News Headlines
Rwanda asks Rwandan students studying in Uganda to start afresh
March 22, 2019 by The Observer Team
Rwandan students who were studying in Uganda have reportedly been asked by Rwandan universities to start afresh because the “curricula...
Speaker Kadaga hospitalised, 'in critical condition'
March 22, 2019 by OUR REPORTER
The speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga has been admitted to Nakasero hospital and reportedly is under Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
MTN advertises positions of deported staff
March 22, 2019 by URN
MTN Uganda has advertised positions of three deported senior staff.The positions advertised in the media on Friday are; general manager...
Meat prices fall to Shs 1,000 as dry spell hits Nakasongola
March 22, 2019 by URN
The price of meat has drastically fallen in Nakasongola district as scores of cattle continue to die on a daily...
Museveni hails 'reliable partner' China for Isimba dam
President Yoweri Museveni has hailed the government of China for being a 'reliable development partner' for Uganda in particular, and Africa as whole. Museveni said this while commissioning the 183MW Isimba hydro-electric power plant in Kayunga district yesterday. Museveni switched on the four turbines of the 183MW dam amidst cheers…
Chinese firm sued over Sukulu phosphate mining licence
The hearing of a case brought against Guangzhou Dongsong Energy Uganda Limited, a Chinese company that is undertaking the Sukulu phosphate mining project in Tororo district failed to start last week after one of the main respondents failed to show up claiming he was sick. Guangzhou was sued together with Uganda Hui…
Italy: Driver abducts schoolchildren, sets bus ablaze
A bus driver in northern Italy abducted 51 children and their chaperones Wednesday, ordering the children's hands to be bound and threatening them with death during the 40-minute ordeal, before setting the vehicle on fire when he was stopped by a Carabinieri blockade. Officer broke glass windows in the back of…
Kyanjo responding to cancer treatment
The family and friends of Hajj Hussein Kyanjo, the former Makindye West member of parliament have got a sigh of relief because of his positive response to treatment. Kyanjo was rushed to India for medication last month after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. He shared a video message…
KCCA closes boys' hostel at MK International School
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has closed a boys' hostel at MK International School in Busega citing poor hygiene and low accommodation standards.KCCA officials visited the school today and found the hostel latrines extremely dirty and smelly. The hostel was also filled up with triple-decker beds, squeezed together - leaving a…
Fire guts Amber Court Market in Jinja
Vendors from Amber Court Market in Jinja district are counting losses after fire gutted several of their stalls. The fire destroyed more than 30 stalls and 25 kiosks. The items destroyed include wooden stalls, fridges, and groceries like 80 bags of posho, 150 bags of rice, fruits and vegetables, among others.
1,600 hotel guests secretly filmed, livestreamed in S.Korea
Some 1,600 guests at hotels in 10 South Korean cities were secretly filmed and the footage livestreamed online for paying customers. South Korean police have arrested four men. Cameras were found hidden in digital TV boxes, wall sockets and hair dryers in 42 rooms in 30 hotels. The footage was sent…
With photos, Kenyans say #WeCannotIgnore 1 million hungry people
Prominent Kenyans shared pictures of drought-hit communities on Twitter on Tuesday, calling for greater government action to end a hunger crisis which has left 1 million people short of food. #WeCannotIgnore was trending in the East African nation as human rights activists, journalists and ordinary citizens shared images of a child…
Drama in court as police detective recites Nyanzi's ‘vulgar’ poem
The presentation of a loutish poem allegedly written to insult the person of the president calmed tensions and caused excitement as the trial of Makerere University researcher Dr Stella Nyanzi kicked off at Buganda Road court yesterday. The poem was allegedly posted on Stella Nyanzi’s Facebook page on September 16…
Stanbic bank rooftop blown off in Fort Portal
Strong winds have blown off part of the rooftop of Stanbic bank in Fort Portal municipality.
