News Headlines
Sixth Term: The wars in Museveni’s camp
May 12, 2021 by BAKER BATTE LULE, ROBERT SPIN MUKASA & JEFF MBANGA
President Museveni is striding a muddy path on inauguration day, today, May 12, as he begins his six consecutive term...
President Museveni’s fight with huge debts
May 12, 2021 by BAKER BATTE
President Yoweri Museveni kicks off his sixth five-year term today, carrying the heavy burden of debt at a time when...
Kabale locals explain low uptake of Covid-19 vaccine
May 12, 2021 by Frank Kisakye
“When I take the Covid-19 vaccine, can I still be able to take my alcohol?” a one Laban Suruma asked...
Court bans exams on Muslim public holidays
May 12, 2021 by URN
The Constitutional court has issued a permanent injunction restraining the Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) from conducting examinations on any...
COVID-19: Govt spends Shs 700m on testing Museveni swearing-in guests
The Health ministry has spent over Shs 700m to test the 4,000 President Yoweri Museveni inauguration guests for coronavirus (COVID-19). Museveni is set to take oath for a sixth term in office today Wednesday at Kololo Independence grounds. According to the ministry for Presidency, except for the 12 presidents and their…
Ex-champ Juuko barred from family property
He was one of the most feared and lethal fighters during his active ring days but Justin ‘The Ugandan Destroyer’ Juuko looks cornered and running out of options in this family property fight, reports MOSES MUGALU. For last five years, Juuko, the 1990 Commonwealth Games champion and two-time world title challenger…
10th parliament closes with approval of 5 loans worth Shs 5 trillion
The 10th parliament has closed shop with the approval of five loans worth Shs 4.8 trillion in just two days.Parliament's five-year term concluded today, Tuesday according to speaker Rebecca Kadaga. On Monday, parliament approved two loans worth Shs 2.3 trillion from the AFREXIM Bank and the Trade and Development Bank…
70 arrested over 'planning to disrupt' Museveni swearing-in
More than 70 people have been detained over allegedly planning to disrupt the swearing-in ceremony of President Yoweri Museveni at Kololo Independence grounds. Museveni is set take oath today after he was declared winner of the January 14th presidential elections by the Electoral Commission. A senior security officer has intimated to URN…
12 rescued from Lake Albert
12 people have been rescued after their boat capsized on Lake Albert. The boat was travelling from Kyehoro landing site in Kikuube district to Panyimur fish market in Pakwach district.
Rugunda declares 95% manifesto implementation
[Sponsored article] The Manifesto Implementation Unit of the Office of the President organized a week of media interaction dubbed the ‘Manifesto Week May 2021’ from May 4 to May 11, 2021. The week entailed presentations by different ministries and one government agency (National Planning Authority) on their sector’s respective performance in implementing…
OPM strategizing to ably whip public servants, business
[Sponsored article] After assessing itself as having achieved 95 per cent of its respective targets in the NRM Manifesto 2016-2021, the Office of the Prime Minister looks ahead to restructuring itself for purposes of scoring even greater heights.
Nurses call off strike after govt commits Shs 45 bn towards lunch
Nurses and midwives under their umbrella organization the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC) have called off their impending strike after reaching an agreement with government.
Bizonto: Court gives state one month to complete investigations
Buganda Road Magistrate's court has given one month to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to complete its investigations into charges of sectarianism preferred against Bizonto comedians.
NUP's Ssempijja wins Makerere University guild presidency
Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party-leaning candidate Ivan Ssempijja has been elected the new guild president of Makerere University, replacing Julius Kateregga.
Two highly contagious COVID-19 variants detected in S.Africa
South African officials say two highly contagious variants of coronavirus are now present in the country, as Africa’s worst-hit nation prepares for a possible new onslaught of cases. Officials from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases announced late Sunday that they have detected the B.1.617.2 and B.1.1.7 variants among the South…
Security to resume operations against curfew violators
Security have warned the public against violating the coronavirus guidelines that were instituted to control the spread of Covid-19. Such guidelines include, among others, a nighttime curfew which starts at 9 pm and runs until 5:30 am every day.
Suspect commits suicide inside Kagadi police cells
A suspect has allegedly committed suicide inside Isunga Central police station cells in Kagadi district, western Uganda.
