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Police in Nansana, Wakiso District, have arrested a 34-year-old Congolese national suspected of running a cross-border syndicate that buys stolen mobile phones in Kampala and smuggles them to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The suspect, identified as Justine Kulimushi, was apprehended during a joint operation conducted by Nansana Police and intelligence officers following a targeted crackdown on downtown phone-fencing networks.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson, ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, said the arrest followed investigations into an iPhone valued at Shs3 million, which was reported stolen at Nansana Police Station on April 21, 2026.

Digital tracking of the stolen device revealed it had been moved to Kalungi Plaza-a commercial hub in central Kampala frequently targeted by security operations for illegal handset trading-before being transported to Beni in eastern DRC.

“Further intelligence indicated that the suspect frequently travelled to Uganda specifically to buy stolen mobile phones for shipment to Congo,” Mr Owoyesigyire said.

On August 20, 2026, security agencies received a tip-off that Kulimushi had returned to the country and was actively purchasing stolen devices from dealers around Kalungi Plaza.

During the arrest, police recovered 27 second-hand mobile phones of various makes and models. Investigators noted that the devices had already been factory-reset or flashed to alter their identifying software and conceal their origin.

The phones are believed to have been snatched or stolen from various parts of the Kampala Metropolitan Area before being funnelled to commercial arcades for resale to cross-border traders.

Kulimushi remains in custody as security forces work to trace the supply network, identify local accomplices, and locate the rightful owners of the recovered property.

Police have urged members of the public who have recently lost mobile phones in the metropolitan area to report to the nearest police station with proof of ownership to assist in verification and recovery.

A Makerere University academic has urged the United States government to reconsider its visa requirements for Ugandans and other African travellers, saying the cost is making it difficult for academics to maintain research and professional links with their American counterparts.

Prof Eric Awich Ochen, deputy principal of Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), said the requirements had become prohibitively expensive for university academics who need to travel to the United States for conferences, research and other scholarly engagements.

‘Let me use this opportunity to send a request on behalf of African academics… Can the US government reconsider the prohibitive visa fees which most of us can not now afford?’ Ochen said.

‘A couple of years ago, I used to go to the USA almost every year to attend the African Studies Association’s engagements but now I can’t afford to get the visa fee,’ he said.

Ochen was speaking on August 19 during a public lecture at Makerere University marking the 250th anniversary of US independence. The event was organised by the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States at Makerere University and attended by officials from the US Embassy in Uganda, academics and students.

His comments come after the US government introduced a visa bond requirement for citizens of a number of countries, including Uganda, with affected applicants required to post between $5,000 and $15,000 depending on the applicable category.

The requirement has raised concerns among travellers and institutions whose staff and researchers depend on international academic exchanges.

Michael ‘Mika’ Cleverley, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Uganda, declined to comment directly on Ochen’s concern, saying such decisions are made by the US Department of State.

The visa requirement has particular implications for academics participating in organisations such as the African Studies Association, which bring together researchers, teachers and students working on African studies.

The debate over access to the United States came as speakers at the Makerere lecture examined lessons Africa could draw from the country’s 250-year history.

Professor Gilbert Khadiagala, an emeritus professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and keynote speaker, said African countries should study the United States’ experience in building institutions rather than simply copying its political model.

‘The 250 years of the United States is a milestone in nation building. We should avoid copying but we shouldn’t be afraid of learning what has worked or not worked for America as Africa struggles with challenges of leadership and institutional building,’ Khadiagala said.

‘There is a lot we can learn from the 250 years of America’s almost uninterrupted peace, security, stability and democracy,’ he added.

Khadiagala also called for greater investment in education, infrastructure and institutions to help African countries benefit from their youthful populations.

‘How do we harness demographic dividend in Africa without functional education systems, without roads, without investment in basic institutions?’ he asked.

He said African governments should focus on building institutions that can survive changes in political leadership rather than placing excessive emphasis on individual leaders.

Cleverley said the founding of the United States was not the work of one person or movement but resulted from the contributions of many people and competing voices.

He also commended the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States at Makerere for promoting research and partnerships on democracy, governance and US-Africa relations.

