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The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, Mr Waiswa Bageya, has acknowledged the hardships faced by road contractors due to delayed payments but urged them to adhere to standards and construct durable roads.

Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with contractors at Kyambogo-based offices on Friday, Mr Bageya emphasised that delayed payments should not be an excuse for shoddy work.

“Some of these people are not happy with us because we owe them money… but when we give you a contract, you must execute,” he said. “Delay in pay shouldn’t be an excuse for road contractors to do shoddy work.”

He tasked contract managers to work closely with contractors to ensure adherence to standards and make roads safer for users.

Mr Bageya also pleaded with contractors whose work had stalled to resume, noting that a supplementary budget was being worked on to secure funds and clear debts.

“Cabinet approved a supplementary budget to help us pay off debts and have some money to carry out some road works and improve the situation,” he disclosed.

The Ministry received Shs 500 billion towards the end of the last financial year, but Mr. Bageya described it as “a drop in the ocean.” A source indicated that the contractors need about Shs 1.9 trillion.

Ms. Kiara Nkuranga, President of the Uganda National Association of Builders and Engineering Contractors, welcomed the engagement with government officials, saying it presented a ray of hope.

“One of the takeaways from the meeting is that the money is coming,” she said.

“We have been in a big storm, but we are beginning to see some rays of light breaking through the dark clouds that the contractors have been going through.”

In a world where conservation often evokes images of boots on the ground, rifles slung over shoulders and rangers patrolling thick forests, one man has added rhythm, song and drama to the fight for nature. Valerian Kisambira, the awareness and education officer at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), is redefining what it means to serve both people and wildlife.

A paramilitary conservationist with the heart of a performer, Kisambira has carved out platform, where law enforcement meets art, and where conservation education is delivered not just as information, but as inspiration.

His journey began in uniform, serving as a ranger with UWA, but his story could never be told without the stage. A proud graduate of Makerere University with a degree in Drama and Film, Kisambira fuses his artistic training with his conservation career, demonstrating that the arts are not a distraction from environmental work but a powerful tool to advance it.

‘I’m an actor. I know how to read a crowd, and how to move them.’ That understanding of human emotion and communication has made him one of the most effective educators in Uganda’s conservation landscape.

Through music, Kisambira has created advocacy that lingers long after the performance. His song Fallen Rangers is a solemn tribute to conservation heroes, who died in the line of duty, ensuring their sacrifices are remembered.

Another track, In the Jungle, is an energetic anthem celebrating the resilience of rangers, who work tirelessly to protect Uganda’s biodiversity. These are not just songs, but rallying cries-performed at awareness campaigns, ranger memorials, and national events, where they evoke both mourning and motivation.

Kisambira has also taken conservation to the screen. In 2020, he was the artistic director and lead actor in Taasa Ekkula, a television drama aired on Bukedde TV that tackled poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, the Uganda Wildlife Act of 2019, and the complex realities of human-wildlife coexistence.

The series reached millions of viewers and transformed primetime entertainment into a national conservation education campaign. For Kisambira, the camera is as potent a tool as the ranger’s rifle-each in its own way a weapon for protecting wildlife.

Yet his artistry stretches far beyond conservation messaging. He has featured in popular television series such as Salamia, Prestige, Hotel Mara and Popi, while also directing films like Salamia and Sweet Smiles. On stage, his repertoire is extensive, with productions including Kyekango, Mmaliride, Esobi yekyabakade, Kapapula, Siyomu, Togunsalira, Nkesa Lukya, Kabuze Kata and many others. Through his troupe, Ugaborns Entertainment, which he co-founded, he has nurtured talent and brought socially conscious theatre to communities across Uganda.

This year, Ugaborns marks a milestone-10 years of performance-with a production titled Scandalous! Onobiwulira!!, premiering at Club Obligato, a celebration of a decade of storytelling. What makes Kisambira remarkable is his refusal to abandon either side of his calling. Even after obtaining further qualifications-a Diploma in Wildlife Conservation and a Bachelor’s in Conservation and Natural Resources-he continues to direct, write, and perform, co-directing Ugaborns while serving full-time with UWA.

In his world, the ranger and the actor are not contradictions but complements. His life’s work demonstrates that conservation is not just about science, law, and policy-it is also about storytelling, song, and soul. Whether he is standing before an international forum, a village baraza, or a theatre audience, Valerian Kisambira speaks from the heart and performs with purpose.

