News Headlines
Woman arrested over torturing 6-year-old boy
September 20, 2019 by URN
A 29-year old woman, Peninah Kukunda has been arrested on accusations of torturing a 6-year-old boy.Kukunda reportedly locked the child...
Missing Mukono man found dead in Entebbe
September 19, 2019 by URN
Simon Odur Akena, 34, who went missing last Saturday has been found dead on the shores of Lake Victoria. Akena...
Suspected thug shot dead while breaking into Lubaga church
September 19, 2019 by URN
A security guard has shot dead a suspected thug suspected of breaking into Lubaga Catholic shrine in Rubaga Division Kampala to...
NRM disowns "nailed" supporter
September 19, 2019 by URN
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leadership in Mbale district has disowned a man who claims to have been nailed...
URA registers Shs 149bn revenue shortfall for August
Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) realized less revenue last month with both domestic and international taxes performing poorly. According to the ministry of Finance filings for the month, collections in August were below target by Shs 149 billion. Overall, URA collected Shs 1.4 trillion in August, out of which Shs 1.3…
Ugandan gold miners exported 8,000kgs but declared only 16kgs
Gold miners in Uganda officially declared only 16.3kgs despite exporting at least 8,691kgs declared, civil society organisations, the Anti-Corruption Coalition (ACCU) and Transparency International Uganda (TIU) have said. Marlon Agaba, the head of programmes at ACCU and Elizabeth Kulume the programmes assistant at TIU said that based on records from…
Cameroon courts paralyzed as lawyers strike over torture
Cameroon's law courts are at a standstill as lawyers for a third day Wednesday defy government threats and continue to protest what they say are widespread unbearable rights violations that include torture, illegal and prolonged detention of accused persons. Observers say the strike may compromise the national dialogue ordered by President…
Activists want details on Kenya oil contract with Chinese firm
Kenya has exported its first shipment of oil, worth about $12 million, under a deal with the Chinese petrochemical company, ChemChina. Members of a civil society group are demanding transparency, calling on the Kenyan government to show how the Chinese firm won the bid to buy the oil and how…
Kyazanga police officer shoots self dead
Police in Lwengo district is investigating circumstances under which a police officer attached to the Field Force Unit (FFU) at Kyazanga police station reportedly shot himself dead.
Botswana deports 900 Namibian refugees
GABORONE, BOTSWANA - The first group of more than 850 Namibian refugees was deported Tuesday from Botswana, after resisting calls for voluntary repatriation. The refugees fled their home country in 1999, following a secessionist uprising. The migrants had refused to return home citing fears of persecution from Namibian authorities. In the…
Police fires bullets, teargas to disperse FDC supporters in Hoima
Police in Hoima today fired live bullets and teargas to disperse rowdy supporters of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party who were protesting against a move to block their candidate from radio stations.Reports indicate that Asinansi Kamanda Nyakato, the FDC candidate in the Hoima parliamentary race had been…
Meteorology authority improves climate forecast systems
At the district headquarters office where he sits, Robert Anguzu, the district disaster focal person receives the monthly Uganda National Integrated Early Warning System (U-NIEWS). The U-NIEWS has information on food security, market prices of selected crops, seasonal rainfall forecasts according to regions, a map with crop and pasture conditions, disaster…
USA: Kayihura wife, son hiding his assets
With the US investigation expanding, each day adds a new layer of detail to the depth and breadth of former Inspector General of Police General (IGP) Kale Kayihura’s troubles with the US. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The Observer has learnt from an insider source that…
Matembe: My time in Museveni’s cabinet
Written and published 16 years after she left the ruling NRM government, a new book by Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe, a former ethics minister, sheds new light on the character of President Museveni’s inner circle and his government’s stuttering fight against rooted corruption. Matembe, the NRM pioneering minister for Ethics and…
Govt: Each Ugandan to earn Shs 3.7m per year in 2020
Balanced regional development will be the focus of the third National Development Plan (NDP III), Matia Kasaija, the minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has said. The minister told the recent National Budget Conference held at Serena hotel in Kampala, that going forward; no region should be left far too…
ADF rebel leader Jamil Mukulu, 37 others committed for trial