The centre is housed in Makerere’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration and serves as a regional hub for research and academic partnerships focusing on the United States and Africa.

Prof Sarah Ssali, Makerere’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, who represented Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, said research remained central to the university’s transformation agenda.

She said the Great Lakes Center was an important platform for expanding and strengthening Makerere’s research agenda.

Ssali also disclosed that the centre had undertaken a research project examining Uganda-US relations since 1945 under the framework of civilisation.

The United States marks 250 years since the 13 North American colonies declared independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. The declaration was followed by the American Revolutionary War, which ended in 1783.

This week, the Uganda Police Force broke its silence over the latest Ponzi scheme that has left a section of Ugandans counting losses.

Denied by the real Hut 8 Corporation, the legitimate US-based digital infrastructure and Bitcoin mining firm, the alleged Ugandan subsidiary collected money from the public over months, promising high investment returns.

For instance, with an ‘investment’ of Shs150,000, one was promised up to Shs2m in one of the so-called investment options.

Some unsuspecting Ugandans, including those who have now become accustomed to how these schemes operate – jump in early enough and reap returns before the pyramid comes crumbling down under its weight – poured in money in the hope of becoming overnight millionaires.

In the end, as predicted by some of ‘Hut 8’ critics on social media, it ended in tears. ‘Investors’ now can’t withdraw their money, with desperate victims being asked to deposit more money before their profits are unlocked.

‘Victims should also exercise caution when approached by individuals claiming they can recover lost funds in exchange for an upfront payment, as this may constitute another form of fraud,’ police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke cautioned.

‘Victims should provide any available evidence, including payment records, mobile-money and bank transaction references, telephone numbers, social-media accounts, online links, screenshots, chat messages, and details of individuals who recruited or promoted the platform,’ he appealed to the victims, who were recruited mostly on social media.

The Hut 8 Ponzi scheme is the latest online investment fraud that Ugandans have faced over the years. Others include BLQ, YEPBIT, In On Fund, and Chicken Chicken, among others, which operated on similar pyramid structures before vanishing with investors’ funds.

It is our plea, therefore, that our authorities devise means to protect the public from these scammers who have found a welcoming home in Uganda.

Mr Rusoke says they are working in collaboration with regulatory and financial sector agencies to get to the bottom of the matter. Sadly, they usually swing into action too late, right after the pyramid has collapsed and the fraudsters have fled with the loot.

‘You Ugandans, thank you; you have been fooled, but I am coming with another trick after this money is over,’ posted one of the BLQ Football Club scam leaders on Telegram before they went dark in October 2022, with a loot that was estimated to be more than Shs60b.

All relevant authorities – be it police, Bank of Uganda, Capital Markets Authority or Financial Intelligence Authority – not only need to educate Ugandans on what to watch out for in these fraudulent investment schemes, but also how to verify that a company is legitimate before putting their hard-earned money into a venture that could vanish overnight.

Government has set out new budget discipline rules for accounting officers under a new Budget Discipline and Accountability Charter, with budget breaches expected to attract automatic administrative sanctions.

The Charter sets out rules governing the planning, budgeting and execution of public funds, including requirements on budget commitments, supplementary spending, domestic arrears, project readiness and recruitment.

The Finance Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi, said the new framework is intended to move government away from appeals for prudent use of public resources to a system based on enforceable rules and consequences.

Speaking during a meeting with accounting officers on Budget Discipline and Accountability Charter and Execution of the Budget for FY 2026/27 in Kampala on August 21, Mr Ggoobi said the Charter represents a deliberate shift from discretion to strict budget discipline.

“This reflects a deliberate shift from discretion to rules in how we plan, budget, execute and account for public resources starting this year,” Mr Ggoobi said.

The Charter sets out five non-negotiable rules that accounting officers are required to follow.

Under the first rule, “No Budget, No Commitment,” government entities will not be allowed to commit funds without an approved budget and verified cash limits.

The second rule limits supplementary budgets to three percent of a vote’s approved budget, with Mr Ggoobi warning that supplementary funding should not be used to compensate for poor planning. Accounting officers are expected to prioritise internal reallocations where possible.

