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The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Mr Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has demanded an explanation from Electoral Commission chairperson Simon Byabakama over why he was blocked from holding a campaign rally in Iganga Municipality.

Mr Kyagulanyi was scheduled to address supporters in Iganga on Friday, but was intercepted by police and the UPDF while traveling from Mayuge District, where he had earlier held a rally.

He questioned why he is being singled out, claiming his rival presidential candidates have freely campaigned in the same area.

‘I want Justice Byabakama to tell me why only I am being mistreated,’ Kyagulanyi said. ‘I am a presidential candidate like the others, and I am entitled to be treated the same.’

Mr Kyagulanyi added that ever since he arrived in Busoga sub-region, he has been barred from using tarmac roads and holding rallies in urban centers.

‘I have tested the potholes on rural roads, which has delayed us from reaching other venues on time due to long distances and poor road conditions,’ he lamented.

Mr Nasser Mudyobole, the NUP flag bearer for Iganga Municipality MP, said the actions of the police and army show that NRM’s presidential candidate, Mr Yoweri Museveni, lacks support in the region.

‘We defeated him in Busoga in 2021, and we are going to do it again,’ Mr Nassa claimed.

Ms Mercy Walukanba, NUP flag bearer for Bugweri District MP , said she wasn’t surprised by the blockade, noting that Mr Kyagulanyi had also been prevented from opening a party office in Namutumba Town Council on Thursday.

‘We are not scared. This only strengthens our resolve and shows Busoga loves its candidate,’ she said.

Mr Chris Wakalanga, NUP chairperson for Namutumba District, emphasised that Mr Kyagulanyi deserves equal treatment like any other presidential candidate.

According to Mr Kyagulanyi’s campaign schedule, he is expected to campaign in Namayingo and Bugiri today.

However, police said Mr Kyagulanyi cancelled their campaign in Iganga after failing to heed police guidelines.

“The rally in Mayuge was successfully held. On their way to Iganga, Candidate Sentamu and his group were advised to follow the agreed-upon route to Iganga Municipality and specifically to Namungale Grounds. However, they opted to take an alternative route where they encountered our cutoffs. Consequently, they decided to head to Jinja City and cancelled their campaign in Iganga.

We urge him and his team to adhere to security guidelines to ensure smooth and peaceful campaigns,” reads part of the police statement.

In the remote village of Magada, Magada Sub-county in Namutumba District, farmers are revolutionalising their agricultural practices by adopting post- harvest technologies to minimise losses and maximise profits from their produce.

The farmers under their cooperative, Magada United Rice Farmers Cooperative Society Limited, previously produced poor quality rice due to poor post-harvest handling methods. These included harvesting rice using traditional methods, as well as drying their harvested rice on the bare ground.

Now, with the acquisition of rice thresher and storage facilities, farmers say post-harvest losses have been reduced.

‘Previously, we would cut and leave the rice in the paddy field for three or four days which would destroy it. On other days, we would dry harvested rice on the ground due to lack of tarpaulins,’ Ms Tapenence Namugaya on Saturday. ‘This meant the end product contained stones which fetched a low price,’ she adds.

Ms Namugaya is one of beneficiaries of Agra Cereals project being implemented by Kilimo Trust. The project is focused on reducing post-harvesting losses, improving grain quality and increasing market access for farmers in over nine districts in the eastern region.

The three-year project, running from 2024 to 2027, targets maize, beans and rice value chains, promotes efficient post – harvesting handling through provision of threshers, shellers and solar dryers to ensure quality grain.

About 105,000 smallholder farmers in the target districts of Bugiri, Iganga, Namutumba, Bulambuli, Mbale and Kween found in the Sub-regions of Busoga, Bugisu and Sebei have been trained on post- harvest handling practices for maize, beans and rice.

Mr Samuel Kiirya, another rice farmer in Magada sub-County said under the project, they have signed agreements with traders who buy their grain at better prices compared to middlemen. Mr Moses Mushebo, the chairperson of the association says as a cooperative with over 1,000 farmers, they now have access to hermetic storage bags.

‘Hermetic bags keep pests and moisture levels low, extending the shelf life of grains,’ he says, adding that each farmer now harvests about 500 kilogrammes of rice. Formerly, Mr Mushebo said, without a rice thresher, a farmer would spend about four days to harvest a four acre rice field.

‘The rice thresher is improving our produce because immediately after harvesting the rice you thresh it and return with it to the field on same day for more harvests,’ he says.