The International Crimes Division of High court has committed Jamil Mukulu, the former commander of the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and 37 others for trial on terror-related charges. The other suspects are Abdallah Sharif Ali Salim alias Mukyotala, Musa Nabangi, Adam Diin Bashiri alias Wabula, Sheikh Ahamed Rashid Wasiga, Cpl…
Minister: Government to register local innovators
Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, the minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, used a recent three-day stakeholders meeting in Jinja, to announce that government will create more jobs and viable industries by supporting commercialization of local innovations. Speaking at the first stakeholders consultative retreat on the value proposition of establishing sustainable automotive industry…
There's logic in US sanctions against Kayihura - EU ambassador
There is logic and principle in the visa and economic sanctions imposed against former Uganda Police Force boss Gen Kale Kayihura, the head of the European Union Delegation to Uganda, ambassador Attilio Pacifici has said. Last week, the US imposed visa restrictions and economic sanctions to Kayihura and his family over…
Donors have lost trust in S.Sudan gov't over corruption - US ambassador
U.S. ambassador to South Sudan Thomas Hushek said it will take time for the international community to regain their trust in the South Sudan government because the Kiir administration still lacks transparency in managing the country's resources, including oil. "We the international community, I can't speak on behalf of the United…
Arua blames UPDF soldiers for fuelling teenage pregnancies
Arua district is blaming the rising cases of teenage pregnancies on Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers from Bondo army barracks. District statistics compiled between January and May this year indicate that 59 per cent of mothers who attended antenatal clinics are children below the age of 18. "Because when the soldiers…
ICC prosecutor appeals acquittal of former Ivory Coast president
International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have appealed against the acquittal of former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo and a youth minister on charges of involvement in deadly post-election violence.
Kutesa: Time for old politicians to cede power to younger generation
At an event that was meant to promote good hygiene and a green environment in Sembabule, Foreign Affairs minister Sam Kahamba Kutesa shocked supporters when he announced his retirement from elective politics. In parliament since 1980, Kutesa said at the weekend that the best option is for the older politicians to…
Rwanda, Uganda push border reopening discussions to next meeting
Talks between Rwanda and Uganda ended today with the two nations agreeing to treat each other’s citizens well.However, the issue of reopening the border and free movement of people has been pushed to the next meeting, which will happen in Kampala after 30 days.In a communique, signed by Oliver Nduhungirehe…
Kyambogo University student arrested for faking her kidnap
Police has arrested a 19-year-old female Kyambogo University student, Teddy Twinamatsiko who faked her kidnap in order to get hostel money. Twinamatsiko called her grandmother on September 10 claiming she had been kidnapped by strangers moving in the motor vehicle registration number, UAX 802B. The student indicated she had been grabbed while…
Human trafficking: Middle East Consultants bosses granted bail
Two managers of a labour export firm; Middle East Consultants, have been granted bail. Benon Kunywana, 36, and Godfrey Kyalimpa, 48, breathed their sigh of relief before Entebbe Chief Magistrate's court Mary Babirye this afternoon. The two managers first appeared before Entebbe Grade One magistrate Phiona Birungi, a fortnight ago…
Trailer rams into Centenary bank in Bugiri
A trailer rammed into the Centenary bank branch in Bugiri, destroying part of the building and several office furniture. The accident occurred at around 4 am today morning, when the trailer registration number UBD 091C/UBD 669H lost control and rammed into the building located on Grant street, along the Iganga-Tororo highway.
Gas explosion injures five people at Kyaliwajjala gym
At least five people sustained injuries on Sunday evening following an explosion at Marco's Gym and Spa located next to Quality Supermarket along the Naalya-Namugongo road in Kyaliwajjala, Wakiso district.Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Patrick Onyango says that preliminary investigations show that the explosion was caused by excessive heating of the…
8 perish in Kamuli road accident
Eight people have been killed and nine others severely injured in an accident along the Jinja-Kamuli highway. The accident which occurred on Sunday involved a commuter taxi registration number, UAZ 861J travelling from Jinja district. The taxi developed a puncture and knocked down a motorcycle carrying two passengers who died instantly.