The third rule provides for zero tolerance for domestic arrears, requiring government entities to avoid creating new arrears and to settle bills within statutory and contractual timelines.

Under the fourth rule, “No Ready Project, No Budget,” projects must have approved feasibility studies, costed designs and funding plans before they can be included in the Public Investment Plan (PIP).

The fifth rule bars recruitment where there is no approved wage provision. Mr Ggoobi said recruitment will only be permitted where there is an approved wage provision, a costed recruitment schedule and written clearance.

Mr Ggoobi said the Charter also establishes an Automatic Administrative Sanctions Framework under which breaches identified through audits, inspections or reviews by the Ministry of Finance will attract specified consequences.

These include withholding the next quarter’s releases, disciplinary action against accounting officers involved in off-system commitments and removal of poorly prepared projects from the Public Investment Plan.

He said the measures are aimed at strengthening accountability among accounting officers and preventing government entities from making financial commitments that are not backed by approved budgets, available funds or adequate planning.

The move comes as government seeks to strengthen resource management while pursuing its target of growing Uganda’s economy tenfold to USD500 billion by 2040.

Finance Minister Henry Musasizi encouraged accounting officers to be guided by the Public Finance Management Act Cap.171 and to be courageous to say no to actions that can put them in trouble.

Meanwhile, Mr Musasizi challenged Uganda’s financial sector to invest more in research on long-term patient capital, financial inclusion and the cost of credit as the country seeks to grow its economy tenfold by 2040.

Speaking at the second Annual Research Conference organised by the Uganda Institute of Banking and Financial Services (UIBFS) under the theme, “Financial Sector Research as a Catalyst for Uganda’s Ten-Fold Economic Growth Agenda” on August 21, Mr Musasizi noted that Uganda must mobilise more domestic resources to finance government obligations while preparing to manage expected oil revenues without distorting the economy.”

Budget discipline is a core requirement in delivering Vision 2040. Economic growth must also be inclusive such that people across different income levels participate in and benefit from the country’s transformation,” Mr Musasizi said.

He said government is prepared to use evidence generated through research to inform policy and decision-making.

Mr Musasizi identified digital finance and financial technology, capital markets, domestic revenue mobilisation, climate finance and green growth among other areas requiring research.

He also called on financial institutions to increase financing to the real economy by developing products suited to the needs of businesses and lowering the cost of credit.

The UIBFS Board Chairman and Diamond Trust Bank Managing Director Godfrey Sebaana stressed the importance of skills development, saying Uganda’s transformation will require a workforce equipped with skills relevant to the future economy.

“Research is necessary to enable the financial sector to develop better products that respond to the country’s economic needs,” he said.

Former Secretary and Accounting Officer of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), Ms Margaret Lucy Ejang, has accused the commission of financial irregularities, internal wrangles and intimidation, saying her efforts to enforce financial controls put her at odds with the commission chairperson, Ms Mariam Wangadya.

Ms Ejang, who served at the commission for 24 years before her contract was terminated in March this year, made the allegations while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Cosase) on August 21.

She described the current commission as the worst during her 24-year tenure, alleging that she was subjected to pressure and humiliation whenever she questioned financial requests from the chairperson.

Ms Wangadya has previously appeared before the same committee, denied wrongdoing and suggested that she was being witch-hunted.

Ms Ejang was summoned to respond to queries raised in the Auditor General’s 2025 report, including the alleged diversion of Shs70.4 million meant for works at the commission to purchase furniture.

She appeared alone after requesting not to attend with other commission officials, citing security concerns and alleged intimidation.

She had initially been scheduled to appear with other commission officials on August 24 after the committee summoned them during its interaction with UHRC officials on August 17.

Ms Ejang told MPs that the 2024/25 financial year was particularly difficult because her residence in Mukono District was burnt under unclear circumstances, forcing her to take a month-long leave.

‘When I took leave, I found a lot of trouble in the office and it was arising from foreign travels,’ Ms Ejang said.

She said tensions arose after Ms Wangadya travelled abroad with two commissioners, Mr Crispin Kaheru and Director Pauline Nansamba, prompting other commissioners to question why they were repeatedly excluded despite a Shs280 million budget for foreign travel.