Cyclone Idai one of southern hemisphere's worst storms - UN
Cyclone Idai may be one of the worst weather disasters ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, U.N. experts say, with Mozambique suffering the brunt of the storm. Idai tore across Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe late last week, leaving behind a trail of devastation, including more than 350 people killed, hundreds missing…
43 officers sue police over salary deductions
At least 43 police officers at the rank of Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (C/ASP) have dragged the police management to court for deducting their salaries over the last four months. The officers who were recruited under the category of science professionals in March 2016, fall under the scale U4…
Powerful Algerian party abandons beleaguered Bouteflika
An influential Algerian party that was a long-time supporter of Abdelaziz Bouteflika has criticized the ailing president for seeking to stay in power, another setback for the ruling elite in the face of mass demonstrations. The National Rally for Democracy (RND), a member of the ruling coalition, has joined ruling party…
Is Sejusa under house arrest?
It is almost three years now since the former Coordinator of Intelligence Services, Gen David Sejusa, an officer who has had several run-ins with the ruling hierarchy on account of his anti-establishment political views, was last seen in public. The decorated bush war hero had turned into one of the fiercest…
Winners, losers in Uganda - Rwanda row
Ugandans living in constituencies bordering Rwanda find themselves trapped in a catch-22 situation: their very existence is being threatened by the continued closure of the border, and yet some of their political leaders are reportedly telling them not to call attention to their plight by speaking out. Such is the sensitivity…
NRM MPs approve lining-up in elections
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary caucus has endorsed lining-up behind candidates during internal party elections.The party endorsed the proposal on Tuesday evening. The proposal was initiated by the NRM central executive committee (CEC) chaired by President Yoweri Museveni in the Chobe Safari Lodge in Nwoya district last month. During their meeting…
Shoe hawker who won Makerere guild election
In 2017, Julius Kateregga was an ordinary Makerere University student who balanced his time between selling shoes at St Balikuddembe market (Owino) and studying his course. But last week, Kateregga, commonly referred to as KJ, won the guild presidential race. Speaking at The Observer offices, Kateregga said the race had been…
Mao rejects Museveni links, declares 2021 State House bid
Democratic Party leader Norbert Mao yesterday became the fourth politician to declare plans to be on the 2021 presidential ballot and blasted those who say he is again being backed by the incumbent to undermine opposition efforts. He joins ‘People Power’ luminary Robert Kyagulanyi (MP Kyadondo East), Forum for Democratic Change’s…
Rwanda border closure hurting bus operators
Operators of interstate bus services between Uganda and Rwanda are counting heavy losses almost three weeks into the closure of the common border by Rwandan authorities. In Kampala, Trinity Bus Company based on Namirembe road in Kampala is one of the most affected. While the company’s buses also ply the Juba…
Two arrested for trafficking girls for sex trade
Police are holding two people suspected of trafficking Ugandan girls to Oman for sex slavery and exploitation. Emmanuel Ssekayinga and Jane Namusoke were arrested after the repatriation of one of the victims from Oman last month. The victim identified as Noreen Mbabazi was repatriated through efforts by the anti-human trafficking…
UNBS closes Halal water factory over poor hygiene
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has closed down Halal & Twayibah Foods & Beverages factory in Old Kampala over failure to comply with set standards for production of beverages thus putting the health of consumers at a great risk. Barbara Kamusiime, senior public relations officer, UNBS said the factory was…
Doctors opposed to Lubowa hospital project
Ugandan doctors have expressed dismay at government’s move to offer support to a private investor to construct a specialised hospital at the expense of neglecting local hospitals. Dr Ekwaro Obuku the president of Uganda Medical Association (UMA) said the doctors are "disturbed" that government has signed a contract with a consortium…
74 year-old Museveni accepts proposal to run for sixth term
President Yoweri Museveni has 'happily agreed' to contest for sixth term in the 2021 elections, saying he and his NRM party still have an uncompleted mission of taking Uganda to a higher level. Yesterday, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) MPs endorsed Museveni's 2021 sole candidature. Addressing the NRM caucus retreat National Leadership Institute…
