FREEMAN NEWS-UG

“Uganda Cannot Industrialise in Darkness” — Capt. Mike Mukula Blasts UEDCL Over Endless Power Outages. See What he said via His official X platform: The increasingly frequent power outages across Uganda are becoming deeply frustrating and unacceptable. Electricity is no longer a luxury it is the bloodstream of a modern economy. Hospitals, factories, schools, businesses, telecommunications and ordinary households cannot function efficiently when power supply is repeatedly interrupted. UEDCL⁠ management must urgently pull up its socks. UEDCL itself acknowledges that parts of the distribution system face overloaded substations and feeders, maintenance requirements and infrastructure constraints, while its current investment programme is intended to address outages, weak infrastructure and poor voltage through refurbishment, automation and substation upgrades.  But Ugandans need to feel these improvements in their homes and businesses not merely read about them in plans and reports. Th...

Parliament Update: Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi has urged the government to include the Bugisu sub-region among areas eligible for compensation over cattle lost during Karamojong raids and insurgency. Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Nakiyi said Bugisu suffered serious raids by the Karamojong from 1987 into the early 2000s, in which people lost both cattle and lives.  He noted that the father of former Budadiri East MP Hon. Isaiah Sasaga was among the victims shot by the raiders. See Videos:-  https://youtu.be/jDQXLefFEU0 He added that Peter Otai’s rebel group, Force Obote Back Again (FOBA), also operated in Bugisu and killed UPM historical figure Hon. Perez Musamali from Namisindwa. Parliament was debating a report of the Presidential Affairs Committee on the status of the ongoing restocking programme in the Lango, Acholi and Teso sub-regions.

  BUSIA, Uganda – In a powerful display of grassroots transformation, thousands of Parish Development Model (PDM) beneficiaries in Samia Bugwe, Busia District, poured out gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni over the weekend as National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Treasurer Ambassador Barbara Nekesa Oundo conducted an intensive orientation and inspection tour of their projects. Nekesa, on a monitoring mission across the region, visited beneficiaries in Busia Town Council, Majanji, Masafu, and Dabani, inspecting a wide range of enterprises funded through the government’s flagship poverty-eradication programme. The projects included coffee farming, matoke (banana) production, piggery, cattle rearing, fish farming, poultry, goat farming, and various small-scale businesses. Crowds of farmers, many of them women and youth, shared stories of how the revolving PDM funds have shifted their households from subsistence to commercial production, boosting incomes and creating l...

MBALE, Uganda — As the world prepares to mark World Sight Day on Thursday, 8 October 2026, Town Eye Clinic in Mbale is rolling out a special community outreach under the global theme “Love Your Eyes.” The clinic is inviting residents of Mbale City and surrounding areas to take advantage of free eye examinations, management of common vision-threatening conditions, and subsidized spectacles. World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October and coordinated by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), focuses global attention on the importance of accessible, available, and affordable eye care. Nearly everyone will experience an eye health issue in their lifetime, yet more than a billion people worldwide still lack the services they need. This year’s campaign continues the multi-year #LoveYourEyes movement, emphasising personal stories, community action, and the call for everyone to prioritise their vision. Town Eye Clinic, located in Malukhu, Mbal...

In a glittering display of party unity and organizational strength, National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Treasurer Ambassador Barbara Nekesa Oundo represented the party Secretariat at a super massive event where NRM Protocol Don Bwana was formally introduced by his wife, Beatrice, before a huge gathering of party leaders, cadres, and supporters. The high-profile function, which drew throngs of NRM faithful, underscored the party’s emphasis on protocol, discipline, and seamless coordination within its structures. As National Treasurer, Nekesa has been a key figure at the Secretariat, overseeing financial administration and supporting nationwide mobilization efforts. Her presence signaled the official endorsement and recognition of Beana’s role in managing the intricate ceremonial and logistical aspects of NRM engagements. Beatrice took center stage in a heartfelt introduction of her husband, highlighting his dedication to the Movement’s values and his contributions to ensuring or...

Busia, Uganda – In a powerful show of grassroots economic transformation, National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Treasurer Barbara Nekesa Oundo continued her monitoring and orientation tour of Parish Development Model (PDM) successful beneficiaries across Busia District this week, where thousands of residents poured out heartfelt gratitude to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for an initiative they credit with lifting households out of poverty. Nekesa, a daughter of Busia and key NRM mobiliser in the Bukedi sub-region, inspected thriving enterprises ranging from coffee plantations and fish ponds to poultry, small-scale trading, and value-addition projects funded through the PDM. Beneficiaries in Samia Bugwe and surrounding areas shared stories of how the government’s flagship programme has shifted their families from subsistence struggles to sustainable income generation. “These funds are meant to fight poverty in our homes, not to buy things that do not grow wealth,” Nekesa told t...

Busia District, Uganda – 15 September 2026 MTN Foundation Uganda has handed over its second MTN ACE Spark Innovation Hub at Busitema University, expanding a nationwide drive to equip young people with future-ready digital skills and entrepreneurial tools. The facility, launched in partnership with the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance and Centenary Technology Services, forms part of a UGX 4 billion three-year investment. The programme will establish four regional digital innovation centres at public universities and refurbish the National ICT Innovation Hub in Nakawa, Kampala. The Busitema hub follows the successful opening of the first centre at Kabale University in western Uganda. Further hubs are planned for Gulu University in the north and Soroti University in the east, creating a strategically distributed network serving all regions of the country. Uganda’s youth, who make up more than 75 percent of the population, increasingly need digital skills and entrepreneurial training ...

UGANDA'S HEALTH TECH REVOLUTION: How Mediconnect is Saving Lives in Remote Communities In the rolling hills of Namisindwa district, a pregnant mother in labor no longer faces a perilous three-hour journey on the back of a boda boda to reach the nearest health centre. Instead, with a simple phone call, a Moto-Ambulance is dispatched to her doorstep within minutes. This is the reality of healthcare delivery in rural Uganda today, thanks to a transformative telemedicine initiative that is redefining access to medical services in some of the country's most isolated communities. Mediconnect Health Solutions (MCHS), a tech-driven health platform implemented by Apsel Investments Ltd, has successfully completed its first phase of operations, connecting over 5,800 residents in the districts of Kayunga and Namisindwa to quality healthcare. The initiative, backed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) through the E-Booster 2.0 programme, is proving that digital tools, community-bas...

NRM’S National Treasurer, Amb Nekesa Joins Nation in Mourning Tooro’s King Oyo: “Though Young, He Was Mature as a Leader” Kampala, Uganda — The National Resistance Movement’s National Treasurer, Ambassador Barbara Nekesa Oundo, has joined the royal family of Tooro & other mourners, the Abatooro, and the wider Ugandan nation in mourning the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, who passed away on Thursday evening, August 27, 2026, at the age of 34. In a heartfelt message of condolence, Amb Nekesa paid tribute to the late monarch’s remarkable leadership, noting the maturity he displayed despite ascending the throne as a young child. “Though young, he was mature as a leader,” she said, reflecting on a reign that spanned more than three decades and left an indelible mark on cultural preservation, youth empowerment, and community development in the Tooro Kingdom and beyond. "King Oyo has been very hardworking, and pushing for developmental programmes in his kingdom a...