Ms Ejang also accused the chairperson of making financial demands that she considered difficult to justify.

‘The demand of the chairperson was so much for me that I queried most of her requisitions. The difficult time for me was when she demanded for honoraria for tribunals and my argument was that members of the commission are full-time members and there is no way we are going to pay tribunal because they are paid a salary,’ she said.

Ms Ejang said she was eventually pressured to approve a monthly Shs5 million allowance to Ms Wangadya for tribunal work, despite the payment not being provided for in the budget.

She said the allowance was not being paid to other commission members.

‘When I guided that it’s not possible, the chairperson petitioned the commission to help her because the director of finance and I were humiliating her by questioning any requisition that would come from her office,’ she said.

Ms Ejang further told the committee that the commission passed a resolution requiring funds budgeted for activities under the chairperson’s office to be paid quarterly into the account of the chairperson’s personal assistant.

‘I want to be on record that for that particular meeting where the resolution was made to put money on the personal assistant account and another meeting where a resolution was made to pay, she smartly refused to sign the minutes,’ she said.

She said Ms Wangadya did not issue written instructions to implement the resolutions, arguing that decisions of the commission were sufficient authority.

‘She would not write and, in fact, she took advantage of the commission where faulty decisions are made and I request for a write-up, she would outrightly say a commission decision is adequate and there is no need for her to write,’ Ms Ejang said.

She also claimed that some of her responsibilities were subsequently shared among other officials, including the commission planner and the Director of Complaints, Investigations and Legal Services.

Ms Ejang further alleged that some complaints handled by the commission were closed on instructions from the chairperson instead of being subjected to the appropriate procedures.

‘Majority of the files have been closed but some of the staff complained to me and said that we have been ordered to close them, without following the proper criteria of the commission, but rather on orders of the chairperson,’ she said.

She called for a forensic audit of the commission to establish the extent of the alleged irregularities.

Furniture purchase

On the Auditor General’s query concerning the diversion of funds, Ms Ejang admitted that she authorised the transfer of money originally earmarked for office renovation to purchase furniture.

She said the decision was made to address an urgent need for furniture at the commission, although she acknowledged that the expenditure was not originally budgeted for that purpose.

The committee chairperson, Mr Muwada Nkunyingi, directed parliamentary police and Criminal Investigations Directorate officers to provide protection to Ms Ejang after she told MPs she feared for her security.

‘We shall proceed and also interact with the chairperson and the commissioners on Monday at noon and we continue to interrogate the observation by the Auditor General. I think the evidence of the witness has been quite revealing. It gives us another line of investigation,’ Mr Nkunyingi said.

The committee is expected to question Ms Wangadya and other commissioners as it continues examining the Auditor General’s findings and the allegations raised by Ms Ejang.

Boasting of a five-stroke advantage, Elijah Luutu will be the man to watch on the second and final round of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Seniors Golf Open on Saturday.

This follows his immaculate start at Uganda Golf Club (UGC) in Kitante where he set the pace with an opening round of level-par 72 on Friday.

Often out of the country, the Luutu exhibited his marks of experience on the tees and greens with regulation golf calibrated by 13 pars in the entire round.

An expert in wireless telecommunications with experience earned in the United States of America, Luutu actually was two-under for the day after 15 holes.

That’s thanks to two birdies on the ascending par-3 Hole No.6 bordering BMK Hotel and then at the ascending par-5 Hole No.13.

He however got stained at the par-4 Hole No.16 with a double-bogey but his mettle was visibly high. He responded with a birdie on the short par-3 Hole No.17 but again got dented by a bogey at the par-4 Hole No.18.

Luutu is followed by Kenyan Gurbux Singh who carded five-over 77 comprising four bogeys and a double-bogey on the often tough par-4 Hole No.15.

And that’s notwithstanding his birdie on the 13th green. Singh is a shot ahead of Hassan Pirani while Joseph Bagabo is fourth at 80.

In the ladies’ category, defending champion Catherine Pavie is setting the pace with a three-shot lead after shooting 85.

