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Entrepreneurs in Uganda have been challenged to broaden their horizons and look beyond domestic and regional markets if they hope to achieve sustainable growth over the next two decades.

The message came on Monday, September 29, during a training session organised by Enterprise Uganda in Kampala, which brought together a mix of business owners, exporters, and sector leaders.

Mr Charles Ocici, the Director General of Enterprise Uganda, outlined the country’s ambitious ’10-fold growth strategy,’ emphasising the need for Ugandan businesses to target continental and global markets.

‘As a country, we have come up with a 10-fold growth strategy. This 10-fold growth strategy will not work out if you are looking at the domestic market,’ Ocici told participants.

‘The timeline for this growth is within the next 15 to 20 years. This cannot happen when we focus just within Uganda or even within the smaller East African region. We have the ability to sell what we have been selling on a modest scale on a much bigger scale, within Africa and beyond,’ he added.

Ocici pointed to examples such as Singapore and Senegal, which leveraged their limited resources to make a global impact, urging Ugandan businesses to identify unique advantages and expand them internationally.

Ms Prisca Beesigomwe, the Acting Executive Director of the HortiFresh Association, a body representing Uganda’s fresh fruits and vegetables sector, said smaller players can also participate in export markets by integrating into established value chains.

‘Many people think the export market is only for established brands,’ Ms Beesigomwe explained.

‘But smaller players can latch themselves into the value chains of the export market. Even a coffee producer in Masaka can be part of the export market if they connect to the market value chain. Size doesn’t matter; what matters is your role in the chain,’ she added.

Ms Beesigomwe highlighted regional markets such as Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan as accessible starting points before targeting stringent markets in the Middle East and Europe.

Mr Apollo Ssegawa, the Managing Director of CURAD (Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development), emphasised that successful exports begin with understanding market demand.

‘A Ugandan exporter can maximize the current demand by knowing what the market wants. You must always start with the market. What standards are expected there? What products do they want? Then work backwards to deliver exactly that,’ Ssegawa said.

He noted that exporters often make the mistake of producing what they grow best locally rather than what international buyers demand, resulting in low returns. Ssegawa advised compliance with global standards such as GlobalGAP and obtaining Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) certification.

‘For export markets, first, develop a good product suitable for the local market. Then, package it professionally, brand it, get UNBS certification, and only then look to regional and international markets,’ he said.

Mr Ssegawa also warned against over-promising to buyers, particularly for seasonal products. ‘You cannot promise an export market 100 tonnes when you know your capacity is only 10 tonnes. Manage your production capacity and sign contracts that match your available supply.’

The training highlighted the critical need for Ugandan entrepreneurs to professionalise production, adopt global standards, and carefully plan supply chains to avoid under-delivery while capitalising on expanding regional and international opportunities.

Mr Ocici concluded with a call to action: ‘If we leverage our advantages and sell on a bigger scale beyond our borders, we can transform Uganda’s economy, just as smaller countries have done. The opportunity is here; it is up to us to take it.’

The session formed part of Enterprise Uganda’s broader agenda to equip local entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks, and tools to compete in regional and global markets, supporting the country’s long-term growth ambitions.

On Sunday, famous saxophonist and composer Kenny G performed in Uganda. It was his first time in Uganda but his second in Kenya, where he revealed he had once come for a holiday. Now, Kenny G’s music is one that has transcended generations, most of it, released between the 1970s and 1980s, it still finds ways of staying relevant in some way.

In Uganda, as long as you’re social, you have definitely interacted with his music in one way or another. Thus, even when the concert mainly attracted a relatively older audience, there were still young people in their 30s enjoying it.

But the oddly misplaced people in the audience were the Gen-Zs. See, most of these are in their teenage season and a few have hit 20. ‘So, when I heard there was an international artist, I was excited because dad said he was taking us, but who is this now? Who’s Kenny G?’ One boy wondered while talking to his sister, who wasn’t really as clueless as he was.

‘You have definitely heard one of his songs, I discovered yesterday that I knew his music all along,’ the sister responded. There were many of such young people in the audience, who probably wanted to be anywhere in the world but at the Mistil Gardens, sadly for them, their parents either want them to experience fine music or simply carry them around as accessories.

There were two daughters who kept arguing with their father seeking to know if Kenny G is as big as Rema. The poor man kept laughing telling them Rema is not known beyond Uganda.

Maybe he didn’t notice that the Rema the daughters were talking about and the Rema he was dismissing were two different people, countries and sex.