Parliament spends Shs 1bn on hiring tents for 11 months
Parliament has spent over Shs 1 billion to hire two tents being used for plenary sessions due to Covid-19 restrictions. In March last year, parliament's sittings were shifted from the main chambers to the parking lot to observe the Covid-19 standard operating procedures. The legislature has since then been paying…
Covid-19 cases still surging in India, 4,000 new deaths recorded
The coronavirus crisis is not abating in India, with the country reporting Sunday that it had counted more than 403,000 new infections and 4,000 deaths in the last 24 hours. In addition, health experts say the tolls are likely undercounted. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not imposed a nationwide lockdown…
Uganda now hires foreign PR firm to improve its image in US
Uganda has hired an international public relations firm, Mercury International UK Limited, a subsidiary of Mercury Public Affairs, to improve its image on the international scene. Documents seen by URN show that when Uganda hired Mercury International UK Limited, it subcontracted its mother firm Mercury Public Affairs to do the job…
Umeme shares plummet after Museveni remarks
President Yoweri Museveni's May 1 Labour Day remarks over electricity distribution costs seem to have sent shock waves among shareholders of Umeme Limited, the main electricity distributor in Uganda. The concern over the president’s statement emerged this week on Thursday as Umeme shareholders met for the annual general meeting in…
Pakistan rejects EU resolution on religious freedoms
The Government of Pakistan, have rejected the recent European Union (EU) resolution of leadership of different religions and religious schools of thought in the country
Defilement: criminal summons issued against two police officers
High court judge Wilson J. Kwesiga has issued criminal summons against two police officers after they failed to appear in court for the second time. The police officers, identified as detective AIP Francis Katega and Corporal Viola Nambi, are currently attached to Kyengera and Kabalagala police stations respectively.
Why Biden won’t engage with Pakistan
When Joe Biden assumed the US presidency in January, many in Pakistan hoped for a bilateral reset. Three months on, there is no such rapprochement in sight as the new administration in Washington delivers perceived snubs rather than engaged olive branches to Islamabad. Officials claim the US has ignored Pakistan’s hopeful…
Uganda has requested for another Shs 3 trillion loan - IMF
The Washington-based International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed Uganda government approached it for another loan and discussions are progressing well.IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice yesterday revealed that Uganda requested for a three-year loan arrangement. The loan could be in the range of $900 million (about Shs 3.1 trillion), according to the…
Former LRA commander Ongwen sentenced to 25 years in jail
The former commander of rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Dominic Ongwen has been sentenced to 25 years in jail by the International Criminal Court (ICC). A panel of three justices led by Bertam Schmitt delivered the verdict today Thursday. The other judges on the panel are Peter Kouvacs and Raul Cano Pangalangan.
Mali woman gives birth to nine babies in Morocco
A Malian woman gave birth to nonuplets in Morocco on Tuesday, and all nine babies are "doing well," her government said, although Moroccan authorities had yet to confirm what would be an extremely rare case.
India reports single-day COVID-19 cases, deaths
India set another record in the current surge of new COVID-19 infections Thursday as officials warn that a third wave will sweep the country. The Health ministry reported a single-day record of 412,262 new confirmed coronavirus cases, including a record 3,980 deaths. The South Asian nation’s total COVID-19 figures now stand…
Masaka road accident death toll rises to 14
The death toll from Masaka–Mbarara road accident has risen to 14 after some of the victims that were rushed to the hospital also died. The accident allegedly occurred today morning when a trailer that was overtaking a bus collided head-on with the taxi heading to Kampala from Sembabule, killing 10…
Congo looting: court-appointed experts recommend Uganda must pay billions
Uganda could end up paying millions of dollars to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as compensation for the occupation of its territory during the 1997-2003 war if the Hague-based c decides to adopt compensation figures recommended by its experts.Four ICJ-appointed experts have recommended that Uganda pays $215 million (about Shs…
Stanbic, businessman in Shs 11bn legal standoff
Hardly three months after the Commercial court found senior employees of Stanbic bank complicit in illegally selling mortgage securities to themselves, a businessman is pinning the bank staff for frustrating his loan repayment so that they sell off his assets worth more than $3m [Shs 11 billion].
Bodyguard spills Bobi’s fears, teary moments
During the 2020 campaigns, Regan Fred Lule, a former bodyguard and intelligence officer of Robert Kyagulanyi, typically wielded his power in the shadows of his former boss and presidential candidate of the opposition National Unity Platform, NUP.