Uganda Airlines jets 'arrive next month'
The first two Bombardier jets for the revived Uganda Airlines are scheduled to arrive in the country in the first week of April according the acting Uganda Airlines CEO Ephraim Bagenda. Bagenda said on Monday that the remaining two Bombardier jets will be delivered in July and September respectively. Last year…
AMISOM holds memorial service for Christine Alalo
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Saturday held an inter-denominational memorial service in honour of Ugandan police commissioner, Christine Alalo. The service to celebrate life of Alalo was held at AMISOM headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia. Alalo was among the 157 passengers and crew who perished aboard the Ethiopian…
Two dead in Karamoja after eating WFP porridge
Two people in Karamoja have passed on and several others hospitalised after eating World Food Programme's Super Cereal fortified blended porridge. One person passed away in Amudat on Saturday while another passed away on Sunday in Napak. According to Uganda RedCross Society, the victims appear to suffer mental disorders. Super Cereal is provided…
NRM MPs endorse 'beloved leader' Museveni sole candidature
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) members of parliament have endorsed the party's central executive committee (CEC) resolution to have President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as their sole candidate in the 2021 polls. Last month, the NRM top decision making organ, CEC made the resolution at its retreat at Chobe Safari Lodge…
Minister Odongo orders for deportation of 14 Egyptians
The minister of Internal Affairs Gen Jeje Odongo has directed police to deport 14 Egyptian nationals accused of forging working visas. The 14 suspects include; Moamen Mohammad Hamond, Taher Mahamed, Ahmed Mahmoud, Kotb Mohammed, Abdallah Ehsayed, Mahamed Waled, Moustafa Abdelhamed, Taha Mahamed Farahat, Gamal Anwar, Soleman Badway, Ahmed Mahdy, Ismail Ahamed, Moustafa…
UWA game ranger shot dead
A Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) game ranger, Sgt Philemon Asasira has been shot dead during an operation to crack down against illegal ivory trade. Asasira who was attached to Queen Elizabeth Conservation Area was killed on Friday night in Bwambara sub-county, Rukungiri district.
Malawi floods kill more than 50, displace 200,000
Some 200,000 people in Malawi have been displaced by floods that have affected half of the country’s 28 districts. The government has recorded at least 56 deaths and over 500 injuries, as of Wednesday. Forecasters have warned that more rain is on the way. Many of those affected are in evacuation…
Joyce Banda withdraws from Malawi presidential race
Former Malawian president Joyce Banda, the country's first female leader, has withdrawn from the May presidential election to support the main opposition candidate, Lazarus Chakwera. Ackson Kalaile Banda, spokesperson for Joyce Banda's People's Party, said the group decided to work with the Malawi Congress Party, or MCP, because they realized no…
Munyagwa seeks to block trial in Anti-Corruption court
Kawempe South member of parliament, also Cosase chairperson Mubarak Munyangwa has petitioned the Constitutional court seeking to block his trial in the Anti-Corruption court for fraud.The petition stems from the criminal summons issued by Anti-Corruption court Grade One magistrate, Moses Nabende directing Munyagwa to appear in court on February 15…
Education ministry to revise nursing admission grades
The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB) has called for a review of entry requirements to nursing and midwifery certificate programmes. The board wants a minimum of credits in all the required subjects at ordinary level and principal passes in sciences at advanced level. Currently, the maximum admission level for…
Uganda's lion population drops by 33%
Lions have reduced by 33 per cent in Uganda’s game reserves over the last 10 years. This is according to the findings of a census undertaken in Murchison Falls, Kidepo and Queen Elizabeth national parks. The finding shows that in the three parks, the number of lions has reduced from 600…
C-Section 50 times more deadly in Africa - study
The death rate among women undergoing a C-section to deliver a baby is about 50 times higher in Africa than in most wealthy nations, researchers said Friday. One in 200 women dies during or soon after a cesarean in a sampling of nearly 3,700 births across 22 African countries, they reported…
New Zealand Mosque shootings leave 40 dead; 4 in custody