In doing so, he embodies a powerful truth: saving nature is not only about protecting wildlife, but also about touching human lives in ways that inspire care, pride, and action. He is, in every sense, a ranger with a voice-one who sings, acts, and educates his way into the hearts of communities, proving that conservation, too, can take centre stage.

When 10 people, including two children, were killed by illicit alcohol in Kyotera District in 2023, there was an understandable outpouring of grief. While the community mourned, police seized huge volumes of the local brew waragi and health authorities prohibited its production and sale.

But such a crisis-driven response, while necessary in the moment, failed to address the wider problem, which still exists today.

The uncomfortable truth is that the Kyotera tragedy was not an isolated incident but a symptom of a much larger crisis that continues to devastate Uganda’s economy and endanger public health.

Today, illicit alcohol dominates our market in ways that should alarm every policymaker and citizen who cares about Uganda’s future. The scale of the problem is staggering. In 2024, illicit alcohol sales represented an overwhelming 67 percent of the total alcohol market in volume terms, and 40 percent in value terms, according to a damning Euromonitor report. This means more than two out of every three alcoholic drinks consumed in Uganda are produced and sold outside the regulatory framework designed to protect consumers and ensure fair taxation.

The fiscal haemorrhaging is equally dramatic. Illicit alcohol is bleeding Uganda’s treasury of Shs3 trillion annually – a figure that has grown by a shocking 80 percent since 2020. To put this in perspective, that loss is significantly more than half of what the government plans to spend on education this year. However, most Ugandans do not fully grasp the economic dimensions of this crisis.

Research shows that while consumers are concerned about health risks related to illicit alcohol, only 10 percent associate illicit beverages with tax evasion or the loss of government revenue. This disconnect between public perception and economic reality is part of the problem. The Shs3 trillion we are losing annually to illicit alcohol represents foregone investments in hospitals, schools, roads and other essential infrastructure. Every bottle of illegal waragi or counterfeit whiskey sold represents stolen resources that could have been used to improve the lives of all Ugandans. The irony is bitter. At a time when government is striving to increase domestic revenue by almost Shs5 trillion by 2027, criminal networks are stealing more than half that amount annually just from alcohol alone. It is economic sabotage on a massive scale.

The solution requires more than incident-driven responses. We need comprehensive reforms that address the root causes of illicit alcohol proliferation. This includes better regulation of ethanol production that fuels counterfeits, stronger enforcement against illegal distilleries and public education about the true costs of illicit alcohol consumption. We also need to examine whether our tax policies are inadvertently encouraging illicit trade. When legal alcohol becomes prohibitively expensive due to high taxes, consumers inevitably turn to cheaper illegal alternatives, creating a vicious cycle that undermines both public health and revenue collection.

We need sustained political will and coordinated action to tackle the illicit trade crisis. Uganda cannot afford to wait for another tragedy like the Kyotera one to act. We need smart policymaking and decisive action before the trillions lost to illicit trade become even more devastating to our economy and our people’s lives.

The Kitagwenda Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Mr Isaiah Byarugaba Kanyanahane, has called upon the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to swiftly intervene and stop the rampant distribution of untaxed alcohol in his locality.

According to Mr Kanyanahane, the consequences of this illicit trade are devastating. “Our people are dying silently, and the chaos we witness in the community is because of that,” he said. “These drinks are poisonous, and that’s why we call upon the URA and government officials to intervene and save the situation.”

He added that the community has lost many young people to the effects of these illicit drinks, which are sold at cheaper prices due to tax evasion.

The RDC accused the manufacturers of deliberately avoiding tax compliance, disguising their products as exports, and dumping them in Kitagwenda and other hard-to-reach areas. “We have lost many powerful youth who take these types of Waragi because it’s sold at a cheaper price because it has not paid tax, and they end up losing their minds,” he said. “This habit of manufacturing and dumping Waragi is too much in our areas, and now we call upon the URA to take immediate action on these so-called investors.”

Mr. Kanyanahane also highlighted the financial implications of this illicit trade, noting that it deprives the government of much-needed revenue. “The habit makes the government lose taxes because the manufacturers end up selling untaxed products,” he said. “I call upon the URA to take immediate action on the manufacturers who don’t comply with government policies and end up dumping products in hard-to-reach areas like Kitagwenda, hence the government losing revenue.”

