Young Female Referees Shine At Elite U15 Girls Championship

The development of young referees under the ‘Catch Them Young’ initiative reached a new milestone as budding female officials took charge of matches at the ongoing Elite U15 Girls Inter-Regional Championship at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram.

The exercise forms part of a Capacity Building Course jointly organised by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and FIFA through the FIFA League Development Programme.

It provides practical, match-day experience to help young female referees apply what they have learned in real-game situations.

Former FIFA referee and programme mentor, Emmanuella Aglago, supervised the young officials on the field, offering real-time guidance and encouragement. She stressed that combining mentorship with practical sessions is crucial for developing confidence and professionalism in officiating.

Fitness Instructor, Millicent Kanor, commended the girls for their discipline, fitness, and steady improvement, noting that their participation in the championship would serve as a strong foundation for future national and international assignments.

Madam Louisa Amanor also emphasised the importance of the hands-on sessions, explaining that they sharpen the referees’ communication, decision-making, and game management skills.

The Catch Them Young Refereeing initiative continues to be a vital component of the GFA’s youth development strategy, empowering young female referees with the technical knowledge, leadership qualities, and confidence required to officiate at the highest levels of the sport.

Bitter-sweet moment for Kamulegeya family: IGG Naluzze’s rise, Lutale’s ordeal

This week presented a typical paradox for the Kamulegeya family as two of their children walked dramatically divergent paths.

Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, has been appointed Uganda’s new Inspector General of Government (IGG), while her elder brother, Mr Obeid Lutale, remains behind bars at Luzira prison, facing treason charges together with four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye.

‘As a family, we have decided not to say anything about this development.,’ Mr Farouk Kezaala, the younger brother of jailed Lutale, said yesterday in a telephone interview with this publication.

Pressed on why the family has opted for silence amid such a striking juxtaposition of fortunes, Mr Kezaala offered a terse reflection.

‘Life is like that, there are those who die while at the same time there are those who are born, but we shall not speak about it as the family,’ he said.

Monitor understands that both Justice Naluzze and Mr Lutale are children of Sheikh Obeid Kamulegeya, the former Mufti of Uganda.

Earlier this week, President Museveni appointed Justice Naluzze to head the anti-corruption body, replacing Ms Beti Kamya, who was eligible for reappointment.

‘HE @KagutaMuseveni, in exercise of his constitutional powers, has appointed Hon Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala as the new Inspector General of Government (IGG), replacing Hon Beti Olive Namisango Kamya,’ Mr Kirunda posted on his X handle on October 7.

He added: ‘The Deputy IGGs, Dr Patricia Achan Okiria and Ms Anne Twinomugisha Muhiarwe, have been maintained in their positions. Accordingly, the names of the appointees have been forwarded to Parliament for vetting.’

While Justice Naluzze’s inbox overflowed with congratulatory messages and anticipation of a Shs36 million monthly pay cheque, her brother Lutale was escorted in handcuffs to the High Court, facing charges that could carry the death penalty.

The charges stem from his alleged abduction alongside Opposition figure Dr Besigye on November 16 last year in Nairobi, Kenya.

The two were reportedly driven to the Busia border and later detained at Makindye military barracks. Initially charged in the General Court Martial with illegal possession of firearms and treachery, their case was later transferred to a civilian court after the Supreme Court nullified the military courts’ jurisdiction.

Justice Naluzze, 48, has steadily climbed the ranks – from prosecutor in the DPP’s office to High Court judge in the Land Division, and now, the country’s top anti-corruption official.

Meanwhile, her 66-year-old brother has spent nearly a year in Luzira prison, facing charges of treason and misprision. Dr Besigye and Mr Lutale have twice sought bail from the Kampala High Court, both attempts unsuccessful.

A third application remains pending before Justice Emmanuel Baguma, whom the accused have accused of bias but who has declined to step aside. According to the prosecution, the trio and others still at large allegedly conspired between 2023 and November 2024, in locations including Geneva, Athens, Nairobi, and Kampala, to overthrow the current regime by force.

