Asianet Pakistan Private Limited

The three aspirants for Bukedea Woman MP seat whose nomination lies in limbo after their names were deleted from the voters register on recommendation of the tribunal have questioned if the Electoral Commission will accord them a fair hearing, saying there is more than the eye can see.

The aspirants through their lawyers appeared before the EC tribunal in Kampala on Thursday, after they were sued by Zipporah Akol for showing interest in contesting for the seat yet they aren’t registered voters of Bukedea District.

The suit against Hellen Odeke Akol, Norma Susan Otai of FDC, and Mercy Marion Alupo of National Unity Platform and Electoral commission, was meant to have been heard on September 29, 2025 by Kampala High Court, but in vain.

On Wednesday, the EC which is also respondent in the suit, summoned the three aspirants for tribunal hearing at the EC headquarters on the matter surrounding the deletion of their names from the register.

Ms Otai said that after the meeting with the EC where she was represented by her lawyer, they instead sent her back to the tribunal in Bukedea which in the first place deleted their names.

She said that the electoral tribunal is a set up and its mandate expired after 10 -11 days of the voter register display.

‘The law works prospectively not retrospectively, therefore the tribunal’s mandate has been overtaken by events,’ Ms Otai said, adding that the independence of the EC is questionable.

Ms Odeke said that she chose to send her lawyer because she didn’t want to go and listen to lies.

‘There is nothing good in that place, I didn’t want to go and listen to people telling lies. From the time I was blocked from the NRM primaries, I chose to sit back, I am waiting to see if they will reinstate my name in the register or not,’ she noted.

Ms Alupo on her part said that she will fight on until the last day for her right to participate in the national elections.

‘We shall not be alienated from this right, just because some people fear competition, EC should exercise fairness,’ she said.

The incumbent Woman MP for Bukedea District is the current Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among.

Biomedical engineers from different universities in the country have been advised to demand an innovation and incubation centre to support them in beginning local manufacturing of medical equipment.

Speaking at the third Uganda National Biomedical Engineering Conference yesterday at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Mr Tadeo Byabagambi, the Assistant Commissioner of Biomedical Engineering Services at the Ministry of Health, said with a lot of innovation of equipment and devices that is currently going on in the country, there is need to create an incubation centre where the ideas can be incubated and supported to spur local manufacturing of medical equipment.

‘There is a lot of innovation in equipment and devices that are needed for treatment and diagnosis, but they are not together in one area. We need to come up with a national medical equipment innovation and incubation centre to ensure that all our medical equipment is manufactured here,’ he said.

He further explained that when the equipment is manufactured locally, it is affordable and even if it breaks down, the spares can be obtained cheaply, and the local manufacturers can be supported to start the manufacturing instead of importing them all the time.

Pulling resources

Asked why they think they can now manufacture medical equipment locally, Dr Robert Ssekitoleko the head of biomedical engineering at the Makerere University School of Public Health, said when they started the Uganda Biomedical Engineering Conference in 2018, the idea was to bring together all the biomedical people working in hospitals to discuss issues affecting them.

He added that they have registered more than 100 prototypes of equipment and devices needed in the medical sector that are failing to make it to the market because of many issues.

‘We know that we share similar problems. We have students who have developed a machine for warming babies using a simple jerry can, we have a machine to support women with pre-eclampsia, we have developed over 100 prototypes that have complicated issues starting from ownership, property rights,’ he said.

He added that getting approval for producing medical devices and equipment is also a expensive and hard process, because it requires extensive research and trials, which require the engineers to pool resources together.

Oxygen tank

Asked what kind of support they are giving the local manufacturers, Dr Martha Mulera, the head of biomedical programme at ShiShi, a company which manufactures equipment, said they do contractual manufacturing.

She said so far, they have been able to get permission to manufacture the laparoscopy keyhole surgery device which has finished clinical trials. They are also going into manufacturing an oxygen storage tank.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), according to Investopedia.com is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable to itself, its stakeholders, and the public.

By practising CSR, companies are aware of how they impact different aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental ones.

Engaging in CSR also means a company operates in ways that enhance society and the environment instead of contributing negatively to them.

Early this week, a selected group of students donated more than 1,000 units of blood in a two-day blood donation drive at Kitebi Secondary School.