The URA introduced Digital Tax Stamps in 2019 to protect the supply chain of excisable goods and curb illicit trade. The system requires manufacturers and importers to affix unique stamps on their products, enabling URA to verify tax compliance and track products. Over 1,100 manufacturers and 300 importers have enrolled on the platform, which has been implemented in partnership with SICPA Uganda under the aegis of URA and the Ministry of Finance.

Efforts to get a comment from the URA were unsuccessful by press time, as the known number of Commissioner for Public and Corporate Affairs, Mr Robert Kalumba, was off by press time.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, in collaboration with the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council, has destroyed 100 illegal firearms in Jinja as part of the 9th commemoration of Africa Amnesty Month (AAM).

The destruction ceremony, held at Gaddafi Barracks in Jinja on Friday, symbolises Uganda’s commitment to regional peace and disarmament efforts.

The event was presided over by Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs, Mr Jacob Oboth Oboth, along with officials from the African Union Peace and Security Council (AU-PSC) and the United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).

Mr Oboth Oboth revealed that nearly 150,000 firearms and light weapons have been recovered over the past 25 years through various disarmament initiatives.

“The destruction of these recovered weapons sends a clear message to criminals that Uganda is steadfast in promoting peace and stability both domestically and regionally,” he emphasised.

Mr Simon Peter Mundeyi, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, noted that over 32,000 firearms have been recovered from communities since 2000, particularly in cattle-rustling hotspots in Karamoja, Northern Uganda, and the Rwenzori region.

“The Commission calls on anyone in possession of illegal firearms to come forward voluntarily and surrender them,” Mr. Mundeyi said. “No one who does so will face criminal prosecution.” The residue of the burnt firearms will be carefully collected and transported to Nakasongola for recycling.

Commander Ernest Nuwagaba of the Uganda Rapid Deployment Capability Centre emphasized Uganda’s commitment to continental arms control frameworks and the AU’s Silencing the Guns initiative. Africa Amnesty Month, established in 2017 and extended to 2030, aims to promote the voluntary surrender of illicit small arms and light weapons, key drivers of conflict, displacement, and insecurity across Africa.

The AU and UN have supported similar disarmament activities in Liberia and Togo, reinforcing the international focus on controlling arms flow into and within Africa. In Kampala, the ceremony was graced by H.E. Ambassador Tebelelo Alfred Boang of Botswana on Thursday.

What is yours?

I am doing this concert because of what’s happened with hip-hop this year. I felt compelled to show our progress. In all genres, there have been successes, there have been failures. I feel like this is the end-of-year closing statement for hip-hop. I felt a responsibility to do the show. I was waiting for someone to do orchestra but it ended up pointing back at me.

Where did this idea come from?

Based on our history with Klear-Kut, the quality, mixing and mastering, for long, we were insisting on sound quality. We were insisting on doing quality videos from the start. We insisted on using a band when everyone told us we were insane and should just use a CD because it was cheaper. We insisted on getting out to the whole of Africa and doing tours, all the way from Nigeria to Zimbabwe to Zanzibar, for Bussara festivals and Haifa festival, like we were there for all of that stuff.

This is a challenge I wanted to take on. And also, with more and more people looking at us as godfather status, it does fall upon us to kind of lead the way and blaze a trail. So yeah, we decided to blaze a trail and uplift the sound of bands now from just a six-piece to a 40-piece, a 50-piece.

Who are your supporting acts at this concert?

How do I say this without ruining the surprise? Well, Geosteady is going to be jumping on, Fefe Busi, we will have legendary Babaluku, Lyrical G, and then we are making way for a lot of new rappers and new talents that wouldn’t be able to get on stage. Young guys like Lucas Black, Dennis E, Dahomey and OG Stache. And then we have one surprise act as well from my own family, someone who is beginning their career.

No Bobi Wine this time round?

There is always a chance, of course. I feel like people put a lot of pressure on people to turn up for events but I am not that type of guy. Bobi Wine is running for presidency. I wish he was running for a spot at the local Rolex stand in Wandegeya. He would maybe have a bit more time. But whether he turns up or not, we will be there to celebrate a Navio 10-year milestone.

Will this be your biggest concert?