The family

The Kamulegeya family has long been known in Uganda’s religious and public service circles. At its helm is Sheikh Obeid Kamulegeya, the former Mufti of Uganda and a respected Islamic cleric who served as the country’s spiritual leader in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Albert Amoah Deserves Black Stars Call-Up – Karim Zito

Head Coach of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Abdul Karim Zito has made a strong case for Kotoko forward, Albert Amoah to be called for the senior nation team, the Black Stars.

Speaking to the media after his side’s 2-0 victory against Bibiani Gold Stars in an outstanding game at the Baba Yara Stadium on Wednesday, Coach Zito said Amoah deserves a shot in the national team.

‘You saw what he did and you are called into the Black Stars based on performance and if it is performance, I think Amoah is on top; he deserves at least to be called,’ Karim Zito said.

The 23-year-old is in good form for the Kumasi based side and has two goals in three matches in this season’s Ghana Premier League.

He scored the Porcupine Warrior’s second goal against Gold Stars on Wednesday while providing the assist for Peter Amidu’s opener in the 14th minute.

Albert Amoah who joined Kotoko from Accra Great Olympics, was expected to replace Inaki Williams in the Black Stars team following an injury to the Athletic Bilbao Captain.

However, Coach Otto Addi opted for Coventry City forward Brandon Thomas-Asante who was called as Williams’ replacement.

But coach Zito is optimistic Amoah has what it takes to play for the Black Stars while praising his side for sticking to the game plan.

He said the team that played Gold Stars was a ‘different Kotoko’ as it approached the game with a different attitude.

‘You’ve seen a different Kotoko today with different attitude. What I told them-the players-was to go on the attack and make sure no goal is conceded,’ he said.

‘We’ve played two matches at home, we won one, and drew one. It’s not bad but we are going to fight in the away games and get points to replace the two we lost here’ Karim Zito added.

Wrong U-Turn Causes Accident

SEVERAL PASSENGERS onboard two different vehicles, a Sprinter commercial bus and Nissan Urvan bus, have sustained severe body injuries after the two cars crashed in the middle of the Kumasi to Asante Mampong highway.

The two vehicles were said to be facing the Asante Mampong direction, but upon reaching Ntonso, the driver of the Nissan Urvan bus, identified only as Shagy, reportedly, made a sharp U-turn on the busy road without giving signal to the car behind to slow down.

Suspect driver Isaac Boateng, aged 52, who was in charge of the Sprinter commercial bus, therefore rammed his vehicle into the middle portion of the Nissan Urvan bus. The two vehicles then fell into a nearby ditch on the shoulder of the road.

‘On 30/09/2025 about 1600 hours, suspect driver Isaac Boateng, aged 52 years was driving Sprinter commercial bus Number: AE 251-12 from Kumasi towards Mampong with 16 passengers on board, whilst suspect driver whose name was given as Shagy, was also driving Nissan Urvan bus Number: AW 3471-21 from Aboaso towards Ntoso.

‘It was alleged that, suspect driver Shagy on reaching Ntoso near Seventh Day Adventist Senior High School, made a U-turn on the road and, in the process, the driver in charge of the Sprinter bus, who was driving behind the Nissan Urvan bus, ran into the middle portion of the Nissan Urvan bus.

‘As a result, both vehicles skidded off the road and landed into a ditch,’ the Mamponteng Police District MTTD sitrep in the Ashanti Region, which has been sighted by the DAILY GUIDE, reported.

All occupants on board the Sprinter bus and the Nissan Urvan bus as well as the two suspected drivers, sustained injuries and were rushed to the Asonomaso Government Hospital, where they were admitted for treatment.

According to the police, both accident vehicles were towed and impounded at the station for examination, adding that investigation into the near-gory accident was underway.

UPL is on its death bed, and Fufa is holding the pillow

The current standoff between Vipers SC and the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa) is threatening the course and existence of the 2025/2026 Uganda Premier League.