Well, it’s understandable, two Remas, one did Calm Down and the other Juice wa Mango, they are both popular in their own rights. Just like Chris Evans, one plays Captain America, the Marvel Avenger who lifts Thor’s hammer, while there’s Chris Evans Kaweesa, a Ugandan artist who tells a story of how he was hit with a hammer ten times. different people, same scenarios and same names.

The beauty however, all these young people stayed active through the night, thanks to the DJ set which started with old school and somehow progressed to a Beyonce set from her Beyonce bowl Christmas performance and then the Superbowl performance by Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, Mary J Bilge and Kendrick Lamar.

It was almost at that time that Kenny G stepped on stage. He started his set with Loving You. It’s somehow hard not knowing Loving You.ok you may not know the song but when you hear it, you will notice you have heard the song before.

The song, like many of his, are famous at Ugandan weddings, but not during the romantic moments. ‘Wait, this is the guy who does food music?’ One of the boys asked. And there you have it, Kenny G’s music is synonymous with being fed, at least in Uganda, whether it’s a house warming, birthday, anniversary or a wedding, this music is played as people are eating.

And in between, the announcer will ask someone to move a car before the music continues. His songs like Silhouette and The Moment have all been played at events while food is being served that people don’t really know which one is which. They only tell the difference when they start playing but still don’t know the titles.

So, often people would turn to each other and ask, so which one is that, the other would answer, it’s also played during meals. When it comes to concerts, Ugandans believe they have to sing along to every song to complete an experience, but this show was a challenge. Thus, most of them kept humming or making that tulululu. sound as he played.

Some were in the moment, like a gentleman who kept playing an imaginary saxophone using a Tusker Malt bottle, a sight that drew laughter from those around him. Then there was the sophistication, those who take their Johnnie Walker neat and those looking for themed cocktails. But at the end of the day, regardless of the bill of one’s sophistication, they were all humming wrong saxophone notes.

But then My Heart Will Go On, his closing song happened, this, everyone seemed to know the words, thus, a chance to put lyrics to a song that didn’t have lyrics had come. Everyone sang, and Gen-Zs somehow knew the song too.

On the side…

Kenny G was a master stroke, he was testament that once one keeps walking with a genre, time comes when they become the definition of it. Besides many saxophonists who bounce between variations of saxophones, this man has created a brand out of playing the soprano saxophone. He revealed that he moves with a 25-year-old saxophone, whether it is the same he played, that we didn’t get to know.

Besides his crowd work though, the easy approachable attitude during his performance, he was also the epitome of professionalism. He did his sound check at 4pm, that’s even when he had arrived in Uganda earlier on Sunday morning. The fact that he had performed in Nairobi the previous night didn’t affect him.

He did his sound check and stayed by the venue, especially in the VIP section trying to map the sound. Unlike most artists who choose mystery, avoiding to be seen before they hit the stage, he stayed behind until he was sure the sound was exactly as he wanted it.

That’s class.

As voters leaf through manifestos of the eight political parties that have fielded candidates in next year’s presidential poll, a contrast that sets apart the ruling party from others will be hard to overlook.

‘We have . invested in health infrastructure. Uganda now boasts of 78 hospitals, of which 54 are general hospitals, 16 regional referral hospitals, five national referral hospitals and three specialised hospitals,’ the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party states in its manifesto launched on Monday, adding: ‘We have 217 health centre (HC) IVs at constituency level, and 1,553 sub-counties have a health unit of HC III and above. This is contrasted against only 49 hospitals and 597 dispensaries that Uganda had in 1986.’

Not good enough, the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) manifesto screams. Health is, says the leading Opposition party, ‘a right, not a privilege.’ The party, which also launched its manifesto on Monday, says it will ‘progressively increase health spending to 15 percent of GDP to deliver quality, accessible care for all.’ NUP promises to ‘recruit 16 times the current number of doctors and triple all other health workers to match population pressures,’ adding that this is not possible on the watch of the ruling party because of its alleged wastefulness.

‘It is only in Uganda where Museveni has more cars than ambulances attached to public hospitals. Gen Museveni has over 600 vehicles at his disposal yet the total number of ambulances in public facilities is about 178,’ the NUP manifesto thundered. The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), another Opposition party, is also unstinting in its criticism of the NRM’s provision of medical care to Ugandans across nearly four decades.