Nigerian MPs face backlash, lawsuit over Shs 55bn luxury car budget
ABUJA - It’s unprecedented. Thousands of Nigerians have joined a lawsuit seeking to block members of the Senate from using public money to buy luxury cars. The suit was initiated by rights groups that became tired of government corruption. More than 6,700 Nigerians have joined suit that aims to prevent parliament from…
Zimbabwe’s Grace Mugabe regains prominence
The controversy swirling around the burial of Zimbabwe’s founding leader, Robert Mugabe, centers on his widow, Grace, who has remained dramatically cloaked behind a heavy black veil as she succeeded in getting the country’s president to scrap his plans for the ex-leader to be buried in a simple plot alongside…
Al-Shabaab attacks kill 17 in Somalia
The al-Shabaab militant group launched a series of attacks since Saturday that led to the death of at least 17 people in Somalia. Lower Shabelle region officials told VOA Somali that the militants attacked the town of Qoryoley late Saturday using rocket propelled grenades and heavy machine guns, killing nine people…
Civil society concerned about increased gov't surveillance
Civil Society organizations are calling on government to operationalize the Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 so as to limit the illegal collection of people’s personal data. Speaking at a symposium organized in Kampala by Unwanted Witness, a human rights organization, Peter Gwayaka Magelah, the programs manager of Chapter Four…
Kayihura denies owning property in US, calls sanctions comical
The former inspector general of police Gen Kale Kayihura has said he does not own property in the United States and therefore the sanctions by the U.S. government "are comical."On Friday, the United States government announced visa and economic sanctions against Kayihura. The announcement was made through the United States…
Tepid turnout at Robert Mugabe final public sendoff
The flag-draped coffin had arrived, followed by black-clad family members, their heads bowed. Several dozen suited dignitaries marched in, chests puffed out. Military members stood rigid and proud. All of the pomp and circumstance one would expect at the memorial for a man hailed as an African icon was in place…
US imposes sanctions against Kayihura over corruption, human rights abuses
The former inspector general of police (IGP), Gen Kale Kayihura and his immediate family members will henceforth not be issued with a United States visa and will have their properties which he fully owns, or partly owns with others in the USA or in the control of US persons blocked…
Uganda Airlines denies grounding planes after reports of cancelled flights
Uganda Airlines has disputed claims that it had grounded one of its planes and failed to make scheduled flights to Somalia this week. Early this month the airline launched flights to Mogadishu, Somalia (four times weekly), but according to one disappointed customer, the airline failed to make the flight to Somalia…
Jailed Tunisia presidential candidate starts hunger strike
A lawyer for a jailed presidential candidate in Tunisia said his client has started a hunger strike to defend his right to take part in Sunday's election. In a statement published Thursday on Facebook, lawyer Ridha Belhaj said he met with Nabil Karoui, who was jailed August 23 pending an investigation…
Scientists create two northern white rhino embryos
Scientists have created two embryos of the nearly extinct northern white rhino, part of an effort to pull the species back from the brink. "Today we achieved an important milestone on a rocky road which allows us to plan the future steps in the rescue program of the northern white rhino,'' said Thomas Hildebrandt of…
Patient commits suicide at Kiruddu hospital
A patient admitted at Kiruddu hospital in Makindye has committed suicide. Deputy Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, said Faustine Musinzi, from Gomba district, jumped from the eighth floor on Thursday at around 8 pm and fell on the concrete, dying instantly.
Museveni, Kenyatta sign cross-border peace agreement
Uganda President, Yoweri Museveni and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a joint cross-border integrated programme for sustainable peace and social-economic transformation for Turkana, West Pokot and Karamoja. The two leaders signed the MoU in northern Uganda in Moroto on Thursday evening. The move…
One million register for Uneb exams
At least 1,137,315 candidates have registered for 2019 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). Of the 1,137,315 candidates, 695,468 registered for PLE, 337,380 UCE and 104,467 for UACE. Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre today Uganda National Examinations Board (Uneb) executive secretary, Dan N…
Army justifies rearrest of Kaweesi murder suspects
The army has justified the rearrest of suspects accused of the murder of former police spokesperson, Andrew Felix Kaweesi just moments after their release on bail by the High court. Kaweesi was shot dead on March 17, 2017, together with his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver, Godfrey Mambewa. Several suspects were…
Buganda princess drags Kabaka to court over land
The daughter of prince George William Chwa has dragged the Kabaka of Buganda kingdom, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II and six others to court for alleged trespass on their family land found in Munyonyo suburbs in Wakiso district.The other respondents to the suit are Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), the commissioner Land Registration…
African refugees trapped in Libya to be evacuated to Rwanda