In terms of pressure with the sound. This is not six channels of sound coming through. This is 40, 50 channels of sound. It is going to be a challenge, but my team and I are up to the task. My hardest? I did six clothing changes for Half the Legend at Katikati in 2009. That was pretty serious and then Sabrina’s in 2001. This is more than a celebration, more than pressure.

What do you want to achieve that you haven’t?

Peace of mind. I have never found true peace of mind other than when I’m with my family. I literally go crazy when I am not with my family.

Is this precedent likely to inspire other artistes?

Definately. But they have to see first. I also have to see if it works. The financial implications behind that. But we are here to disrupt. We are here to show people that hip-hop can work in this country. So instead of saying Navio opened many doors, I hope they say he kicked many.

Are there any other artistes under NavCorp?

NavCorp was founded to aid every artiste, but it is a business thing. I cannot legally do business for NavCorp without having a business entity. But this is the first year that we are actually going to step outside, and decide which artistes we want to bring out. Young blood artistes who can go out there and carry on the legacy that we built.

Having been in the game for 20 years, has a thought of retiring ever crossed your mind?

Some people are already saying this is my last show.

Is it your last show?

It is my 10th show and we will see what the future holds. I hope people come through and we share my music before I go and become a full-time farmer.

If it is indeed your last show, don’t you think Klear Kut should have been on it?

We may have a Klear Kut set on the night. We have three people from three different continents. The magic of Klear Kut was born on the stage, all of us together.

Cyphering, freestyling, you know, that’s how Klear Kut was born. So, we lose a certain element when we are sending songs across the water. That’s not how the Klear Kut vibe was born. We have to record in separate places and release music. Because there’s still a demand for it not just here, by the way but in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya. So, I’m looking forward to that project.

Is Orchestra a new path you are taking with your music?

We are going to be releasing a compilation of the Navio Greatest Hits in Orchestra format. We always wanted to do it in a different way. So this gives the perfect fit.

So, what’s your biggest project?

Nawuliranga opened great doors for me. The sound, the quality, the execution, the video, the rotation and the fact that it is behind a concert. For rappers, not many concerts come out of a single. But that was a song that was strong enough to do that.

Your last album was the Navio X Project. How is its reception so far?

Sometimes you need to do a project that comes with a critical acclaim and that is exactly what happened with this one. It was such a natural progression from the TV show to taking a studio around with us, to setting up that studio on the River Nile, sometimes, here, there, everywhere. To do 10 songs, 10 different cultures, 10 different language elements on most of the songs, 10 different rhythms, it had not been done before. We are proud pioneers. And yeah, Navio X Project lives on, man. I can’t wait for Volume 2.

If you had to choose between R. Kelly and Keith Sweat, who would you work with?

Keith Sweat gave me a different level of respect. He introduced me to Major Seven who has done songs for Lil’ Kim, Jay-Z and Rick Ross to Buju to DJ Khaled. So for him to have been in the studio and for Keith to have said, hey man, check this guy out was really amazing. Major Seven heard me rap once and he was like, yo bro, you got it bro and said I should move to the States.

Uganda’s path toward universal electricity access is being advanced through decentralised solutions that extend energy to villages beyond the national grid.

Central to this effort is the Promotion of Mini Grids for Rural Electrification (Pro Mini Grids) project, co-funded by the European Union and the German Government, which seeks to stimulate private sector investment in mini grids and other decentralised electrification initiatives.

Its Project Coordinator, Olga Namatovu, has watched a troubling trend persist: Despite increased public and donor interest in decentralised electrification, local private sector participation remains limited – particularly in competitive tenders.

Many promising Ugandan companies struggle to move beyond the Expression of Interest (EoI) stage due to weak project bankability.

‘We noticed that many Ugandan companies were dropping out at the expression of interest stage,’ she says.

‘They would collect the bid documents, look through them, and disappear.’ To her, this was more than just a technical issue, but it was a systemic problem.

The projects were there. The need was urgent. But local players were being left behind in a space dominated by international companies.

‘What was missing,’ she says, ‘was the know-how. The confidence. The language of bankability.’

So, in July 2025, GIZ, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, launched the ‘Strengthening Mini-Grid Projects Bankability and Finance Readiness’ training- a two-day, hands-on workshop designed to arm Ugandan companies with the tools, strategies, and financial insights to not just participate in, but meaningfully lead mini-grid investments across the country.