Fans, players and sponsors are all confused.

Unknown to many, this is not merely a dispute over fixtures or new league formats that Fufa imposed on the clubs. It is the final, painful symptom of a terminal disease that has been eating away at the heart of our beautiful game for years.

What we are witnessing is not a battle for football’s soul, but the last, lonely stand against its calculated executioner. Let us be clear: this is a brutal clash between former Fufa boss Lawrence Mulindwa and his prodigal son Moses Magogo, his successor. But to dismiss it as such is to miss the sinister plot unfolding in plain sight.

Dr Mulindwa is not fighting for Vipers alone; he is fighting a rearguard action for the very principle of fair governance, a concept Fufa has long since abandoned.

The timing of Fufa’s imposition of a new complex league format is a masterclass in political chessboard, not sporting integrity. Magogo, a seasoned politician, might have chosen the heat of the 2026 election campaign, perhaps with the knowledge that the Minister of Education and Sports, First Lady Janet Museveni, would be too occupied to intervene. This has created a toxic narrative that any club opposing the new league format is an enemy of the government.

So, many of you may wonder, why is Vipers standing alone? The answer lies in a chillingly effective strategy of coercion and co-option deployed against a fragmented league.

Check this out; the Uganda Premier League comprises three distinct categories: institutional clubs, community clubs run as limited companies, and community clubs under trusts. They have different drivers, different pressures, and cannot be treated as a monolithic bloc.

Yet, Fufa’s ‘reforms’ bulldoze these critical differences. Look at the 16 clubs. Eleven are institutional clubs, whose very existence often depends on staying in the government’s good graces.

Then, there are the community clubs. Personally, my beloved SC Villa, which I served as president for four years between 2014 and 2018, is a tragic case study.

The current Villa administration, while it disagrees with Magogo, is vulnerable, and has not even held elections. Magogo needs only to whisper to the fans about money woes to bring the club to its knees.

Furthermore, the club has a multi-billion-shilling carrot dangled before it in form of individual business contracts for the 2027 Afcon. So, it came as no surprise when Villa agreed to the new format, a move that has been seen as a stab in the back to Vipers. This is not consensus; it is capitulation bought with future promises.

Understandably, other clubs, like BUL and NEC, have acquiesced for corporate social responsibility, not for competitive fervour. The entire league has been subdued, not persuaded. The most glaring illegality in this charade is that clubs have a limited voice on the Fufa executive.

To me, this is the root of the rot. I forewarned of this very scenario four years ago. In essence, when the league’s representative on the Fufa executive has no stake in the clubs, the league ceases to be a united institution and becomes a puppet of the federation. So, Ugandan football is not dying today. It died the moment the Fufa executive allowed this farce to take root. It died when the love for gate collections was mysteriously replaced by other interests.

For context, there is an old African proverb: When a leopard tells its cubs that they smell like goats, it’s a sign it wants to eat them. Fufa has spent years telling our clubs they are weak and need its reforms.

Dr Mulindwa and Vipers are the last goat standing. If they fall, the leopard will have the whole pen to itself. And there will be no football left worth saving. So, Ugandan football is not dying today. It died the moment the Fufa executive allowed this farce to take root.

Eric Bellinger, Tiwa Savage Team Up For ‘Understood Remix’

Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer Eric Bellinger returns with a fresh new single, ‘Understood (Remix),’ featuring Nigerian superstar Tiwa Savage.

This vibrant collaboration fuses soulful RandB with the irresistible rhythms of Afrobeats, delivering a heartfelt exploration of love, communication and emotional depth brought to life through smooth vocals and captivating melodies.

‘I’ve been a fan of Tiwa for years,’ says Bellinger. ‘I first met her through my longtime friend and producer, Harmony Samuels, who worked with her before I even started releasing solo music.

I always hoped we’d collaborate, and now, over a decade later, it finally happened!’ Eric said.