‘ For a healthcare system to run efficiently, it requires a combination of well-managed resources, skilled and motivated personnel, effective management, accessible and quality services with emphasis on outcomes,’ the FDC says in its manifesto, adding: ‘To achieve these, a country requires significant financial investment deployed in an efficient and effective manner. Uganda spends approximately $57 (Shs197,000) per capita on health, which is below the WHO-recommended $86 (Shs297,000). Out-of-pocket payments account for 28 percent of the total health expenditure.’

Empirical evidence shows that widespread corruption and malpractice in the public health sector continue to undermine service delivery, depriving patients of essential care and straining limited resources. In an audit report covering the 2023/2024 financial year, the State House Health Monitoring Unit (SHMU) revealed that cases such as theft of medical equipment, drugs, and financial improprieties were uncovered in 17 health facilities countrywide. As a result of the investigations, the SHMU team recovered Shs719m.

The Unit also unearthed forgery of academic documents, neglect of duty, operation of unlicensed clinics, and criminal trespass on health facility land. The SHMU finance and audit output for the Financial Year 2023/2024 revealed massive financial irregularities in several health facilities, with Shs7b reported as unaccounted for or tied to suspicious accountabilities.

According to the report, the irregularities cut across hospitals, health centres, and district health offices (DHOs), with some cases already under investigation while others have been forwarded to the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) for forensic audits. In Tororo District, Tororo General Hospital failed to account for Shs194m, while at Nagongera Health Centre IV, Shs49m was misappropriated, of which Shs7m was recovered. Investigations into both cases are ongoing.

In Iganga District, the DHO’s office failed to account for Shs142m, while Iganga General Hospital posted the largest single irregularity with Shs1.09b unaccounted for, now under review by the OAG.

Bugono HCIV also reported unaccounted funds totalling Shs221m, with files submitted for forensic audit. The report further shows that Wakiso HCIV failed to account for Shs291m, while the DHO’s office in Kamwenge District had Shs1.1b unaccounted for. Rukunyu hospital was implicated in the loss of Shs595m; Bisozi HC IV Shs150m; Kitagwenda DHO’s office Shs493m; and Ntara HC IV Shs216m.

Still in Kitagwenda, several health centres reported missing vouchers, including Nyabani HCIII, Mahyoro HC III, Kanaro HC III, and Kicheche HC III, each amounting to Shs34m. In Manafwa District, Bubulo HC IV failed to account for Shs99m and reported missing vouchers of Shs19m. Bugobero HC IV had Shs123m unaccounted for and missing vouchers worth Shs22m.

In Jinja City, Budondo HC IV had irregularities amounting to Shs52m plus missing vouchers worth Shs25m. Bugembe HC IV failed to account for Shs109m, alongside missing vouchers of Shs143m. Mpumudde HC IV reported unaccounted funds totalling Shs122m and missing vouchers of Shs10m

‘High rates of scheduled and actual absenteeism in lower-level health facilities are forcing patients to self-refer to higher-level facilities. Additionally, installed biometric machines have either been malfunctioning or not properly utilised,’ Dr Warren Naamara, the HMU director, said. The report shows that in many facilities, the infrastructure, essential medicines and health supplies (EMHS), and staffing levels do not match the health care services offered.

‘Most facilities, despite being classified as HC III….provide health services equivalent to a HC II such as antenatal care and outpatient services. For example, Kajansi, Wakiso, and Buwambo HC IVs receive EMHS intended for lower-level facilities,’ the report reads. According to the report, officials at health facilities in Wakiso District were found to have misused non-wage primary health care (PHC) funds for personal benefit. The team also discovered cases of mismanagement for personal gain and a lack of financial accountability by most officers in-charge of facilities.

The report further shows that Dr John Mulidho, a senior medical officer (SMO) attached to Iganga Hospital, allegedly worked 46 days from July 2023 to May 2024. He was temporarily suspended from the payroll. Moreover Iganga hospital registered 45,865 patients against a set target of 19,386 for a period of six months, which was 287 percent or almost three times the expected patient numbers. This means the target setting was low or the hospital is getting patients who are not within their population jurisdiction. The Unit wants Dr Mulidho to be forwarded to the Rewards and Sanctions Committee and sanctioned in line with the Uganda Public Service Rewards and Sanctions Framework.