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said 40 people were killed and more than 20 seriously wounded in mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques full of people attending Friday prayers. Arden described it as “one of New Zealand’s darkest days” and said the events in the city of Christchurch represented “an…
Several hospitalized after eating WFP flour in Amudat
More than 30 people are admitted in Amudat hospital with complications that they allegedly developed after eating porridge distributed by the World Food Programme (WFP).Reports indicate that seven people from two households were rushed to Amudat hospital on Tuesday evening shortly after eating porridge prepared using Super Cereal flour.The flour…
Make Museveni regret holding unto power, Mao to opposition
The Democratic Party president Norbert Mao has said that opposition parties must move away from writing petitions to President Museveni calling for his retirement.Mao says, opposition parties, should instead devise other strategies which will make Museveni realize that his continued stay in power is too dangerous for himself and the…
DPP completes Kirumira murder investigations
The director of public prosecutions (DPP) has completed investigations into the murder of the former Buyende district police commander Muhammad Kirumira. Last month, the case file had been recalled to include a second suspect, Hamuza Mwebe, in addition to main suspsect Abubaker Kalungi. Prosecution alleges that Mwebe, Kalungi and others still…
Makerere lifts MUASA boss suspension
Makerere University has lifted the suspension of Dr Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi, the chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (Muasa). This follows a consent judgement before High court judge Lydia Mugambe on Wednesday.Dr Kamunyu had sued Makerere and the vice-chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe for the suspension, saying it was illegal…
Anti-corruption court denies SK Mbuga's wife Chebet bail
The Anti-corruption court has dismissed a bail application filed by Angella Vivienne Chebet, the wife to city socialite Sulaiman Kabangala also known as SK Mbuga. Chebet is facing charges of fraud, money laundering and obtaining money by false pretence. The prosecution alleges that on April 7, 2015, in Kampala, with…
Bobi: I don’t have to know everything to govern
To be president of the republic of Uganda, Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine argues, he doesn’t have to be an intellectually or economically savvy political strategist. His declaration comes on the coat-tails of fierce critical public opinion of his weak grasp of deep fiscal policy issues when…
Chinese supermarkets shun local goods - traders
When Dorothy Kimuli started her company Kims Natural Chilli Sauce some years back, her dream was to capture the local market. Her first target was supermarkets whose shelves were full of imported chilli. “I started with high hopes. I believed that since I was dealing in organic chilli, my goods would…
Hope fades for Mubende land eviction victims
On the morning of October 9, 2018, Emmanuel Ssebadduka, a Salt TV correspondent in Mubende, received a phone call informing him about a group of unknown machete-wielding men who had raided five villages in the Municipality’s East division the previous night. The attackers had slashed crops and knocked down houses in…
Royals appeal to Kadaga over specialised hospital land
Five members of the Buganda Kingdom royal family have petitioned Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, seeking her help in getting payment for land on which the government plans to build a large, specialised hospital at Lubowa, Wakiso district. Their petition comes on the heels of last week’s letter from President Museveni…
SFC soldiers shoot drunken royal guard
There was gunfire exchange on Tuesday between soldiers under the elite Special Forces Command (SFC) and the royal guard of Rosette Sanders, the queen mother of Alur chiefdom.The incident happened at Nakiwogo close to Entebbe State House and Uganda Virus Research Institute. Richard Kasozi, an eyewitness says the gunshots started when…
Global backlash over Boeing 737 MAX-8 growing after deadly crash
Australia, Singapore and United Kingdom have suspended the Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jet from operating in their respective airspaces, joining a growing list of countries taking precautionary measures involving the troubled plane after its second fatal crash in five months. Airlines in countries across the globe, including China, Indonesia, Brazil…
Thugs attempt to rob Barclays bank in Nakulabye
Old Kampala police station is investigating an attempted robbery by yet-to-be known people at Barclays bank, Nakulabye branch near Gelp petrol station. It is alleged that the two security guards at the bank were drugged by unknown persons who then tried to break into the bank at around 4am today.