The track serves as the lead single from Bellinger’s album released on September 26, 2025, It All Makes Sense, an evolution of the sound he explored on his 2024 release, It’ll All Make Sense Later, which featured the original version of ‘Understood.’

Recorded in Cape Town, South Africa with a collective of African artists, producers and songwriters, the 2024 project was what Eric describes as a ‘faith walk,’ and a transformative journey that pushed him to boldly explore new musical territory in a way that feels both authentic and global.

Beyond the new single, Bellinger continues to engage his fans in the creative process for his albums. For It All Makes Sense, he shared short performance clips of several tracks from the album and invited fans to vote for the next single.

Bellinger will be doing a media tour in Nigeria to promote his single with Tiwa and his latest Album whilst hoping for another banger in Ghana by December.

Too Many Fake People In Music Industry – Kwaw Kese

Hiplife star, Kwaw Kese, has called out hypocrisy and fake relationships in the country’s entertainment industry.

Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM, the ‘Abodam’ hitmaker revealed that his absence from many entertainment events and concerts is deliberate. According to him, the industry is full of people who pretend to show love in public but act differently behind closed doors.

Kwaw Kese recounted a disappointing experience where he organised his own concert and invited several artistes he had previously supported – yet none of them showed up. To his surprise, those same artistes attended another event hosted by a younger musician that very night.

‘That incident made me realise the industry is full of fake people,’ he said. ‘People that I have shown love to multiple times on their stages did not show up. But that same night, a Gen Z was having a show, and they showed up there.’

The outspoken rapper said he prefers to distance himself from such circles, insisting he is not one to fake friendships or hide behind false smiles.

‘I’m not a pretender. I’m not the type who will come and smile with you while something else is going on in my head. When pretenders meet, I don’t go there. The industry is full of fake people,’ he added

UNBS to represent developing countries in standards global body

The Executive Director of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), Mr James Kasigwa has been elected as a Council member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). He will serve in the council responsible for global standards for two years, beginning next year.

ISO Council is the core governance body of the global standard prefect. As one of the standards experts on the Council, Mr Kasigwa will represent not only Uganda but developing countries’ interests in an effort to create relevant international standards that support process revolution and provide solutions to problems affecting developing economies around the world.

The election exercise that saw Uganda prevail over Costa Rica was held during the ISO General Assembly that took place in Kigali, Rwanda earlier today (on October 9, 2025).

‘The timing could not have been any better as Uganda celebrates 63 years of Independence,’ read a press statement issued this evening by Ms Sylvia Kirabo, Principal Public Relations Officer, Uganda National Bureau of Standards.

Uganda was formally nominated by Rwanda, Tanzania, Republic of Korea (south) and South Africa and endorsed as the sole candidate representing the African region during the 32nd African Organization for Standardization (ARSO) General Assembly held in June 2025.

‘I pledge to ably represent and amplify the voice of developing countries in the ISO Council,’ Mr Kasigwa, is quoted in a statement as having said.

He is further quoted as saying: ‘Uganda’s unique perspective, derived from its position as a developing nation with a rapidly evolving and growing economy, will enrich the Council’s policy and strategic deliberations and enhance the global relevance of ISO standards.’

Composition

Currently, developing countries constitute up to 75 percent of the organization and are dismally participating in the ISO policy and technical work, which Mr Kasigwa says jeopardizes their global relevance.

“I will ensure that we leverage our knowledge and experience in standardization to advocate for enhanced participation of members in the technical and policy work of ISO. As a Council member, my focus will be on enhancing diversity and inclusiveness in the ISO system through increased engagement of developing economies, women and the youth,” he pledged, according to the statement shared by UNBS this evening.

He further indicated the rapid digital revolution presents a unique opportunity to champion the uptake of digitalization initiatives among members to bridge the existing gap between developed and developing economies.

Uganda’s bid for membership in the ISO Council was premised on the conviction that standards are a silent yet critical force for sustainable Socio-economic transformation and empowerment

that developing economies can leverage for growth and competitiveness in a globalized world.