‘Mini-grids are no longer just pilot projects,’ Namatovu explains.

‘They’re a viable and necessary solution for communities the national grid may not reach for years. But they’re also complex and they require large capital outlays, strong technical design, and financial structuring. That’s where our local developers were getting stuck.’

The training, facilitated in part by experts from GET. Invest Finance Catalyst was tailored to unlock those very bottlenecks. Participants dove into sessions on understanding project development, risk mitigation, business modelling and financial structuring, empowering them to prepare compelling investment pitches that meet investor expectations.

For many, this was the first time someone really explained how to present their projects in financial terms. it was a rare opportunity to demystify terms like IRR (internal rate of return), CAPEX, OPEX, and investor due diligence requirements. ‘

Ibidun Olupide, Advisor at GET. Invest, put it more bluntly.

‘There’s often a disconnect between what developers prepare and what financiers are looking for. This training helped them close that gap. We helped them see things from the investor’s side,’ she says.

For Christine Kyarimpa, Country Manager at Veracity Energies Uganda Limited, the training was an eye-opener. ‘I now understand the full cycle from identifying a viable site to doing a pre-feasibility study, estimating demand, building a bankable business plan, and pitching it to financiers,’ she said.

‘This gave me the roadmap I needed.’ Muhammad Kalyango Kintu, Managing Director at Kambasco Technologies, echoed that sentiment.

His company is already developing four mini-grid sites, but navigating Uganda’s regulatory and financial systems has been daunting. ‘Mini-grids are a development objective more than a business,’ he said.

‘You go to banks, and they say the risk is too high. You go to regulators, and they ask for permits you can’t get without financing. It’s a chicken-and-egg problem. But this training helped me understand how to use letters of support, comfort letters, and align expectations on both sides.’

For Namatovu, these ‘aha moments’ were precisely the goal. ‘We’re not just doing capacity building. We’re unlocking confidence. We’re telling Ugandan companies: You belong in this space. You can lead. But you need to speak the language of financiers,’she says.

The workshop also offered a rare platform for peer learning. Early-stage and more established developers sat side-by-side, sharing stories, challenges, and insights.

‘This journey is often very lonely,’ said Kintu.

‘But here, you realise others are facing the same issues. Together, we can push for practical reforms- like flexible licensing, scalable distribution models, and better access to seed funding.’

Indeed, one of the workshop’s major calls to action was the need for more tailored support to local companies- whether through technical assistance, favourable policy adjustments, or blended finance structures that de-risk investments.

‘Government has a role too,’ said Namatovu. ‘We must ensure our frameworks are enabling not limiting the very players we want to empower.’ That sentiment is shared by Adella Kyohairwe, Senior Energy Officer at the Ministry of Energy, who attended both days of the training.

‘We want to see more licensed companies. More local participation. But that won’t happen unless we strengthen their readiness. This training is a step in that direction.’ So, what’s next?

For Namatovu, the work continues. ‘We want to see these companies win tenders, secure investment, and build projects that transform rural livelihoods. This training was just the beginning. Now it’s time for them to move- with confidence, with clarity, and with capital.’

In Uganda’s energy transition, mini-grids represent more than electricity. They represent possibility. And with sector pioneers like GIZ helping to helping to power local players forward, that possibility is no longer just a distant light on the horizon. It’s a bright spark- growing stronger with every empowered developer, and every community they help illuminate.

For years now, millions of Ugandans have discussed the big ‘T’ word – transition. What happens after President Museveni? What happens if, one day, he sleeps and doesn’t wake up?

For close to 40 years now, he has sat steadily at the helm and steered the nation. In that time, more than 80 percent of Ugandans living today were born, six different men were elected president in the US, and the once mighty Berlin Wall came down, as did the racist apartheid regime and the laws that anchored it in South Africa.

Even his harshest critics will acknowledge that Mr Museveni changed Uganda, mostly for the better. Yet, like it does with most humans, age has played a patient game with our President. In an interview with NTV’s Patrick Kamara years ago, the President famously said that past 75, a man begins to experience a decline.

He was right. We saw that with Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe and Joe Biden in the US: the public falls, the intelligible speeches, and Lee Njiru, the former press secretary to Kenya’s first president, Jomo Kenyatta, wrote a moving account of the cognitive and physical decline his boss experienced in his final days in his memoir, The Presidents’ Pressman.