The tournament is organized primarily by the Uganda Senior Golfing Association (USGA) for golfers aged 55 years and above across the country. USGA is led by David Balaka.

JW UGANDA SENIORS GOLF OPEN

DAY ONE LEADERBOARD

1 Elijah Luutu (UGA) 72 E

2 Gurbux Singh (KEN) 77 +5

3 Hassan Pirani (UGA) 78 +6

4 Joseph Bagabo (UGA) 80 +8

T5 William Otieno (UGA) 81 +9

T5 Michael Cleave (UGA) 81 +9

7 David Plenderleith (UGA) 82 +10

8 Tony Kisadha (UGA) 83 +11

9 Godfrey Onyango (UGA) 84 +12

10 Julius Musiimenta (UGA) 85 +13

The bustling suburb of Ntinda has plenty to offer in terms of culinary experiences and Yums Café is certainly one of them. Nestled behind a thick bamboo hedge along the Ntinda-Kiwatule Road, it is easy to be fooled by its simple, unassuming name, but once inside its gates, one quickly realises that Yums Café is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill café, but a fully-fledged restaurant with lots to offer ardent foodies.

For starters, at the entrance there is a large wood-fired pizzeria to the left of a lounge with tables and chairs neatly arranged to accommodate both large and small groups. The building is huge with another partially hidden section on the ground floor, for patrons who prefer to dine in a more private, inconspicuous setting.

I was warmly welcomed by a waitress who ushered me up a wide, well-lit staircase with decorative wrought iron railings that led to a large terrace, which seemed to be the place of preference for the majority of customers that day. The terrace is dotted with large potted plants and overlooks a thick bamboo hedge that invites nature into a space that is pleasant and peaceful. It is divided into a covered area with a trellis ceiling decorated with artificial leaves and an alfresco area with large umbrellas, for those who prefer to enjoy the cool breeze while they eat.

Ambiance

The décor is well-thought out and tastefully blends modern aesthetics with a few local touches creating an ambiance that is warm and inviting. Yums is a family-friendly restaurant where children have adequate space to run around and just be children, while adults can relax and unwind over a leisurely meal with soft music playing in the background.

The menu

The food and drinks menus offer a large selection of items, with dishes that cover Continental, Mediterranean, Chinese, Thai, Asian and local Ugandan fare and include pizzas, sea food, soups, salads and char-grilled meats. Desserts here comprise mainly of fruit and various flavours of ice cream. A child-friendly section for children is included on the menu at discounted prices, as well as a wide selection of beverages that include a variety of teas and coffee, fresh fruit juices, smoothies and virgin mojitos. Alcohol is not served here, probably due to the religious beliefs of the proprietors.

The service and food

The predominantly female waiting staff were smartly dressed in black trousers, white blouses, black ties and waistcoats and carried out their duties professionally and in a friendly and courteous manner. They all had name tags and the team leader used a modern staff pager to communicate with her staff, which made their service quick and efficient. The waiting staff have adequate knowledge of the food and drinks they serve and offer customers advice when asked to. There is also a large screen showcasing the different dishes prepared by the chefs to help the undecided choose what they would like to eat.

I opted for fish fingers, vegetable rice and chips. The fish fingers served with tartar sauce were crunchy on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. The rice fluffy and the fries nice and crispy. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal which was tasty and satisfying. While I was eating, one of the waitresses quickly placed a lighted candle in a small glass jar to ward off an insect buzzing around the table that I had not even noticed.

The restrooms

The loos are clean and fitted with marble countertops, large mirrors, beautiful glass bowl sinks and automatic hand driers.

The bill

The prices for most of the meals ranges from Shs 33,000 to Shs 37,000, except dishes that include prawns, which cost Shs 49,000 and the full chicken and mutton khadai specials which go for Shs 79, 000 at Shs 85,000 respectively.

Currently, however, there is a 25% discount on all food items on Mondays to Fridays from noon to 4pm, except on public holidays and festivals.

For a survivor of gender-based violence (GBV), deciding to seek help can be the first difficult step towards safety and justice. But what happens after that decision?

A new assessment of GBV services in Kampala and Wakiso districts suggests that reaching a police station or health facility does not always end the ordeal.