Significant losses

In Busoba Town Council, Butaleja District, Mr Paul Wananda, who received a solar dryer on behalf of Busoba Rural Farmers Association, said drying and preserving maize had been a challenge.

‘We often made significant losses due to poor drying and storage practices. That affected our income from the grain and also food security,’ Mr Wananda said.

The solar dryer, Mr Wananda said, would prevent mold growth and also preserves the quality of the maize. Mr Stephen Ekoom, the chief executive officer of the Farmers Guide Uganda Limited, said solar dryers ensure that the grains are not exposed to direct sunlight, winds and contamination.

‘The high temperatures deter insects and the risk of spoilage from microorganisms,’ he says.

Ms Rachel Ajambo, the country team leader, Uganda Kilimo Trust sayid they have since distributed service handling technologies including solar dryers, maize threshers, maize shellers, rice threshers and beans threshers, with the main aim of increasing the quality of the grain that is traded in our local markets and also in the regional markets to prevent future cases of rejection of Ugandan produce.

‘Without these technologies, farmers dry these commodities on the bare ground and this increases the input of foreign matters, for example, stones, animal dung, and things like this, which automatically reduce the quality,’ she said, adding that they have also linked farmers to structured markets.

‘We have several buyers that have been linked to these farmers. And so far, we have seen about 14,000 metric tons traded through these market linkages,’ she says, urging farmers to get organized in groups and adopt good agricultural practices and good post-harvest handling practices to ensure that they capture regional markets, which are more profitable.

Her call was reechoed by Mr Alex Ewinyu, the technical assistant, Kilimo Trust, who said there is an improvement of quality grain trade being traded with adoption of alternative energy post -harvest processes such as drying and threshing.

‘This is the goal of the project – to ensure that farmers actually get to produce quality grain,’ he says.

In January 2023, congregants flocked to Our Lady of Fatima Kayunga Catholic Parish in Kayunga Town, Kayunga District, for Mass. As is characteristic of many urban churches, this House of God fills every Sunday. However, during the Mass, a yet-to-be-identified female worshipper, who had entered the church with three children, excused herself. She asked her elder child, who was five at the time, to mind his siblings while she went out to ‘ease herself.’

The children – two boys and one girl – were aged between five years and three months. The church’s toilets are located about 100 meters away. The children waited patiently for their mother’s return. However, almost an hour later, as Rev Fr Emmanuel Walakira, the Parish priest, ended the Mass and gave the believers the final blessing, the mother was nowhere to be seen. As the congregants walked out of the church, the children were stranded. They attracted the attention of the believers, among them, Ruth Nakitto, a primary school teacher. A search for the missing mother proved fruitless.

It was later established that she had abandoned her children and disappeared into thin air. As the congregants pondered what to do next, Nakitto offered to look after the children until their mother resurfaced. ‘The other believers helped me to take the children to Kayunga Police Station, where a case of child abandonment was recorded. Then, I took them to my home in Kisaaba Village for the night. The Probation Office gave me official documentation that allowed me to look after the children as authorities searched for their mother,’ the teacher says.

The 46-year-old Nakitto is a teacher at Kayunga Girls Primary School. The three children are among the over 15 abandoned children that she has helped to take care of through the years. The children she picked up from the church are now aged eight, six, and three years. ‘I believe these children are a gift from God. They have no memory of their biological mother. I look forward to the day when she will surface again. One of them used to fall sick regularly, and we discovered that he was HIV positive. Today, the child takes the medication regularly,’ she says.

Charitable beginnings

Recently, the Rotary Club of Kayunga awarded Nakitto a certificate in appreciation for her work. The teacher’s desire to help the vulnerable started long before she qualified in her profession in 2002. ‘As a young learner at St Agnes Girls’ Primary School, Naggalama, I used to assist my fellow learners who were in need. I also remember getting food for the elderly, disabled cleaner of our school compound,’ Nakitto recollects with a smile.

Her charitable heart and discipline earned her many friends, among them the now deceased Rev Sr Ann Elizabeth, who was the headteacher. Nakitto comes from a family of over 20 children who were raised by a single mother, who is a tailor. ‘I am asthmatic, so the situation must have been difficult for my mother, who also faced challenges with paying school fees for all of us. Because I was sickly, the headteacher offered me a half-bursary,’ she says. Interacting with the nuns at her school inspired her to join religious life and serve God. Her dream of becoming a nun was, however, frustrated because of her constant sickness.