So, it is not surprising that the question of political transition is big in Uganda today. For a country where each transition was determined by Kalashnikovs and military tanks, it is equally not surprising that the discussion gives many people anxiety.

As such, I must confess that I was excited when the president of the Democratic Party (DP), Mr Nobert Mao, announced that he would steer Uganda towards a peaceful political transition for the first time, back in 2021. I still pray that whatever God Mao believes and worships gives him the serenity he needs to pull off such a huge task.

Yet, the most recent statements Mr Mao – also the minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs – made about Uganda’s transition are rather discouraging. See, Uganda has not been short of transitions: 1961, 1962, 1966, 1971, 1979, 1980, 1985 and 1986 all saw political transition.

Some of these years, like 1979, saw three of them in quick succession. Yet, the common thread in each of these is that a group of men sat down and decided that it should fall upon them to determine the fate of Uganda. This was the case more than 10 times. The scorecard? Failure each time!

So, it is heart-rending to hear none other than the minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs suggest that again, in 2025, despite the advantage of hindsight, a group of men from five political parties are sitting in a sort of papal enclave to determine the direction of Uganda and the transition question!

Even more shocking, perhaps, was the revelation that elections, the constitutional safeguard we now have as a lesson from the past and spend trillions on, don’t matter! What sort of transition is that?

Does it not matter that the view of the majority of adult Ugandans should determine what happens after Mr Museveni?

What guarantees do we have that the men will sit, and take into account the best interests of 45 million Ugandans at heart as they discuss?

I strongly believe that while Uganda needs a peaceful transition, it shouldn’t be the end in and of itself. Ugandans will go to the polls in three months, and yet several Ugandans arrested on flimsy – and in some cases ridiculous – charges around the time of the last election are still languishing in jail! What will a transition negotiated by a few men mean for them? In the words of a famous Ugandan, a transition that simply leads to a change of face, without the consensus of Ugandans, will be a mere change of guard; the very thing Ugandans have had in oversupply.

On September 11, the Clerk to Parliament wrote to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) inviting the directorate to submit its views on the Forensic and Scientific Analytical Services Bill, 2025.

The Bill’s key objective is to provide the regulation of forensic and scientific analytical services in the country. Five days later, on September 16, their views were submitted.

The DPP reaffirmed its constitutional mandate of directing the police to investigate any information of a criminal nature and to institute criminal proceedings against any person or authority in any court with competent jurisdiction.

The Directorate also noted the legal role of the Uganda Police Force to prevent and detect crime. And by virtue of this mandate, the DPP is an important consumer of forensic services in the country.

The Memorandum of the Forensic and Scientific Analytical Services Bill, 2025, asserts that there is no legal framework to regulate forensic and scientific analytical services in Uganda.

To the DPP this is not absolutely correct as some of the elements of forensic services provision are already ring-fenced in the Police Act and the Identification of Offenders Act.

The DPP challenged some of the key definitions in the Bill. In the Black’s Law Dictionary, 10th edition, ‘forensics’ means relating to or involving scientific methods for investigating crime.

Forensic science means a broad range of evidence related disciplines some of which are laboratory based while others are based on interpretation of observed patterns and others are based on a combination of experimental and scientific analysis.

A forensic laboratory carries the same meaning with a crime laboratory and this is defined as a science laboratory that examines and analysis evidence from criminal cases.

To the DPP, therefore, any reference to forensics is in reality about scientific investigative process to solve a crime. Scientific analytical services, on the other hand, involves performing of sophisticated testing and analysis on various samples, to classify, identify and quantify their chemical, biological or physical characteristics.

This analysis is designed to provide crucial data for research, development, quality control and regulatory compliance across diverse sectors. To the DPP, the phase ‘regulation of scientific analytical services’ deals with a wide range of scientific services and involving several components, whose expertise can never be combined in one center.

The DPP cited different laboratories in various departments and statutory bodies that offer scientific analytical services and these include laboratories under the Uganda Bureau of Standards, the National Drug Authority, the National Agriculture Research Organisation, National Environment Management Agency, the National Water and Sewerage Cooperation and the Ministry of Health.

It was the observation of the DPP that enacting a law that has the potential of confining the numerous functions of various agencies should be handled with a lot of care and after wide consultations with the different stakeholders with varying areas of expertise. Lack of a wide spectrum of consultation could result into unintended consequences.

