private sector leaders, development partners, and civil society representatives, key speakers including head of Public Service and secretary to Cabinet Lucy Nakyobe, permanent secretary and secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi and head of private sector development at the Ministry of Finance Dianah Nannono, acknowledged that for the private sector to thrive, the public sector must be accountable and strong.

Ms Nakyobe, who opened the forum, underscored the importance of efficiency in achieving Uganda’s ambitious target of a $500b economy by 2040, noting that despite projected economic growth of 7 percent in the next financial year, progress would depend on cutting bureaucratic delays, streamlining licensing, and improving access to industrial parks and utilities.

‘Efficiency must be measured not by promises but by results; faster service delivery, lower costs, and reduced red tape,’ she said, citing reforms such as the Online Business Registration System at URSB and enhanced digital tax administration at URA, which collected Shs31.6 trillion, as examples of how technology is improving service delivery and reducing business costs.

The progress

Mr Ggoobi, on the other hand, highlighted progress made under the Public Sector Transformation Programme, which seeks to improve staffing, transparency, and digital service delivery, expansion of the National Backbone Infrastructure with over 4,387 kilometres of optic fiber laid across 56 districts, establishment of 300 Wi-Fi hotspots in major business centers, and rollout of the e-government procurement system in 62 ministries, departments and agencies and 134 local governments, as key in powering private sector growth.

Government is also finalising the Doing Business Portal, an online feedback system that will allow businesses to track reforms and communicate directly with policymakers

‘Efficiency is a shared responsibility between government and the private sector. Together, we can make efficiency the driver of competitiveness,’ Ggoobi said.

Ms Nannono outlined several interventions supporting enterprise growth, including the capitalisation of UDB with Shs1.5 trillion, additional funding of Shs1 trillion, and a $74m programme to improve electricity reliability for SMEs as well as a Shs176b commercial agriculture financing scheme targeting large-scale farmers and continued improvements in land registration through Uganda National Land Information System, which has cut registration time to days as key drivers that continue to support private sector growth.

‘We are building a public sector that is efficient, responsive, and predictable, creating an environment where businesses can flourish,’ she said.

In a retail landscape once dominated by big regional and international names, China Town’s entry into spaces where giants like Uchumi and Game burnt their fingers is both daring and strategic.

The retailer’s latest move, the opening of its third outlet at Freedom City Mall in Namasuba, on Entebbe Road, occupies the very space once held by Uchumi, and later Outlet Supermarket, which also closed recently, signaling a bold statement about local resilience where multinational and regional chains stumbled.

The official opening, held on November 2, featured fanfare, discounts, and family-friendly entertainment.

Agnes Maggimbi, the China Town International marketing and corporate affairs manager, says the launch feeds into the wider expansion plan, in which China Town plans to ‘open up more outlets both in Kampala and other cities countrywide’.

‘Our goal is to provide [Ugandans] with affordable prices, high-quality products, and excellent service, all under one roof,’ she says.

Volatile tale

Uganda’s retail sector, and East Africa as a whole, has been a volatile tale, with high-profile exits of giant supermarket stores in the last decade.

The exodus of Shoprite, Game, Uchumi, Tuskys, and Nakumatt reads like a cautionary tale in East Africa’s retail sector.

Each entered Uganda with grand ambitions: sleek stores, imported brands, and polished service, but left behind empty shelves and unpaid suppliers. Their collapse stemmed from structural mismatches between their models and local realities.

High overheads driven by expensive leases and foreign staff models made profitability elusive.

Overreliance on imported goods rendered their pricing uncompetitive in a market where affordability rules.

Most importantly, they failed to localise their business approach, treating Ugandan consumers as a uniform middle class, while ignoring the vast, price-sensitive customer base that dominates informal markets.

In contrast, China Town has studied these missteps closely. Its model is lean, locally integrated, and mass-market-oriented, with a supply mix that balances imported efficiency and local adaptability.

The chain thrives on fast-moving consumer goods, high turnover, and affordability rather than margin-heavy prestige goods.