‘One cannot be allowed to become a nun with an asthmatic condition. However, I was blessed that St Ann paid for part of my secondary education. After I completed O-Level, the headteacher advised me to join a teacher training college,’ Nakitto recalls. In 2002, she qualified as a Grade III teacher from the now-defunct Rakai Primary Teachers College (PTC). In 2009, graduated with a Diploma in Primary Education from Kyambogo University. A teaching job took her to Kayunga, where she has since built her house and become a resident.

Last year, Nakitto, who does not have biological children and is neither married, took on two children whose mother had developed mental problems. The children are aged 13 and nine years old. ‘I still want to be a nun, although now it seems impossible. I do not have any plan to get married or have my own children because I have devoted my life to serving God and helping vulnerable children. These vulnerable ones are my children,’ she explains.

The challenges

Nakitto, who is a catechist at Our Lady of Fatima Kayunga Catholic Parish, singlehandedly fends for the children and pays their school fees on a meagre monthly salary of Shs450,000.’I was helped by well-wishers to become what I am today, so I have to help others as well. I am glad that we have never gone to bed on empty stomachs. I know God would reward me for my charity work,’ she notes.

To supplement her salary, the teacher operates a small retail shop in one of the rooms of her house. The shop sells sweets, bread, cooking oil, soap, and children’s toys. When Nakitto is not in class, she is at home operating her shop with the elder children. Additionally, she sells Bibles and rosaries at the church every Sunday to raise more income. Nakitto says she faces a challenge trying to instill discipline in the children because most of them come from a bad social background.

‘Sometimes, when I discipline them, they get depressed. Two of the children ran away. I have tried looking for them in vain. I am also financially constrained when it comes to meeting their basic needs. The child who is HIV positive needs to eat a balanced diet, but sometimes I do not have the money to provide it. But, I try my best,’ she explains.

Official stance

Damali Mirembe Manyindo, the founder and director of Sonrise Baby Home in Jinja District, says most of the babies and children she looks after are from Kayunga and the surrounding districts of Buikwe, Jinja, Mukono, and Kamuli. ‘Parents abandon children at health facilities, marketplaces, the roadside, and in public toilets, where they think they can easily be seen and taken away by Good Samaritans. Currently, our home is taking care of 34 babies,’ she says. However, Mirembe points out that many more are brought in, but the home does not have the capacity to contain them.

Dr Charles Iga, the director of production for Kayunga District, says poverty and domestic violence are the leading causes of child neglect in the area. ‘The government has put in place poverty alleviation programs such as Emyooga and the Parish Development Model (PDM), but not everyone has benefited. In some parishes in the rural areas, about a quarter of the intended beneficiaries have not received the PDM funds, so poverty is still a challenge,’ he says.

Collins Kafeero, the probation and social welfare officer for Kayunga District, says cases of child desertion are on the rise in the district. Sometimes, he receives two cases a month, brought by local leaders, the police, or the community. ‘When we receive a case of an abandoned baby, we take the baby to a home or orphanage. The child will be taken care of until it is five years old. If we fail to trace any relatives, we start the process of adoption, although we desire to reunite the children with their families,’ he says.

Kafeero blames the vice on domestic violence, fathers who neglect their responsibilities, poverty, mental disorders, and the death of parents. He also notes that some single mothers abandon their children when they find men who are willing to marry them. ‘My office is working closely with the Family and Child Protection Unit of the police to ensure that acts of child neglect are mitigated. We are also sensitising the public on the rights of children to have caregivers. If we find the relatives of abandoned children, we either counsel them and reunite them with the children, or arrest them and prosecute them,’ he explains.

Last year, a widow in Nawankonge Village, Kayonza Sub-county, abandoned her children, all of whom are below 11 years, to go and get married. She was arrested, but when she asked for forgiveness, she was reunited with the children. The community is now contributing to the children’s school fees. According to police statistics, 11 cases of child abandonment were reported to Kayunga Police Station in 2024, up from nine cases in 2023. The Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2004 indicates that 3,663 cases of child neglect and 1,597 cases of child desertion were reported countrywide, while in 2023, 4,730 cases of child neglect and 1,918 cases of child desertion were logged.

The Election Management Committee (EMC) of the National Unity Platform (NUP) recently made public the results of its candidate selection exercise.

Highlight of the exercise: Mr Medard Sseggona was denied the NUP flag for Busiro East. However, there is also the curious case of Zahara Luyirika.

Ms Luyirika applied to be the NUP candidate for Kampala City Woman MP. But the EMC returned her as the aspiring candidate for Makindye West. Even the CIA and Mossad can’t decode the committee’s wisdom.