Mr Kasigwa also pledged to use his vast work experience and expertise to champion use of standards as enablers of enterprise, market access and economic development.

Mr Kasigwa is an electrical engineer with vast work experience in the telecom industry and public policy.

As a member of the ISO Council, Uganda will contribute to promoting the relevance and impact of ISO standards in addressing global challenges such as climate change, sustainable development and public health.

Uganda has been an active member of ISO since 1990 and is ranked in Group 4 of the ISO Council ranking. Uganda through UNBS has demonstrated its commitment in ISO work through: Active participation in 121 ISO technical committees, contributing to the development of international standards in key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, ICT and services

The Church Is the Conscience Of The Nation -Ahmed Ibrahim

The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, has described the Church as ‘the conscience of the nation,’ emphasising its crucial role in shaping moral vision, civic responsibility, and national transformation.

He made the statement when he joined the congregation of Royalhouse Chapel International during the climax of its annual Convention of Saints, held in Accra on Sunday, 5th October 2025.

The Minister, who also serves as Member of Parliament for the Banda Constituency, attended the service in the company of his Deputy, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, to fellowship with the church and extend President John Dramani Mahama’s warm felicitations to the Apostle General, Rev. Sam Korankye Ankrah, and the congregation.

In his remarks, Mr. Ibrahim commended Apostle General Sam Korankye Ankrah and the leadership of Royalhouse Chapel for their continued dedication to building strong moral foundations and nurturing responsible citizenship.

He also acknowledged the Church universal for its timeless role in inspiring positive change, strengthening communities, and complementing the work of leadership in advancing the cause of human progress and national development.

‘The Church remains the conscience of our society,’ the Minister stated. ‘The solutions to the challenges confronting our country lie with the Church. It is through the moral and spiritual reawakening of our people that we can achieve the Ghana we all desire.’

He further requested prayers for divine guidance and strength to fulfil his mandate and called for continuous intercession for President John Dramani Mahama, that God may grant him wisdom to govern the nation sustainably for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

Mr. Ibrahim also extended the President’s appreciation to the Royalhouse Chapel family for their steadfast prayers and unwavering support for national peace, unity, and good governance.

The climax of the Convention of Saints was marked by vibrant worship, prayer, and thanksgiving, reflecting the enduring partnership between faith and leadership in the country’s journey toward renewal and sustainable national development.

Support National Sanitation Day – Atwima Mponua DCE To Residents

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atwima Mponua, Mr. Issahaq Ibrahim, has urged residents of the district to throw their full support behind the President’s reintroduced monthly sanitation exercise.

Addressing a gathering in Nyinahin last Friday after leading the clean-up exercise, Mr. Ibrahim cautioned that the consequences of neglecting sanitation were dire, citing recurring disease outbreaks and premature deaths.

‘In our daily lives, we generate filth. If we fail to get rid of it, the same filth will destroy us. Filth kills, it brings sickness, and if we don’t clean our environment, it will end us in the grave,’ he stated.

The DCE expressed disappointment at the low participation of some residents, particularly shop owners and traders operating along the main roads. He lamented that many of them refuse to join communal exercises yet operate without valid permits and often show open disrespect to authorities.

He warned that under the renewed policy, anyone who fails to comply with sanitation laws will face disciplinary action. ‘The law will work. And when it works, no one will be spared, no matter their political colours,’ he declared.

Mr. Ibrahim further explained that government’s renewed focus on sanitation was to safeguard the health of citizens and strengthen national development. He maintained that no country can achieve progress if its people are constantly plagued by avoidable diseases.

‘Sanitation is about our collective survival. A healthy district means a strong workforce, less hospital expenditure, and more development. We must all get involved,’ he added.

The Nyinahin exercise, which involved assembly members, community leaders, and youth volunteers, formed part of the nationwide clean-up campaign launched by President John Dramani Mahama to revive the National Sanitation Day initiative.

Authorities say the Assembly will intensify education and community mobilisation in the coming months while applying sanctions against defaulters.