The SHMU also reported payroll irregularities, noting that the PHC payroll, as of June 30, 2023, had 75 excess staff, leading to the creation of fictitious cost centres. One theatre assistant at Bubulo HC IV in Manafwa, Ms Faith Haboya, could not be traced physically or on the payroll. Several staff were found to have abandoned duties. Some were arrested for neglect of duty. In Namayingo District, absenteeism remained high despite salary enhancements.

Audits showed many officers in-charge of health facilities frequently absent, with organised absenteeism through duty rotas at Buyinja HC IV. Health workers reportedly ran private clinics in nearby districts, contributing to absenteeism and mismanagement. EMHS worth billions, procured with public funds, were poorly accounted for.

In Pader District, high absenteeism, late arrivals, poor attitudes, and unsanctioned study leave were noted. Only four of 13 officers in-charge of facilities met attendance guidelines during the SHMU monitoring visits. Stock discrepancies were found at Pajule HC IV, with medicines worth Shs14m unaccounted for.

In Mukono, review of payment vouchers and bank statements at Mukono General Hospital revealed Shs265m in missing payment vouchers and Shs260m in unaccounted or insufficiently accounted funds. Dr Patrick Kitimbo, the DHO, declined to comment on the matter when contacted.

Prof Mwambutsya Ndebesa, a lecturer at Makerere University and political analyst, said Uganda is plagued by a weak accountability system, both politically and financially. He said weak accountability has become a norm and culture in the country. ‘Political corruption must first be fixed before we even talk about financial accountability,’ Prof Ndebesa argued, accusing the ruling party of electing known corrupt officials to its top organ.

Associate Professor Paddy Mugambe, the Dean of the School of Business and Management at Uganda Management Institute (UMI), said there are serious weaknesses in the internal controls across the entire health service value chain. ‘These gaps may be contributing to occurrences that are highly detrimental to the provision of health services,’ he explained. He added: ‘The challenges could also be linked to deeper issues such as the unfavourable working conditions faced by health workers, which may lead to negligence or the intentional misuse of resources at their disposal.’

Mr James Wire, a former chairperson of the Board at Busolwe General Hospital in Butaleja District, said the challenges facing health facilities are multifaceted. They include political interference, where facilities are treated as cash cows by politicians who demand money from their PHC grants.

‘There are questionable recruitment practices that have allowed unqualified individuals to take up critical positions, and poor monitoring which leaves beneficiaries at the mercy of non-compliant technocrats,’ he said.

Poor Administration

Mr Marlon Agaba, the executive director of the Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda (ACCU), said the biggest problem in hospitals and health centres is poor administration. ‘Health workers are not adequately supervised, and as a result, many fail to perform their duties. This is why funds are often unaccounted for,’ he explained. Mr Agaba also pointed out that medicine management is another major area of concern. ‘Problems occur throughout the entire supply chain-from procurement, issues at the National Medical Stores (NMS), distribution to districts and health centres, and finally delivery to patients,’he said.

He stressed the need to digitalise the medical supply chain up to the end user to curb these challenges. Currently, many health workers run private clinics and pharmacies, which creates conflicts of interest and opportunities for theft.

‘Medicines meant for public facilities often end up in private clinics. Government should implement a policy prohibiting public health workers from owning private clinics or pharmacies while in service.

Such a policy would help reduce absenteeism and resource mismanagement,’ he said. He added that manual record-keeping in health facilities further facilitates fraud, allowing health workers to divert medicines and refer patients to private clinics.

‘There is widespread fraud in the health sector. Some health workers take early retirement to enjoy enhanced pensions at the expense of service delivery. Others abuse study leave, continuing to receive full salaries while defrauding the government.’

The Manager Conservation education awareness at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), Ms Vanice Mirembe has urged Ugandans to embrace the use of clean energy in order to combat the rapid environmental degradation caused by deforestation across the country.

‘Most Ugandans, about 75 percent are still using firewood, the other percentage, they are using electricity, which is very costly and a very small percentage, not more than percent, are right now using the clean energy in the form of gas, briquettes, and other methods’ she said.

Ms Mirembe made the remarks at the first Uganda Wildlife Authority clean energy exhibition, targeting schools at the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC-CA) on Friday.

‘Currently, there is a lot of pressure on our forests, on the environment, on protected areas, because most of the neighboring communities have cut down all the vegetation and trees for firewood. We are doing everything possible to ensure that the public knows about clean energy to reduce the amount of pressure mounted on the forests’ she said.

She added, ”When we start at a young age, children get to know that you can use briquettes, they’ll go back home and talk to their parents, and also grow up into great conservationists, knowing that they have to understand the need to reduce pressure on the environment’.