The drive, organised by SICPA Uganda in partnership with Uganda Blood Transfusion Services and the school’s administration, was a gesture of solidarity for those in need of blood in Uganda. With a student population of approximately 4,000, the school offers a large pool of potential donors.

According to UBTS guidelines, eligible donors must be aged 17 years and above. This makes students in Senior Three through Senior Six the primary target group for the drive. In addition, the campaign is rallying teachers, SICPA staff and the wider community to step forward and save lives.

For students, the experience was both patriotic and life-changing. Milly Harriet Namata, the school’s Prime Minister, speaking during the first phase of the drive, praised her peers for their courage.

She said, ‘It is not something simple and is a fear to many of the youth. However, those who come forward are not only heroes, but also patriotic,” Namata added.

‘I urge all students to dedicate themselves to this programme as a lifelong practice, because through it we are contributing to saving the lives of mothers, children and accident victims.’

However, according to William Mugisha, the principal blood donor officer at the UBTS, the issue of blood is a responsibility of everyone, whether an individual or an organisation, and donating blood should not be left to students alone.

He explained, ‘Let blood donation be a spiral in a way that it is everyone rising up and understanding that there are people who are needy and in need of blood.’

Mugisha added, ‘If we do it together, it becomes a renewed promise, because blood donation is continuous.’ It should be noted that as Uganda’s population continues to grow, even the need for blood also continues to rise. Upon this backdrop, Mugisha pointed out that while students’ contribution is commendable, relying on them alone is unsustainable.

He warned, ‘Students should not be like slaves or a burden even if they have the passion. Compared to the general population, their numbers are small and if students stopped donating, people would eventually lose out to the crisis.’

During blood drives, professionals conduct pre-donation counselling and rigorous screening to ensure that donors are safe and that only the safest blood is collected. Mugisha noted, ‘There is no pharmacy for life. Blood must come from healthy human beings between the ages of 17 and 60.’

In Uganda, the demand for blood goes far beyond what students alone can sustain. As such, hospitals across the country continue to face shortages, especially during emergencies such as road accidents, maternal complications, and surgeries.

Children suffering from severe malaria and patients battling cancer are also among the most vulnerable who depend on a steady supply of safe blood.

Experts warn that unless more adults embrace blood donation as a routine act of compassion, the health system risks being overwhelmed. However, Mugisha stresses, ‘When someone sees that people are committed to saving lives, they are assured of life tomorrow.’

Susan Kitariko, General Manager of SICPA Uganda, also noted that while blood cannot be manufactured or bought, it must come from people willing to give a part of themselves to others.

‘Every donor is a hero, and every drop counts,’ she said, adding that blood donation is a selfless act that directly saves lives, underscoring the need for communities and institutions to rally behind UBTS.

‘When communities come together, we can rise to meet the most pressing challenges that face us,’ she highlighted.

SICPA has been investing in community health initiatives, with Kitebi Secondary School standing out as a consistent contributor.

The school has now donated blood for the third time, contributing more than 10,000 units over the years. With a student population of over 4,300, Hajji Muhammed Kamulegeya, the team leader at Kitebi Secondary School, pledged continued support.

Uganda’s State Minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Kaducu, has admitted that the country faces a major setback in girls’ education, with low transition rates from primary to secondary schools undermining years of government investment.

Speaking at a three-day conference on girls’ education in Kampala, Dr Kaducu said the problem persists despite the launch of Universal Primary Education in 1997, which boosted enrolment.

‘Whereas enrolment has increased to 52.5 percent following the introduction of UPE, and majority of our learners sit for Primary Leaving Examinations, the transition percent is quite low for the girls as compared to the boys,’ she said.

‘There is a very critical gap. Once a girl completes secondary education, they become empowered and better citizens in terms of motherhood and function, as opposed to a girl who has not completed,’ she added.

Current figures show that only about 21 percent of girls make it to secondary school compared to 23 percent of boys.

The conference, titled What Works in Girls’ Education, has drawn hundreds of educationists from October 1 to 3 to discuss challenges such as negative cultural norms, high costs, and sexual violence that often lead to teenage pregnancy.

Dr Kaducu also raised concern about the performance gap in science subjects. ‘Much as girls outnumber the boys at primary level, the boys perform better than the girls in science subjects and many other subjects. At UCE, there are fewer girls than boys. At UACE it actually reduced further,’ she noted.