The joke now is: What if Byabakama were to declare Mr Robert Kyagulanyi as the winner of a race he never sought to participate in? In a quintessential ‘Zahara Luyirika Effect’, what if the Byabakama-led Electoral Commission declared Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu as the (winner of) president of Kenya?

From the beginning, NUP lacked moderation of agency. I gave up on NUP as a political group to lead the national drive for change when a senior official said Dr Kizza Besigye’s kidnap in Nairobi, Kenya, was drama.

What we see now is a party limiting its outlook to holding electoral positions (and thereby making the tag of a struggle rather incompatible with the party). What we see now is a party beholden to an individual whose interests and vision are limiting in ideological outlook and purposefulness.

But how did we reach here? I blame Mr Museveni.

People are asking: why and how can NUP choose Mr Mathias Walukaga over Mr Sseggona? My answer: it is the same reason NUP chose Kyagulanyi or his brother Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu over other ‘supposedly’ more qualified aspirants. Some people are saying this rupture could be the beginning of the fall of NUP. A friend was asked to give reason as to why he thinks NUP will fall.

Dear reader, we don’t need a reason (the why or how) to express fear that this may lead to the downfall of NUP. What we need is a look back at the history of political parties in post-independence Uganda. Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) never recovered from the (1964?) Gulu National Conference, where Grace Stuart Ibingira was pitted against Party Secretary General John Kakonge. Plus: the FDC seems to have never recovered from the Patrick Amuriat victory over Mugisha Muntu.

With these two examples, it is evident that internal party cohesion is the outcome of the moderation of agency. Failure to accommodate diversity in opinion may engender disruptive tendencies in all socio-political identity groups. But on a serious note, we are in what most Ugandans see as a major transition (likened to the 1954-1962 period), but these NUP people are involved in petty issues (driven by personal egos).

During any transition, you are better off with serious bargainers at the table than just numbers. Case study is 1979-80: whereas Mr Museveni’s was in the least a minority view, the outlook of his leadership balanced him in. That’s why the actions of most UNLF members, in one way or another, always sought to accommodate him and his views.

But why should we blame Mr Museveni for mishaps in NUP? Because under his wise leadership, political leadership has become the only profit-making industry. That’s why it is now a matter of life and death. As a result, we have reduced the seriousness of national politics.

This reduction was captured well in an audio-visual clip in which Mr Walukaga said the Shs200 million for his parliamentary vehicle allowance will be shared among the sub-counties of Busiro County East. Maybe it is this promise that won him the NUP flag? Mr Sseggona, do you copy?

The Uganda National Teachers’ Union (UNATU) has responded strongly to Minister of Public Service, Mr Muruli Mukasa’s ultimatum to teachers to call off their strike.

In a statement released after a meeting of the National Executive Committee and branch chairpersons on Saturday, UNATU accused the government of attempting to coerce teachers into returning to class without addressing their grievances.

The Minister had threatened to treat teachers who fail to resume work within a week as having abandoned their duties and resigned.

However, UNATU General Secretary, Mr Filbert Baguma, dismissed the threat, describing it as “extreme, inflammatory, and unlawful.” He added that such threats violate the principles of natural justice and the Constitution of Uganda.

“Your threat to treat teachers as having abandoned duty and resigned is an extreme, inflammatory, and unlawful measure,” Mr Baguma said. “It violates the principles of natural justice and the Constitution of Uganda. Such threats are designed to intimidate and coerce, further demonstrating the government’s refusal to engage in good-faith dialogue required by the Recognition Agreement under Clause 8.”

Mr. Baguma insisted that the teachers’ strike will go on until amicable redress is secured from the government.

“UNATU reiterates that teachers are not striking out of selfishness or ingratitude, but in pursuit of justice and fairness,” he said. “We will not be intimidated into silence or submission. The Constitution, the law, and international best practice are firmly on our side.”

UNATU Chairperson, Mr Zadock Tumuhimbise, rallied teachers to remain focused and united in their demand for equitable salary enhancement across all categories of teachers.

“I wish to emphasize once again that our strength lies in solidarity,” he said. “No directive, however forceful, can silence a united voice. We must remain focused, resist intimidation, and continue to walk this journey together until the government meets our legitimate demand for equitable salary enhancement across all categories of teachers.”

Mr Tumuhimbise also warned those who might be tempted to betray the cause, saying, “For those that have chosen to betray the cause, we continue to take note, but we will not allow your disloyalty to deter us from our genuine cause.”

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.