Ms Mirembe further said UWA is carrying out sensitization of communities around protected areas to resort to energy saving stoves and various methods that use less energy than firewood.

‘Currently, we have MOU’s with communities around protected areas, they are looking for firewood everyday but it is not sustainable, climate change is here, with all its negative impact. Some of them come looking for firewood, and the best thing is to tell them to pick the invasive species, turn them into briquettes’ she said.

Ms Mirembe noted that UWA has projects in communities around protected areas supporting them in construction of energy cooking stoves, making briquettes among other interventions which has led to a drop in the number of people depending on firewood in the protected areas.

Mr Francis Ruhinirwa, a conservation education officer at UWEC-CA said the clean energy exhibition is aimed at creating awareness about the alternative fuel possibilities in Uganda instead of using firewood.

‘Majority of our visitors here are actually school groups which use firewood as a source of energy, our estimate is that a school comprised of about 500 learners, can use up fuel of a term that is equivalent to possibly an acre of firewood. Now, if we have about 40,000 schools, that is a lot of forest degradation that we are experiencing’ he said.

Mr Ruhinirwa said the exhibition which showcased biofuels, solar energy, eco and fuel-saving stoves, electric bikes and cookers is set to become an annual event to increase awareness of alternative fuels aimed at reducing the amount of firewood that is being used especially in schools.

As we begin the campaign period ahead of our country’s general elections early next year, it is important that we reflect a bit on the need to avoid civil unrest which is one of the major factors that disrupt farming. We will be listening to several different politicians, many of whom could be spreading misinformation and disinformation about fellow candidates and the different political parties in the race for the various political offices.

They might also engage in sowing seeds of discord like highlighting economic inequality, ethnic discrimination, political oppression, and corruption. The farmers make the majority of voters and they will be the largest group targeted by the aspiring leaders as they mobilise support. The danger is that such language could erode public trust and spread widespread discontent that may result in civil unrest instead of better governance.

False narratives can deepen divisions and stroke hatred especially in a situation where thousands of young people are not in gainful employment and feel excluded from the sharing of the national cake. We also have to factor in the use of social media nowadays which does not appear to mind about truthful spreading of news and information.

If elections are not well conducted they could be the springboard of civil unrest, war, and genocide. Where do such terrible evils leave our small farms? The videos that we have seen on TV, of people fleeing their countries or their regions of settlement, never depict them carrying their crop fields. They only show desperate men and women carrying their mattresses and just a few other personal belongings. Some of the videos display people carrying along a few sheep and goats and you really wonder if they are sure of grazing ground wherever they are headed to spend their refugee years. No farmer will run away with his or her garden if a civil war breaks out tomorrow.

Farmers must therefore take this campaign and election period very seriously. They should pay due attention to what the political candidates and their agents are saying and promising. Their choices should be governed by careful consideration after listening to all the candidates and not really because of gifts such as money or items like, sugar, salt, bars of soap, and loaves of bread.

The farmers should indeed elect candidates who have the best plans for developing agriculture. They should seek to know the truth by reflecting deeply about what the different candidates are promising.

Dear President Museveni, as you conclude the presidential campaigns in Lango Sub-region this week, I wish to bring to your attention the case of the NRM enthusiast many Lango NRM people refer to as the ‘Luttamaguzi of Lango’, who was martyred and has never been recognised by the NRM and the government.

John Carlo Ogwal, aka Ogwal ‘Cadre’ was the first Resistance Council (RCIII) chairman of Chawente Sub-county in the then Apac District. He took his work and love for NRM so seriously that people nicknamed him ‘Cadre’ in reference to the political mobilisers in the District Administrators’ (now RDC) office.

In 1987, there was festering rebellion in parts of Lango led by elements who used to say they wanted to bring Obote back.

On March 30 1987, Ogwal Cadre, who also dealt in cattle trade, called a meeting at Apwori Trading Centre in Chawente, to mobilise locals against letting their children join the rebellion. As he was doing that, the same rebels, ironically led by a notorious fellow, descended on his home and found he wasn’t around. They arrested his wife and forced her to take them to where he was addressing the group.

Ogwal Cadre was arrested and tortured, with the rebels taunting him, ‘lwong Museveni bin lari’ (call Museveni to save you!) He had enough courage to tell them in Leb-Lango ‘Let me die if it brings peace’. The rebels walked him a few kilometres away to Apyelamot on Aduku-Aboko-Chawente Road. They stopped at a spot where he met his death.