Maggimbi says China Town is built on a ‘culture of shopping unique products without creating any social class’, offering shoppers ‘affordable, yet reliable and satisfactory [goods] for everyone’.

Localisation over legacy

From its first store at YK Mall (formerly Lugogo Mall, where Game once operated) to Akamwesi Mall on Gayaza Road, and now Freedom City Mall, China Town’s strategy of reclaiming failed supermarket spaces has become a signature move.

The difference lies in philosophy. China Town doesn’t chase class appeal. Its stores deliberately blur social lines, offering products that are affordable, reliable, and satisfactory for everyone.

This approach resonates in a market where aspiration is high but disposable income remains modest.

The location of the new branch, Freedom City Mall on Entebbe Road, is strategic. It sits amid bustling suburbs like Makindye, Katwe, Kibuye, Namasuba, Najjanankumbi, and Zana, home to a large working-class population.

Here, shopping convenience often trumps luxury.

Thus, by positioning itself in such catchment zones, China Town taps into consistent foot traffic and community loyalty, something the failed multinational chains largely ignored as they targeted corporate and expatriate consumers.

Will it hold where others failed?

Experts say the success will hinge on whether China Town can sustain its operational discipline as it scales.

David Sempala, the chief executive officer of Royalway Media, a specialized marketing agency, says that with the retail sector projected to grow 8 percent annually (according to World Bank forecasts), China Town is poised to endure where others faltered.

‘Provided it evolves beyond pure price predation into a culturally attuned hybrid. This isn’t just survival; it’s a blueprint for resilient foreign investment in Africa’s informal economies,’ he says.

Thus, going by the above, China Town must maintain affordability without compromising quality, strengthen its balance between local sourcing and efficient imports, and continue building customer trust through reliability rather than glamour.

If it keeps these elements steady, it may well succeed where Shoprite, Game, Uchumi, and Tuskys faltered.

With three established outlets, YK Mall, Akamwesi Mall, and now Freedom City Mall, China Town is charting a confident expansion path, with plans to grow into other cities across Uganda.

If it holds, China Town won’t just survive; it will redefine the narrative of modern retail in Uganda, experts say.

President Museveni has warned foreign powers against interfering in African affairs, saying some external actors are attempting to destabilise the region because they are threatened by Uganda’s growing industrial capacity and upcoming oil production.

The President made the remarks on Saturday during a radio talk show at Mbale State Lodge, where he engaged journalists from Bugisu Sub-region.

‘Most of these children being misled in Tanzania and other countries are being confused by European powers that are worried about Uganda’s progress. Our industries are growing, our oil is coming, and they want to control Africa’s resources. But I must warn those confusing them that we shall crush them,’ Mr Museveni said.

The President reiterated that peace and stability remain the cornerstone of Uganda’s progress under the NRM government, saying unity and discipline have enabled the country to build strong national institutions.

Tracing the roots of the NRM to 1965, Mr Museveni said the Movement was formed to counter the politics of identity that had divided Ugandans along tribal and religious lines.

‘What is important for the people is their needs, not their tribes. Prosperity comes from production and markets, not from tribal identity,’ he said. He emphasised that the NRM’s ideology rests on four key pillars peace, development, wealth creation, and regional integration. ‘When the earlier sectarian groups collapsed and Amin came in, we decided to fight for a new Uganda built on unity and purpose,’ he added.

Uganda’s development

On development, the President said Uganda has made significant progress in infrastructure, such as roads, electricity, and schools, but poverty remains in some areas because many people have not fully embraced wealth creation. ‘Africa has been underpopulated for a long time. People can survive without progressing unless leaders wake them up, that’s what I did with the Banyankore,’ he said. Mr Museveni encouraged Ugandans, especially the youth, to create jobs through commercial agriculture, ICT, services, and industries rather than depend on government employment.

‘Before colonialism, Africans had emyooga (talents), but the colonialists diverted people into administration. Jobs come from production, not from government offices,’ he said. The President revealed that a new industrial park will be established in Busumbu, Mbale, to process vermiculite a mineral used in satellite technology. Reaffirming his commitment to national stability, the President declared: ‘Nobody can disturb our peace. Anybody who tries will be dealt with.’