ABDUCTIONS: Bobi runs to ICC, pins Gen Muhoozi
LONDON – Lawyers acting for the victims of a wave of abductions and torture by security forces in Uganda have named senior military commanders, including the president’s son, in a complaint to the international criminal court. Prosecutors at the ICC are already reviewing an earlier submission from the opposition politician Robert…
Office break-ins: Police fails to produce reports
Robert Kirenga, the executive director of the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-NCHRD, had a feisty take on the state of politics in Uganda and the USA sanctions handed down to unnamed government officials during an interview with Baker Batte Lule. He warned that sanctions are a wakeup call that…
UPDF admits to battering journalists, asks to settle case out of court
The Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) has asked the High court in Kampala to allow them to settle out of court a case in which they were sued over battering journalists earlier this year. City lawyer Steven Kalali sued the government on behalf of journalists for battering several journalists on February 22…
Kenya, Tanzania presidents sign pipeline deal
Kenya and Tanzania have signed a deal for a gas pipeline that will run between the coastal cities of Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. The signing took place Tuesday, as Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan made her first visit to Kenya following the death of her predecessor, John Magufuli. Speaking to…
Kadaga unveils first potato tissue culture lab
Access to right and quality planting materials has been a staggering challenge to Ugandan farmers and is one of the key impediments to the modernisation and transformation of agriculture initiatives. However, the launch of the biotechnology and plant science research centre at Namawojjolo in Mukono on April 26 this year could…
Gov't breaks own COVID SOPs, 4,000 invited for Museveni swearing in ceremony
Government through a 'special waiver' will allow over 4,000 people including 21 heads of state to attend President Yoweri Museveni's 6th swearing-in ceremony on May 12. The gathering of 4,042 people at the same function, is a break away from the government's own 200-people maximum standard operating procedure (SOPs) instituted…
Parliament quietly passes law against homosexuality
Parliament has passed the Sexual Offences Bill 2019 which reintroduced a ban on homosexuality in the country. In a heated debate on Monday, the MPs also rejected a proposal that allows a person, who had consented to a sexual act to withdraw that consent at any time before or…
Conjoined twins: Soroti hospital medics recognized by govt
Soroti Regional Referral hospital medics who successfully separated a living conjoined twin from her dead sister earlier in March this year have been recognized once again, this time by the ministry of Health. A team of medics led by Dr Joseph Epodoi, the consultant surgeon successfully separated the twins delivered…
Malawi citizen-funded COVID-19 initiative awarded for transparency
A citizen-funded COVID-19 effort in Malawi has received an award from Britain's Queen Elizabeth for its work fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Entebbe hospital runs out of Covid-19 vaccines
Entebbe Regional Referral hospital has run out of Covid-19 vaccine doses. Already 3,720 people have been vaccinated at the hospital. The hospital's vaccination exercise usually runs from 8 am to 5 pm every weekday. However, on Friday last week, the centre closed at 2 pm because there were less than…
FDC urges Ugandans to rise up against new 'exploitative' taxes
The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party has implored Ugandans to rise up against some of the newly approved taxes and the increasing public debt, which currently stands at over $15 billion (about Shs 54 trillion). Last month, parliament approved a Shs 100 levy on a litre of petrol, diesel and…
Musician Free Boy sues MTN, Airtel over song
Local musician Mubarak Mandela aka Free Boy has sued telecom giants MTN-Uganda and Airtel for alleged copyright infringement. Through Viva Entertainment, the artiste accuses the two telecom giants of using his song “Kwata Essimu” since March 2020 to promote their sales without his consent.
Human rights: MPs fails to meet Museveni
Parliament's human rights committee will not interface with President Museveni to capture his take on the human rights violations during the concluded general elections.
Japan donates medical equipment worth Shs 1bn to Uganda
Japan has donated calibration equipment worth Shs 1 billion to the ministry of Health to help in the maintenance of medical equipment in 14 regional referral hospitals countrywide. A list provided by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) shows that each regional referral hospital will receive a set of maintenance tool…
25 Ugandans on Interpol's wanted list
Over 25 Ugandans are on the red list of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) for committing transnational crimes.Charles Birungi, the acting director Uganda National Central Bureau says the suspects have their images shared with all the 190 Interpol member countries - meaning they can be arrested at any time their…
COVID-19: Uganda bans travellers from India
The government has banned flights to and from India following a sudden increase in COVID-19 infections and deaths in the Asian country. India has so far recorded more than 18 million cases of COVID-19 with over 218,000 deaths. The country is also in a crisis with an acute shortage of essential…
Lubowa hospital developer blames rain, COVID-19 for construction delays
The much-publicized International Specialized Hospital Uganda in Lubowa is still at foundation level - a month to the initial completion schedule. The project developer has indicated that they have been derailed by COVID-19, heavy rains, and cash flow issues. In 2019, parliament guaranteed a Shs 1.4 trillion loan to SPV Finasi/Roko…