Among those watching was Basil Okello Onach, then a student and now the immediate former Kwania District chairman, whose home was and is still near the scene of the event.

Ogwal was just 40 years old. Ogwal Cadre’s home is in Adakingo Village in Atongtidi Sub-county in Kwania District. Ogwal is survived by his wife and children. After his gruesome killing, all his children dropped out of school.

I understand that until last year when the late Brig Charles Oluka sent an officer to document the family, not a single government or NRM official has ever visited the family.

It would be befitting, Mr President, if this NRM cadre is given a posthumous honour in whatever form, either by erecting a monument in his memory, a national medal or both, or indeed whatever honour you may deem befitting.

Spending unusually lengthy hours inside churches to pray has been blamed on the rising poverty burden among the youth across the Acoli sub-region.

On Friday, while gathering for the 2025 Annual Prayer Breakfast organised by Favour of God Ministries in Gulu City, religious leaders said that the poverty puzzle among the youth cannot be solved unless the youth begin to practice their faith with actions.

Rev. Samuel Francis Opiyo, the Gulu University (Church of Uganda) Chaplain, said that young people are too lazy to work and have now resorted to spending unnecessarily long hours in church praying to God.

‘Many of our youth are very lazy, and all the time they are in church praying, praying, and praying. It’s good to pray, but there is time for everything. There is time for prayer and there is time for work. What will God bless if you are not doing anything?’ Rev. Opiyo told the congregation.

He implored religious and political leaders to encourage the youth to focus on work and live by the examples of Jesus’ apostles, who lived by their works.

‘It is a huge problem that we need to address because our prisons are full of young people, energetic men, who should be doing something to fight poverty. Gender-based violence is too much in Northern Uganda; people are killing each other because of poverty, yet the solutions lie with us here,’ he added.

Because the youth are stuck in poverty, Bishop James Ochan, the head of born-again churches of Northern Uganda, said, they have resorted to prostitution, while the males have become drug addicts and robbers on the streets of urban centres across the region.

‘If your stomach is empty, it doesn’t matter how many prayers you say. You need to survive, and that has driven our young people to the streets, robbing and killing others. Young girls are in the streets. If you walk in the streets of Gulu City, you will find young people selling themselves.’ Bishop Ochan said.

According to Bishop Ochan, the problem is exacerbated by a lack of practical Christians to guide those going astray.

‘We are not having practical Christians. What are we doing as leaders in this region? Poverty is something manageable only if we can join hands as the body of Christ and encourage our people to work. We need to reevaluate our priorities and help the young people,’ the prelate said.

However, according to Bishop Godfrey Loum, the Northern Uganda Diocese bishop, the division among the political, civil and religious has exacerbated the poverty problem in the region.

‘Bluntly, the church thinks the political leadership is corrupt and incompetent, but the political leadership thinks the church does not have the moral authority. How can we talk to God’s people if I don’t have that? The people are on their way. But we in leadership, can’t we hold ourselves accountable?’ Bishop Loum wondered.

Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here as leaders of people and communities that are still rising from the ruins of war. It is very difficult for people who are in survival mode to differentiate what is right and what is wrong, and it is our role to guide and direct them, he added.

Admittedly, like other questions I ask in this column, this too is rather rhetorical, but it is neither academic nor redundant; it is fundamentally a practical question at play in Uganda’s current political landscape.

Let me say upfront that it is impossible to have political parties that consistently uphold the ethos and ideals of democracy while operating in a system that, at its core, is autocratic, undemocratic, and, in many respects, antidemocratic.

Nearly every political party in Uganda that is of some consequence and relevance suffers from a severe internal crisis of democratic credibility. Unsurprisingly, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ranks the worst!

The topmost position of party chairman and presidential candidate is not contested; instead, it is ‘ring-fenced’ for the incumbent – Mr Yoweri Museveni, who has never faced a credible challenge for the leadership of the party. Ditto the position of party vice chairman.

The last time there was a possibility of a credible challenge with the then NRM Secretary General, Mr John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, seeking to unseat Mr Museveni, the former was swiftly hounded out of the party.

For long, at least since Uganda officially returned to multiparty politics in 2006, never mind that it has been more in name, internal party elections in the NRM have consistently been chaotic and conducted in ways that are anything but democratic.

Across the political divide, on the Opposition side of the political ledger, matters are not any different, certainly not qualitatively better than the ruling party.