Survivors may face long waits, confusing procedures, shortages of staff and essential supplies, limited privacy and, in some cases, requests for money to access or speed up services.

The findings come as Uganda continues to grapple with a substantial burden of sexual and GBV.

According to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025, police recorded 12,606 sex-related offences nationwide in 2025, down by 12.6 percent from 14,425 cases in 2024. The overall decline is encouraging, but it does not mean the problem has disappeared.

The police figures also show why the response system matters. A fall in reported cases can reflect several things, including prevention and improved interventions, but reported crime figures do not capture every incident of violence. Against that national picture, the new assessment offers a closer look at what happens when survivors actually enter the response system.

A system under pressure

The study by SEMA Uganda, Assessing Client Satisfaction in Police and Health, involved 493 GBV survivors and affected persons and 40 frontline service providers across selected police stations and health facilities in Kampala and Wakiso.

The researchers examined survivors’ experiences of timeliness, confidentiality, provider attitude, communication, referrals and the quality of assistance received.

Its central finding is not that the entire system is failing. Rather, it is a system that survivors continue to use and, in many cases, appreciate, but one that is operating under significant pressure.

Health facilities recorded an average satisfaction score of 74, compared with 68 for police stations. At health facilities, 96 percent of clients said they were adequately helped, compared with 83 percent at police stations.

Yet behind those relatively positive scores are substantial weaknesses. Only 25 percent of service providers said they had adequate resources to support survivors. Three-quarters reported shortages.

Among the items mentioned were post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), emergency contraception, rape kits, gloves, documentation materials and private spaces for examination and counselling.

Staffing is another major problem. Seventy percent of providers said their stations or facilities did not have enough personnel dedicated to GBV.

At many police stations, one officer may be responsible for a GBV desk, while health facilities reported particularly serious shortages during nights and weekends. In other words, survivors are seeking assistance from institutions that are themselves struggling to provide it.

The cost of waiting

Time matters in GBV cases. For survivors requiring medical attention, delays can affect access to interventions. Service providers reported cases in which survivors arrived after 72 hours, when interventions such as PEP and emergency contraception become less effective.

The assessment found that the average waiting time was 42 minutes at police stations and 47 minutes at health facilities. But averages conceal sharper problems.

At Wakiso Police Station, survivors waited an average of 59 minutes, the longest among the police stations studied. Wakiso Health Centre IV and Kasangati Health Centre IV each recorded average waiting times of 51 minutes.

The report links these delays to factors including workload, high client volumes, limited staffing and case documentation. For a survivor already dealing with fear, injury, trauma or uncertainty, waiting is more than an inconvenience.

It can become another barrier to completing the process. One respondent at Wakiso Health Centre IV described the problem simply: ‘Delay in service delivery due to the large number seeking service from the same office.’

Getting through the door is only part of the journey. The assessment found that some survivors did not understand where to go or what would happen next. Others moved between offices without clear guidance, sometimes relying on fellow clients or individual staff members to explain the process.

For someone unfamiliar with police or health-facility procedures, that uncertainty can be intimidating. The problem is compounded for survivors who do not speak the dominant local language.

One respondent at Old Kampala Police Station said the officer at the gate did not know Luganda. Another survivor complained about limited privacy during consultations. These may appear to be small administrative failures, but in GBV cases they can determine whether a survivor feels safe enough to disclose what happened.

A question of money

Perhaps the most uncomfortable finding concerns informal payments. GBV services are officially supposed to be free, yet eight percent of police clients and nine percent of health-facility clients reported paying money to access or expedite services.

The assessment found that the issue was not merely financial. Clients who reported making payments recorded satisfaction scores that were 7.5 points lower than those who did not. The report identifies payment as the strongest negative influence on satisfaction and links it to erosion of trust.

That matters because GBV survivors are often approaching institutions at a moment of extreme vulnerability. The report records one survivor saying: ‘I paid the required money, but no meaningful follow-up was done on our case.’

The finding raises questions that deserve answers from the responsible institutions: What payments are being demanded? Who receives them? For which services? And why are survivors being asked to pay for services that should be free?