To the DPP, the inclusion of the word ‘forensics’ in the title of the bill creates ripples, as the term carries various ring-fenced mandates especially in law enforcement. As defined in law forensics connotes an investigative process connected to law enforcement and crime.

The title of the Bill, therefore, has a wider scope beyond criminal investigation. And the definition of ‘forensic science’ in the Bill is not in tandem with the recognized definitions.

In the opinion of the Directorate, the definitions in the Bill should be given clearer and broader meanings to cover all possible services as envisioned by the Black’s law dictionary.

The Forensic and Scientific Analytical Services Bill 2025 is basically about the services provided by the Government Analytical Laboratory, to the exclusion of the services offered by other stakeholders. In the United Kingdom (UK), the Government Chemist has a rich history dating back to the 19th Century.

The role of a Government Chemist originated in 1842 when the Department of Excise set up a laboratory in London’s Broad Street to detect adulteration of tobacco.

The major mandate of the Government Chemist encompassed public health, environmental protection and regulatory enforcement. Its key responsibilities were to act as a referee analyst to resolve disputes and to provide authoritative scientific support for government policy and regulations.

During the British colonial era, colonies often established departments modeled on UK structures, adapting to local needs. Countries like Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania established colonial-era laboratories to serve then needs including chemical analysis for agriculture and public health.

This is the reason why prior to the establishment of autonomous laboratories in the various and diverse government departments, all their analytical services were being handled by the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratories with the police also referring to them some cases for biological and chemical analysis.

The present Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory in Uganda was established in 1930 as the Chief Government Chemist and Pathologist to support the then Mulago Hospital.

This, over the years, metamorphosed into the Government Chemist headed by the Chief Government Chemist providing a wide range of scientific analytical services to the various government departments. On the sidelines, the police relied on their ability to perform poison analysis.

However due to the internal weakness of the police to establish core specialists in the Scientific Aids Section of the Identification Bureau, some of the personnel of the Government Chemist worked with the police for a number of years at the Police Headquarters under the Identification Bureau.

In the early 2,000s, the Government Chemist was restructured into the Government Analytical Laboratory with two departments of Criminalists and Quality and Chemical Verification. This gave the GAL the opportunity to withdraw its personnel from the police and boost the Criminalists department.

Although there is no legal framework establishing the GAL, it has, however continued to exist as an administrative unit under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Courts of law have, nevertheless, continued to recognize the reports from the GAL as forensic evidence. It would be interesting to find out what value a new law would add to the GAL, or alternatively what they have been unable to do without a new law.

The government, through the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, has announced locations for the proposed mineral markets and buying centres in Uganda.

Ms Agnes Alaba, Commissioner for Geological Survey and Minerals, revealed that the proposed areas are located in selected regions endowed with huge mineral deposits.

“We are looking at establishing designated markets and buying centres around Karamoja region, Busia, Wagagai, Kassanda, Kampala, Buhweju, Entebbe, and Ruhama, among others,” Ms. Alaba told stakeholders during a sensitization workshop on October 3, 2025.

In Karamoja, buying centres will be established in Kaabong and Amudat Districts, while a mineral market will be located in Moroto District. Evaluations are also underway in Kampala and Entebbe to identify suitable locations for mineral markets.

“The areas selected are merely pilot sites, and we will expand to other locations,” Ms. Alaba said. The government targets to establish some markets and centres before the end of the current financial year, with gold, tungsten, and tin being the initial minerals traded.

Ms. Alaba emphasized that only processed and refined minerals will be traded, and prices will be regulated to ensure fair trade. The Ministry of Energy is working with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to develop regulations for dealers, miners, and traders.

Minister of State for Mineral Development, Ms Phiona Nyamutoro, noted that Uganda’s mining sector remains predominantly informal, resulting in exploitation and revenue loss.

“Uganda is endowed with minerals, but informal trade, lack of transparency, and limited access to global markets have held us back,” she said.

Participants acknowledged that formalizing the industry will protect traders and investors from scams and suggested clear technical guidance for the private sector.

Mr Blair Michael Ntambi, GIZ Advisor on Sustainable Development of the Mining Sector, welcomed the initiative, saying it aligns with Uganda’s ambitions under the Mining and Minerals Act 2022.