Author: felix@elixnews.co.ug
Uganda’s efforts to expand affordable family planning through private health facilities face a severe sustainability test following the premature closure of a UK-funded initiative that served over 640,000 women. The nine-month Empowering Women for Better Reproductive Health Outcomes (EMPOWER) project, led by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Uganda and backed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), ended early due to global reductions in official development assistance. Dominic Ashton, Development Director at the British High Commission in Kampala, announced the funding shift at the project’s closure. He warned that Uganda must urgently strengthen domestic financing to sustain…
Benard Feni, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Euro Gold Refinery Uganda Ltd and the Mungu Feni Foundation, has been officially inaugurated as a member of the Board of Directors of Malaria Free Uganda (MFU). The high-profile inauguration ceremony for the 2026–2029 term was presided over by the Minister of Health, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi. The board will serve a three-year term running from September 1, 2026, to August 31, 2029. Feni joins a powerful 16-member team of national leaders tasked with delivering strategic oversight to eliminate malaria as a public health threat. The board is chaired by Kenneth Mugisha,…
A massive Shs 800 billion cost escalation on the African Development Bank-funded Busega–Mpigi Expressway has triggered a high-level government investigation, following the discovery of internal Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) records detailing how a revised road alignment quietly crippled the project. The leaked internal status reports—compiled right before the project was transferred to the Ministry of Works and Transport under the Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) reforms—expose a detailed paper trail of approvals, explosive material spikes, and administrative choices that ultimately forced the contractor to walk away. While the documents stop short of proving explicit criminal corruption,…
A scathing human resource audit by the Inspectorate of Government (IG) has exposed a deeply entrenched system of secret hiring, unmerited promotions, and structural redundancies within the Parliament of Uganda. The investigation, spanning recruitment practices from October 2021 to June 2026, reveals how the Parliamentary Commission systematically locked out qualified Ugandans to favor handpicked candidates. According to the report submitted to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni by the Inspector General of Government, Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, the rot began on September 16, 2021. On this date, the Parliamentary Commission passed a resolution to fill vacancies exclusively through “headhunting” or by pulling…
Mohammed Hamid, Executive Chairman of the AYA Group, has effectively lost physical and operational control of the iconic Pearl of Africa Hotel on Nakasero Hill. Despite national tourism revenue milestones, an unprecedented boom in Uganda’s business tourism, and direct interventions from President Yoweri Museveni, a staggering $167 million USD (approx. UGX 647.9 billion) debt has fractured Hamid’s hospitality empire. What was built to be the crown jewel of Kampala’s skyline has transitioned from a story of private-sector ambition into a cautionary tale of crippling financial defaults, procedural blunders, and sovereign takeover. Uganda’s strategic positioning as a regional hub for international…
The Head of the Office of the National Chairman (ONC), Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has been honoured by Muslim leaders in Wakiso District for her dedicated support toward women’s empowerment, vulnerable communities, and grassroots livelihoods. Namyalo received the special appreciation award from the Mufti of Uganda, His Eminence Sheikh Shaban Ramathan Mubaje, during a Dua prayer and graduation ceremony for Imams and Amirahs at the Namasuba Institute of Technical and Vocational Studies. Wakiso District Khadi, Sheikh Erias Kigozi, described Namyalo as a “mother to the poor,” commending her relentless commitment to defending the interests of the common person. Sheikh Kigozi…
The Shs62 billion Bugisu relocation plan is a necessary intervention, but history warns us that cash hand-outs alone cannot heal a century of ecological and cultural displacement. The government’s newly launched Shs62 billion resettlement programme—which hands a one-off payment of Shs18 million to each vulnerable household in the landslide-prone Bugisu sub-region—is a welcome sign of urgency. Driven by a direct directive from President Yoweri Museveni and executed by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, the initiative aims to rescue more than 13,000 residents from the perilous slopes of Mount Elgon. However, while giving families the autonomy to buy land anywhere in Uganda…
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has urged European investors to take advantage of Uganda’s economic opportunities, particularly in infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and agriculture, saying investment in productive sectors is key to expanding markets, creating jobs and accelerating economic transformation. The President made the remarks today at State House Entebbe during a meeting with European Union Ambassadors and investors, where he highlighted Africa’s growing population and expanding market as a major opportunity for European businesses seeking investment and stronger economic partnerships. “This is what we have been advising our European friends to look at,because Africa is a big potential market with its…
Uganda has signed a cooperation agreement with Denmark to strengthen the country’s statistical systems and improve the production and use of official data for planning, policymaking and the green transition. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), Statistics Denmark and the Embassy of Denmark in Uganda during the second day of the Uganda-European Union Business Forum held at Kampala Serena Hotel. The signing was witnessed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and State Minister for Trade, Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, according to the Danish Embassy in Uganda. The agreement establishes a framework for…
The Bank of Uganda (BoU) has signed a seismic technical assistance agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to radically overhaul how the national financial sector handles climate risks and green credit. Presided over by Deputy Governor Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, the game-changing partnership activates a massive framework to systematically unlock US$28.1 billion (approx. Shs 106 Trillion) in private and international climate capital by 2030, completely reshaping operations for local commercial lenders. Presided over by BoU Deputy Governor Prof. Augustus Nuwagaba, the partnership will provide advisory support to help the central bank guide commercial banks in managing climate-related physical and transition…