She added that the gender imbalance was stark at university level. ‘In 2021, intake for core courses like Medicine and Surgery showed that in some universities like Gulu, no single girl was taken. At Soroti, only one or two girls were admitted. Only Makerere and Mbarara admitted a few girls.’

Mr Cleophus Mugenyi, Commissioner for Basic Education and acting Director for Basic and Secondary Education, stressed the national impact of the crisis. ‘When girls are educated, families are uplifted, communities prosper and nations advance. It is no surprise it has often been said, if you educate a woman, you educate the nation,’ he said.

Dr Mary Gorreti, Executive Director of Uwezo Uganda, echoed the concerns. ‘We are seeing more than ever before many girls entering education systems, but there are still very many factors that stop girls from enjoying the benefits of education. Child marriage, outdated teaching approaches, technology, financial challenges,’ she said.

At the second National E-Mobility Expo, young technicians in overalls were putting the final touches on a passenger bus body.

The vehicle, designed, constructed, and assembled at the Kiira Motors Corporation (KMC) plant in Jinja, rolled out on September 18, 2025, marking the company’s 15th unit at the plant.

Inside the sprawling workshop, tucked between sugarcane fields in Kagogwa Village, Kakira Town Council in Jinja, it was a hive of activity.

Some technicians fitted metallic sheets onto frames; others fastened them with clips and screws.

The factory, officially opened last year, has so far produced 15 vehicles, which brings the total to 54 vehicles since Kiira was incorporated in 2018, 37 electric and 17 diesel, according to Kiira Motors Corporation public affairs manager Shaban Senyange.

For a plant that has attracted $120m (Shs415.2b) in government equity funding, 54 units in seven years is a drop in the ocean for a company that seeks to anchor the agenda of a country seeking to lead East Africa’s e-mobility drive.

Lofty targets, harsh reality

Kiira has promised 2,500 units in the midterm, scaling to 5,000 and eventually 10,000 annually by 2030.

But the promise remains stuck in neutral, hampered primarily by financing gaps.

Joseph Muvawala, Executive Director of the National Planning Authority, thinks government must step in with at least $140m (Shs484.4b) to move the project into commercial operations.

At current capacity, he argues, Kiira must raise production tenfold, at least 500 units annually, to achieve efficiency.

‘If Kiira does not give us 500 units, we are finished. Whoever is looking for money must know this,’ Muvawala says. At factory prices, with Kayoola EVS buses (35-90 seaters) priced at Shs200.7m to Shs311.4m, such volumes could bring in between Shs100.3b and Shs155.7b a year, stabilising Kiira’s revenues.

The current reality paints a picture of a company way below its targets. The Auditor General’s report for June 2024 shows Kiira targeted Shs197b in revenue but managed only Shs2.3b, just 1.2 percent of its goal.

This makes it difficult to operate an efficient cash flow without depending on government remittances.

Deeper challenges

Government has sweetened the environment with tax exemptions, a 10-year income tax holiday, relief on construction materials, and duty-free importation of EV inputs, but the environment remains tough.

On the whole, this has made the cost of owning and operating Kiira-produced electric buses more competitive.

However, the challenges go beyond manufacturing and cost. Auditor General Edward Akol, in a December 2024 report, flagged governance gaps.

Kiira is operating without a fully constituted board. Of the 11 members appointed in 2021, only two remain, the executive chairperson and the chief executive officer, leaving a critical oversight vacuum.

Henry Muguzi of the Alliance for Finance Monitoring says such challenges are common in state-run enterprises.

They actually cast doubt on Kiira’s ability to meet export commitments, including 3,000 buses for Nigeria and 100 for Tanzania, both of which have previously issued letters of intent.

What is at stake

The stakes are high. Electric vehicles offer over 78 percent energy savings and 46 percent lower maintenance costs compared to fuel-powered cars.

For Uganda, the macroeconomic benefits could be transformative: the country spends Shs7 trillion ($2b) annually on energy imports and Shs2.5 trillion ($730m) on vehicle imports.

If Kiira can overcome its governance and financing bottlenecks, its buses could power not just e-mobility but also economic independence.

If not, the dream of anchoring Uganda’s e-mobility revolution risks stalling before it leaves the garage.