It would be easy to view the problem solely through the experiences of survivors. But the assessment shows that frontline workers are operating within the same strained system. Only 60 percent of the 40 providers interviewed had received formal training in handling GBV cases. Among health workers, the proportion was just 50 percent, compared with 70 percent among police respondents.

The gap is particularly significant because health workers play an important role in clinical assessment, documentation and evidence gathering. Yet there is an interesting contradiction: 95 percent of police respondents and 90 percent of health workers rated their skills as good or very good.

That confidence exists alongside shortages in training and equipment. Three-quarters of providers said they lacked adequate resources, while 70 percent said they lacked sufficient staff.

The workload is substantial. Sixty percent of providers said they handled more than five GBV cases every month, including 30 percent dealing with more than 10 cases. The message is clear: GBV is not an occasional workload for these officers and health workers. It is a routine demand on an already stretched system.

The assessment also exposes differences between groups. Female respondents reported an average satisfaction score of 75 compared with 64 among male respondents. The researchers suggest that male survivors may face stigma, limited awareness or perceived bias when seeking help.

That finding challenges the assumption that GBV response is experienced in the same way by everyone. The report also included refugees and asylum seekers, who made up five percent of respondents. It identifies language barriers, stigma, poverty and fear of retaliation as additional vulnerabilities for refugee survivors.

There is so much brouhaha today around confronting public sector corruption in Uganda. For someone unfamiliar with the workings of the ruling system, it is easy to mistakenly conclude that there is a revolution underway. Far from it. Let me explain. Abuse of public resources, of which swindling or diverting finances meant for critical public goods and services is the most pronounced, has become so endemic and systemic. We have become numb.

But it is not just stealing money; it is everything that is possible – putting public property and assets to private use and benefit, ranging from vehicles and machinery to houses and land. Even public human resources are freely diverted to wholly private use. And with impunity and reckless abandon.

The extent of abuse in Uganda’s public sector is hard to define, difficult to map, and its normalisation is bewildering to anyone who believes in ethics and probity in public management.

For those who have closely followed the trajectory of the last 40 years, the seeds of today’s tragedy of corruption that is now so entrenched were sowed in earnest after the 1986 takeover by an armed guerrilla group.

When the new ‘liberators’ arrived in town, there was a frenzy of commandeering government property driven by a sense of entitlement for the supposed sacrifices made in fighting the Bush War. That entitlement provided the licence for impunity.

Consider this. Appearing before a commission of inquiry into one of the biggest past corruption scandals, and when pressed to do a patriotic act and apologise to the public for his role in the loss of billions, a prominent member of the 1986 class instead pointedly wondered where the probe chair, Justice James Ogoola, was when the call to liberate Uganda was made to which he promptly responded as a true patriot!

This line of reasoning, both loudly expressed and often unspoken, became the basis for flagrant individual self-enrichment at the expense of the public.

The point is not that abuse of office and theft of public funds started in 1986, of course not! Rather, it is that the culture and attitude of ‘we fought’ introduced a whole new culture and tenor of impunity that spread from some of the powerful at the top, their acolytes and acquaintances who could count on godfathers for protection, then down to mid-rank technocrats all the way to local governments.

Corruption at Local Government levels is so pervasive and brazen. Yet, to be sure, it is hardly the most egregious. It pales in comparison to the staggering amounts swindled at the centre and the seat of national power, including, ironically, the Legislature, which otherwise is supposed to fight the vice and whose constitutional remit includes assuring prudent utilisation of State funds.

This has been a great part of the paradox of political corruption in Uganda: the more agencies and institutions established that are meant to curb the vice, the worse the problem became. Precisely because the problem is systemic, those very institutions of accountability and anti-corruption agencies are equally susceptible to the same corruption malady they are up against.

Today, we see a great deal of what realistically is little more than symbolism – going after local government workers largely over minuscule and mundane acts of corruption. There is a case to be made that abuse of public resources at all levels of government and regardless of amounts involved must be vigorously fought to create a corruption-free society.