Hundreds of refugees trapped in Libyan detention centers will be evacuated to Rwanda as conflict rages in the north African nation, the United Nations said Tuesday. Vincent Cochetel, special envoy for the central Mediterranean for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR), said 500 refugees would be evacuated to Rwanda in a deal…
Mugabe's body arrives home in Zimbabwe
A crowd of thousands of Harare residents grew suddenly, eerily silent Wednesday afternoon as an unmarked plane rolled slowly down the tarmac, bringing home the body of the man who many consider the father of Zimbabwe. The flag-draped casket carrying the body of former President Robert Mugabe was somberly welcomed in…
Sanlam to award Shs 50m to outstanding Rotary Club initiatives
Sanlam Insurance company is to award to the tune of Shs 45 million outstanding Rotary Club initiatives that are helping to improve the lives of communities in Uganda. Announcing the award at the insurance company’s head offices in Kampala, Gary Corbit, the chief executive officer of Sanlam said the award…
Avoid reckless sex with Commonwealth delegates, Kadaga tells MPs
The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga has advised Ugandan members of parliament and protocol officers to maintain dignity throughout the upcoming 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. The conference, scheduled to take place between September 22 and 29 at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel in Munyonyo, Kampala, is expected to attract at least 1,000…
7 people killed in Nakasongola bus accident
An accident involving a bus belonging to Robyln Coaches in Nakasongola district along Kampala-Gulu highway has claimed the lives of seven people and left nine others critically injured.Some of the dead have been identified as Mathew Stanley Ochora, a teacher at Jinja college SS, Johnson Akena from Kitgum municipality, Stella…
Freed Kaweesi murder suspects rearrested at High court
The Kololo-based International Crimes Division of High court was a scene of drama this afternoon during the re-arrest of four of the eight suspects charged with the murder of former police spokesperson, Andrew Felix Kaweesi. Yusuf Nyanzi, Jibril Kalyango, Joshua Kyambadde, and Yusuf Mugerwa were dramatically picked up together with their lawyer, James…
Property wrangle: Oscar Industries boss, family in bad fight
Mohan Musisi Kiwanuka is a renowned rich man who has built up enormous holdings in real estate, trade, radio and manufacturing but his failing mental health has ripped away the solid wall of normalcy in his family and business empire. Now, Kiwanuka is in a fight for his mental sanity…
Report reveals 75 dealers in bad fuel
Demand for quality fuel has climbed and so are routine official tests of standards of filling stations and value-for-money. In all, 76 filling stations out of about 3,200 across the country failed a fit-and-proper test conducted between April and June 2019, by the department of Petroleum Supply in the ministry of…
Term limits are back in parliament
The ruling NRM is faced with another unattractive parliamentary battle; the reintroduction of the two-term presidential limits as part of an opposition push for elaborate electoral reforms ahead of the 2021 general election. The reforms carried in The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill 2019 are pushed by Ndorwa East MP Wilfred Niwagaba and…
Uganda woos Qatar investors
Uganda has made a passionate appeal to the visiting Qatari business community to invest here because the pearl of Africa has a favourable trade environment and policies. Vice President Edward Ssekandi said Uganda has invested heavily in infrastructure development in order to support trade. He said roads, electricity, railway, trained labour…
US aid to Uganda continues amid Trump’s call for cuts
In an aggressive push for his “put Americans first,” agenda, the Donald Trump White House has repeatedly called for cuts to foreign aid, sending shivers down many beneficiaries’ spines around the globe, Uganda inclusive. But in a media briefing yesterday at the American Centre in Nsambya, Ambassador Deborah Malac said the…
M7 says time for an eye for an eye after the killing of his nephew
In yet another letter to Ugandans on the current affairs, President Yoweri Museveni has said that the time has come to apply the concept of an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth as a way of combating the rising criminality in the country. Museveni in his missive says, it…
Man fakes own kidnap, demands Shs 10m ransom from wife
The man who was arrested for faking his kidnap and demanding a ransom from his wife has been transferred from Jinja to Kampala. Bruno Tayebwa, a resident of Kabalagala, in the outskirts of Kampala had called his wife Evas Ainomugisha on September 3 claiming he had been kidnapped by four…
Ugandans must prepare to learn, speak Kiswahili - Ofwono
Cabinet has approved the establishment of the Uganda National Kiswahili Council. Addressing the press on Tuesday, the government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said that the decision was reached at on Monday during a cabinet meeting at State House.According to the 1995 Constitution, Swahili is the second official language of Uganda after English…
Flash floods hit Clock Tower following afternoon downpour
Transport has this evening been paralysed around Clock Tower as a result of flash floods following today afternoon's downpour in Kampala. The floods flowing from Clock Tower to Nakivubo Channel submerged the road making it nearly impassable for pedestrians and small cars.
MPs denied access to safe houses
Members of parliament on the Human Rights Committee have been blocked from accessing suspected 'safe houses' in Nkokonjeru, Kyengera and Nalukolongo.Led by the committee chairperson Janefher Egunyu Nantume, the MPs on Tuesday drove to the facilities in the company of journalists only to be denied access at the facilities. Dressed…