In the two oldest political parties, the Democratic Party )DP) and Uganda People’s Congress UPC), the respective party presidents, Mr Norbert Mao and Mr Jimmy Akena, face serious allegations of being in office illegally or at a minimum illegitimately. As for the Forum for Democratic Change, FDC, well, much has gone horribly wrong; there is really no FDC to talk about.

The latest credibility crisis is with the party presently holding fort as the largest Opposition party, at least going by numbers in parliament and having the leading Opposition presidential candidate – that is, the National Unity Platform (NUP) of Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine. For a while, allegations swirled in the shadows; now they are wildly in the open, presenting utterly damaging optics for a party positioned to bring change. To put it mildly, there is a mockery of democracy in how NUP leadership positions are determined, and especially in the latest high-stakes iteration of selecting party candidates for elections.

The opacity characterising naming parliamentary flagbearers has done little favour to the party’s moral standing and credibility. Not unlike the ruling NRM, many on the losing side of NUP’s internal processes have come out with a bitter taste, vowing to run independently in the general elections.

But unlike NRM, which purports to conduct universal suffrage polls in the primaries, despite the questionable credibility of the processes and outcome, NUP does not even pretend to follow a transparent and democratic process in choosing party flagbearers.

This should deeply worry all Ugandans keen on a truly democratic political culture, but we shouldn’t at any rate, be surprised because the overarching system cultivated and entrenched by the NRM and Mr Museveni for decades is fundamentally undemocratic.

To expect Opposition parties to behave angelically in a corrupted and morally corroded political system is either to display naivete or demonstrate crass dishonesty. If we were candid and fully realistic, we would not waste resources, energies, and emotions on political party activities, including party primaries, precisely because we do not have a multiparty system to write home about.

Mr Museveni, as a person, and the ruling group more generally, has never believed in pluralism and party politics, the reason activities of political parties were expressly banned from the outset in 1986.

After two decades of explicitly outlawing political parties and effectively ruling under a defacto one-party state, albeit disguised as a ‘Movement’ system, the supposed official return to party politics in 2006 was more in form than substance, just as the preceding system of ‘no-party’ democracy was essentially in name.

In any political system, the ruling party or group, or whatever one may call it, often sets the pace, template, and modus operandi that is likely replicated among those on the other side of the political divide.

This is not to excuse Opposition parties for not behaving differently and showing the moral high ground; it is to say that Opposition party behaviour often reflects the political system in place.

Today, NUP is less a vehicle for ‘removing the dictator’. Rather, it is a vessel for obtaining a seat in Parliament or Local Government in areas where it is possible to win using the ‘protest vote’ slogan and beating the state machinery, plus overcoming an election management body that is neither independent nor credible.

Uganda finds itself in a tight corner as it doesn’t have an Inspector General of Government (IGG).

Likewise, the country will soon find itself without a substantive Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) should Justice Jane Frances Abodo, who was recently appointed the Principal Judge, take the judicial oath before the President.

Recently, the office of the ombudsman fell vacant after the contracts of Ms Beti Kamya expired alongside those of her two deputies, Patricia Achan Okiria and Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe.

This means the government institution constitutionally mandated with fighting corruption is toothless, as it cannot sanction new corruption charges against suspected corrupt government officials.

The expiry of the four-year contracts of Ms Kamya and her two deputies did not come as an accident. This was known, but no action was taken. Article 223(7) of the Constitution says the IGG and Deputy IGG shall hold office for a term of four years, but shall be eligible for reappointment only once.

The powers that be should have either renewed the contracts of the trio, as they are eligible for another four-year term, or appointed new office bearers if their stint in the first term was not satisfactory.

Having a leadership gap in the office of the ombudsman has grave implications. It means corrupt government officials can freely move around, and yet we lose about Shs10 trillion annually to corruption schemes.

This is huge money that which, if put to proper use, can make a great difference, say in infrastructure development, an increase in salary for civil servants, among others. The IGG’s mandate is to eliminate corruption, promote and foster the rule of law and principles of natural justice in public offices, and enforce the Leadership Code of Conduct.

On the other hand, the office of the DPP could soon become vacant after the President recently appointed Justice Abodo as the new Principal Judge.

Justice Abodo has since been vetted by Parliament, and she is expected to be sworn in any time. Once she is sworn in, it means the office of the DPP will also be vacant.

For now, the DPP can sanction certain big corruption charges from the office of the IGG and have the suspects arraigned before courts.