The interactive session was attended by NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, among others.

President Museveni never tires of reminding us that Uganda’s economy has leapt from $4.2b in 1986 to over $50b today.

To him, this is ‘steady progress,’ the kind of miracle that should make angels clap and the rest of us sing the national anthem before breakfast.

He preaches this gospel at every campaign rally and state occasion, sometimes with the conviction of an evangelist certain that the congregation will not ask where the offering went.

But to the ordinary Ugandan, this prosperity exists only in PowerPoint slides, somewhere between the closing prayer and the promise of another miracle.

Yes, GDP has grown, but mostly in the accounts of foreigners who discovered that investing here is like fishing in a pond where the fish jump willingly into the net.

According to the Bank of Uganda, foreign direct investment now makes up nearly 38 percent of national output. In plain Luganda, we have become tenants in our own economy.

Take oil: 85 percent of the rights belong to TotalEnergies and CNOOC, while Uganda National Oil Company remains a minority partner in its own backyard.

Banking is dominated by Stanbic and Absa, and telecom profits beam to Johannesburg and Mumbai faster than ‘mobile money failed’ can be said in a queue.

Even Kampala landlords have joined the liberation struggle, liberating Ugandans from their rental spaces. They prefer ‘investors’ with shinier passports.

The rest are pushed to the city’s outskirts, where the only traffic jam is caused by mud and gossip.

Downtown traders, meanwhile, have mastered the art of the closed shop. Every few months they protest, furious that foreign nationals, rebranded as ‘investors,’ sell tax-free goods from warehouses anointed by government grace.

The Ministry of Investment calls it competition; the traders call it eviction. When they complain, the government lectures them about regional integration, as if patriotism means surrendering your business to someone without a work permit.

In the countryside, the comedy continues. Local leaders, desperate to impress the President, sing PDM success hymns.

‘Your Excellency,’ they beam, ‘our people have built houses and bought motorcycles!’ Meanwhile, those same ‘beneficiaries’ are hiding from moneylenders in banana plantations. The PDM miracle, like most miracles, is still under construction.

Travel north, and the story gets muddier, as roads vanish with every raindrop. But when citizens complain, the President asks: ‘Do you eat tarmac? Do you sleep on it? Do you want tarmac to transport poverty?’

A brilliant philosophy, if development makes you itch. Still, one must ask: is it this improved GDP that is attracting children from Karamoja to the streets of Kampala?

Who owns this ‘improved GDP’ that drives children from classrooms to streets, and the youth from Uganda to the Arab countries to work as housemaids? If GDP were a bus, surely it should drop children at school, not deliver them to traffic lights with begging cups.

Meanwhile, in the city, thousands of Ugandans employed by foreign-owned firms earn so little that they trek to and from work every day. Paying for transport would mean arriving home with nothing.

A cheap commuter train could have spared them the daily trek, but in Uganda, public transport remains a campaign promise rather than a policy.

Economists in Kampala continue to toast to ‘macroeconomic stability,’ quoting growth figures with the confidence of people who have never priced beans in Owino Market.

The numbers look good, but for whom? Rent rises, jobs vanish, and posho grows costlier by the week. Growth here is like a cow tethered to a foreign farm; we milk it, but the cream goes elsewhere.

Uganda has, however, perfected investor romance. We offer tax holidays, free land, and cheap labour, then applaud when profits fly abroad. Our leaders call them ‘strategic partnerships,’ but to the naked eye, they look like economic babysitting.

Of course, not every investor is a villain, Uganda needs capital and technology, but must we forever play waiter in our own restaurant? The ruling elite dine well on this dependency. Every foreign deal means another ribbon-cutting ceremony, another contract for the connected.

Those who profit by proxy have no reason to change the script; after all, it is hard to bite the hand that funds your campaign poster.

Uganda’s economy today is like Shakespeare’s smiling villain, handsome on the surface, bleeding underneath. We are told to celebrate GDP growth, but it is growth on someone else’s terms, in someone else’s ledger.

We are told to celebrate GDP growth, but it is growth on someone else’s terms…