But when there is little done at the centre where grand political corruption is so deep-seated, there is reason to remain sceptical. Not too long ago, President Museveni cautioned then Inspector General of Government, Ms Beti Kamya, to go slow on a stated ambitious goal of pursuing what she characterised as a ‘lifestyle audit,’ by which she meant an evaluation of one’s possessions and the extent of spending compared to official income.

The President reasoned that such an audit would push people underground, into dispatching their ill-gotten wealth to foreign locations rather than investing in Uganda for the benefit of the country.

The reality, though, is that a methodical and thorough audit of every wealthy individual who is either a government technocrat or holds political office, current or former, would most likely expose a large majority to a scrutiny they can’t stand: they wouldn’t account for what they own. This extends to individuals and companies in the private sector, either fronts for the politically powerful or those that have in some way benefited from illicit business dealings with the government.

Such an audit would be logistically impossible as it would loop in nearly everyone who matters, but it would also be politically imprudent because grand corruption is deeply intertwined with the system of rule. To tackle it head on is to pursue a revolution that ultimately overthrows the entire system.

‘I knew my dad [Alex Mukulu] firsthand because we were very close. He was my best friend. And, I also knew him as one who worked so hard. And he always told me, ‘creativity takes courage.’

Dad has been known for his wit, grace, and immense talent. He was a certified force of nature who single-handedly turned the Ugandan stage, sometimes into a national courtroom, a confessional book, and a musical masterpiece. But to me, he was simply ‘daddy’.

As the curtain falls on his final act, we remember a giant who looked at a country wrestling with its complex political history, and decided that the most logical response was to write a masterpiece about bananas. He did not just write scripts. He orchestrated social revolutions disguised as Sunday afternoon entertainment.

My dad was known simultaneously to be Uganda’s sharpest conscience, its most melodic satirist, and its ultimate patriarch. As a playwright, daddy did not make comfortable art, we all know. While other writers penned polite plays, he gave us 30 years of Bananas. He brilliantly used a refugee protagonist to hand us a mirror to look at our absurdities, proving that if you cannot laugh at the challenges that you face, you have not fully understood the script.

From Muzukulu wa Kabangala to Wounds of Africa, his pen was sharper than a double-edged spear. He gave a standing ovation to truth, even when truth was trying to hide from you in dark places, or from all of us.

As a strong writer and creative, he orchestrated the chaos. Sometimes it was beautiful chaos, sometimes it was mind-boggling. My dad did not just put actors on a stage. He gave us, collectively, a collective rhythm. He understood that a nation’s pain was not just a nation’s, but individual. Let it be personal or as a community, is best sung aloud.

We have heard from artists who sing about broken hearts, failed marriages, losing a child, how they write them through their song, and they communicate their pain, and we resonate. That is the masterpiece of being a creator. And its contradictions are best exposed through song and dance. When he took to the stage for the CHOGM opening ceremony, he did not just entertain Queen Elizabeth II. He gave the British monarchy a masterclass in African storytelling that they absolutely did not see coming.

My daddy was known as the critic, the king of the uncomfortable truth. We must honour his legendary, unapologetic blandness, not forgetting his humour. He always made me laugh.

If you walked onto my daddy’s stage without discipline or timing, you were met with a critic that could dismantle your entire career in under 10 words. He famously shook up modern TV by telling a less-than-stellar talent contestant exactly where they lacked, and it rocked the nation, in a good and in a bad way. He held the artistic world to an impossible standard because he knew Ugandan talent was too good to be mediocre.

And my dad, as a director at home, behind the heavy theatrical curtains, my dad as a fiery director and the brilliant musical composer, was my daddy. Balancing the chaotic scheme of a creative genius with the responsibilities of raising us and sourcing funds as you know what creatives go through, it is an unaccredited art of form in itself.

While he spent decades directing Uganda’s finest artists on how to move across the stage, his greatest production was us, his children. He raised us with the same fierce independence, uncompromising integrity and sharp wit that he gave to the world.

Rest well, maestro. You threatened to pack up and go to Bogota for years whenever Uganda irritated you. We are just sorry you finally took that long-distance flight. The National Theatre will be a lot quieter without you. A lot more polite and infinitely less interesting without you. Hope, as all creatives, I know we shall surely and we can rise.

Rest well, papa.