However, this is dependent on how long Justice Abodo stays in that office. Given the high corruption rates and the amounts of money taxpayers lose to corruption, we appeal to the appointing authority to fill the positions if we are to fight the vice.

World Egg Day was established in Vienna, Austria, in 1996, when it was decided to celebrate the power of the egg on the second Friday of October each year.

Since then, egg fans the world over have come up with new creative ways to honour this incredible nutrient powerhouse, and the day of celebration has grown from strength to strength, year in and year out.

The event is a global one that highlights the versatility and nutritional benefits of eggs. This year’s theme is the mighty egg; packed with natural nutrition, celebrates the powerful role eggs play in nourishing people across the globe. Thanks to the Poultry Association of Uganda, this year’s event will be held next week from Thursday 9- to 11 at Old Kampala Senior Secondary School. This educative occasion brings together poultry farmers and industry experts for a greatly rewarding weekend of learning and networking.

You will discover innovative and hitherto unknown rearing techniques and innovations as well as poultry related exhibits. Take advantage of this expo to link up with other members of the poultry community thus gaining new knowledge and insight.

Eggs have become a staple in kitchens worldwide, transcending cultural and geographical sectors and boundaries. Be it a sublime delicate French quiche to a hearty and robust Café Javas breakfast, eggs form a central role in untold culinary ventures.

To wit, in Uganda, the Rolex has become a household favourite and the country’s most famous egg dish while at the same time being an affordable picker upper for even the budget conscious student or the common man.

This universal appeal of eggs is a testament to their versatility and the joy that they bring to our tables, not forgetting our palates. Nothing stimulates the seasoned (if you will pardon the pun) cook’s imagination or the nutritionists enthusiasm than a good fresh egg. Unbeknownst to many a layman, eggs have the unique property of containing all the balanced nutrients from which a complete organism develops.

Eggs are responsible for transforming cake doughs by providing a structural framework for leaven, can thicken custards and make them smooth, not to mention tenderizing timbales and produce fine-grained ice creams. No mention of eggs would be complete without speaking of how they bind gravies and mayonnaise, clarify or enrich soups, glaze rolls, and insulate pie doughs against becoming soggy.

Eggs create magnificent and wondrous meringues and soufflés, and last but not least, make ideal luncheons and unexpected fare. Inasmuch as fresh eggs do all those things better than old eggs, and because there is no comparison in taste between the two, it is a false economy to use inexpensive eggs; make it a point to always buy the very best and fresh quality you can find.

A good pointer is to buy from a place which has a high turnover of dairy products. It doesn’t matter if their yolks are light or dark or if their shells are light or white or brown——so long as their shells are not shiny. While the definitive test remains that of tasting for good flavor, the failsafe method of determining the freshness is by placing them in a bowl of cold water. Simple; those that float are a must to avoid and should be immediately discarded.

Strange as it may seem after stressing the purchase of fresh eggs, there is one caveat to be observed. Do not use eggs that are fresher than three days old for hard cooked eggs or for beating and baking. Funnily enough, if you do so, hard cooked eggs will turn greenish and become problematic to peel and believe it or not, cakes may fail to rise properly because the eggs will not beat to the optimum required volume.

At all cost, never, never use a doubtful egg with any odor or discoloration, in particular an egg that is cracked: you are courting the danger of salmonella developing. Ideally speaking, eggs ought to be bought and measured by weight, alas tradition is against this sensible approach.For purposes of the Ugandan kitchen, since eggs are not graded unlike in more advanced countries, the larger the egg the more preferred and a guestimate would assume that egg to weigh in at 56.699 grams or 2 ounces. Don’t expect the same texture or flavor from eggs or other fowl. The storage of eggs is not difficult providing you follow a few simple rules.

Whether from your backyard chicken coop or market, eggs must not be washed until ready for use, as they are covered with a soluble film which protects the porous shell against bacterial contamination. The best place for storage is the refrigerator. As for egg whites, when stored in the fridge, make sure that they are tightly covered and they are good for four days and then best used for recipes where they are specified.

To store unbroken egg yolks, we recommend storing them covered with water which is then drained off prior to being used.

In conclusion, should you ever have any doubts which eggs in the fridge are fresh or hard boiled, we pull out of our hat an old conjurers trick; a quick test is to twirl them on their pointed ends, and voila and behold, the boiled eggs will spin like a top while the others simply topple over wily-nilly!