FREEMAN NEWS-UG

Mbale, Uganda – In a heartfelt message reflecting the deep ties between political and spiritual leadership in the Bugisu sub-region, Mbale District Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Miriam Mukhaye has congratulated The Very Rev. Canon Eridad Milton Shissa following his election as the 9th Bishop of Mbale Diocese. The House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda elected Canon Shissa on Friday, 30 October 2026, during a sitting at Syamalede Archdeaconry headquarters in Busia District, Bukedi Diocese. The announcement was made by the Provincial Secretary, Rev. Canon Captain William Ongeng. Canon Shissa will succeed the Rt. Rev. John Wilson Nandaah, the 8th Bishop of Mbale Diocese, and is scheduled to be consecrated and enthroned on Sunday, 24 January 2027, at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Mbale. In her congratulations message, Hon. Mukhaye, who represents Mbale District in Parliament, hailed the election as a moment of divine favour and continuity for the Anglican faithful in the diocese. She descri...

The Chief Magistrate’s Court in Nakawa has dramatically overturned the election of National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Godfrey Luyombya as directly elected councillor for Nakawa Division II, instead declaring National Resistance Movement (NRM) contender Kitosi Emmanuel the validly elected winner. In a judgment delivered on 29 October 2026, Chief Magistrate Adoko Joe Fay ruled in favour of Kitosi, who was represented by Masiko Namara Advocates. The court found that Kitosi had successfully proved electoral non-compliance that substantially affected the results and had presented sufficient numerical evidence to justify his declaration as the rightful winner. The magistrate nullified the Electoral Commission’s earlier declaration of Luyombya as the victor of the 22 January 2026 election and ordered him to vacate the councillor’s office with immediate effect. The court further directed the Electoral Commission to gazette Kitosi as the validly elected directly elected councillor for Naka...

As Primary Seven candidates across Uganda report for briefing ahead of the 2026 Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), Mbale District Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Mariam Mukhaye has extended warm wishes for success while issuing a strong call for discipline and parental vigilance during the long holiday period that follows. Speaking in a message of encouragement to the thousands of P7 candidates who begin the official UNEB process today, Hon. Mukhaye wished the learners success in their final primary examinations. She urged them to remain focused, take good care of themselves, and deliberately avoid involvement in negative or harmful activities once the exams conclude and the extended holidays begin. “I wish all our P7 candidates the very best as they start the UNEB process today. Take care of yourselves and stay away from wrong things during the long holidays that lie ahead,” she said in her message of support. Hon. Mukhaye further appealed to parents and guardians to exercise heighte...

Mbale – Mbale District NRM Chairman Moses Wambogo has wished Primary Seven candidates across the district and the wider Bugisu sub-region every success as they begin the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) Primary Leaving Examinations process today. Speaking on Friday as candidates reported for official briefing ahead of the written papers scheduled for early next week, Wambogo congratulated the pupils for reaching this important milestone in their education. He encouraged them to remain focused, confident and disciplined throughout the examination period. “I want to wish all our P7 candidates the very best as they start the UNEB process today,” Wambogo said. “You have worked hard. Stay calm, read carefully, and do your best. Success is within your reach.” Looking beyond the exams, the NRM chairman urged the candidates to use the long holiday period responsibly. He specifically asked them to avoid involvement in wrong activities that could derail their future. “After the exams, y...

Kampala’s courtrooms are in the final stretch of a high-stakes legal battle that will decide who controls Uganda’s capital for the next five years. With the judiciary’s strict 60-day deadline of 13 November 2026 fast approaching, lawyers handling the ruling National Resistance Movement’s election petition cases in Buganda have now taken the unusual step of formally petitioning the NRM Secretariat over delayed payments — even as the cases continue. According to multiple sources familiar with the matter, several NRM-aligned counsel representing declared winners and, in some instances, the Electoral Commission have continued working largely on credit or deferred payment arrangements. The lawyers, who say retainers have been incomplete or delayed despite the intense workload of multiple concurrent petitions, have moved to petition the Secretariat for settlement of outstanding fees. The cases themselves have not been abandoned; advocates remain in court as judgments and final submissions lo...

SIRONKO, Uganda — In a gesture of solidarity that brought relief to vulnerable households, Hajji Abdallah Difee, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Chairman for Sironko Town Council, on Thursday distributed maize flour to families of widows, elderly persons, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and other needy residents across the town council. The donation, sourced through successful lobbying with the international charity organisation Convoy of Hope, reached dozens of households on October 29, 2026. Residents expressed deep gratitude, describing the support as timely amid rising living costs and food insecurity challenges facing many families in the area. Difee personally oversaw the distribution, ensuring the maize flour reached intended beneficiaries in various cells and wards of Sironko Town Council. Local leaders and community members noted that the initiative specifically prioritised the most vulnerable, including widows struggling to provide for their children, elderly resident...

In a powerful show of regional solidarity, Hon. Muhamood Masaba Mutenyo, the National Resistance Movement Member of Parliament for Bungokho Central County in Mbale District, has formally endorsed Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba for the presidency in 2031 and beyond. The declaration came during a large-scale historic endorsement ceremony and Baraza held at Mbale Cricket Grounds in Mbale City last weekend. Thousands of residents from Mbale City and the wider Bugisu sub-region—including the districts of Mbale, Sironko, Bulambuli, Bududa, Manafwa and Namisindwa—filled the grounds on Saturday, 24 October 2026. The gathering formed part of the Patriotic League of Uganda’s (PLU) ongoing nationwide drive to mobilise support for Gen. Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and PLU Chairman, as the preferred successor to President Yoweri Museveni in the 2031 elections. Hon. Masaba Mutenyo, a first-term legislator who previously served as Mayor of Mbale City’s Industrial Division, used the platform to ...

MBALE — A local journalist has urged residents of Nyondo and surrounding areas in Mbale District to actively survey and document their land amid growing government interest in mapping natural mineral deposits, following recent soil sampling operations by a Chinese team. Arnold Musamali, a Mbale-based journalist, has called on natives in Nyondo, Fumu, Nabumali and other parts of the district to take stock of their properties. His appeal comes as authorities push efforts to identify locations rich in natural minerals. The call highlights concerns over transparency, community awareness and potential future claims on land where valuable deposits may exist. A few weeks ago, a team of Chinese nationals moved through the areas of Nyondo, Fumu and Nabumali equipped with machines. They collected soil samples to determine the presence and locations of minerals. According to reports reaching local communities, the targeted minerals include gold, mercury and other natural resources. The sampling e...

Kampala leaders who successfully defended Constitution Square against commercial development have been urged to channel the same unity and resolve into protecting Nakivubo Settlement School, a critical affordable education facility serving low-income families in the city centre. In a strongly worded statement released this week, Dr. Emmanuel Serunjoji, Mayor of Kawempe Division and Chairman of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Environment and Natural Resources Committee, expressed deep gratitude to those who stood firm to preserve the historic public green space.  He specifically thanked His Worship the Lord Mayor, the Leader of the Opposition, Kampala Members of Parliament, the KCCA Executive Director, the City Executive Committee, Division Mayors, the Authority Council, and all others who resisted pressures to convert the square. “You will always be remembered as people who stood up for environmental conservation and the protection of public green spaces in the face of co...

Kampala — Budadiri East Member of Parliament Hon. Julius Nakiyi has demanded that former shareholders of the defunct Crane Bank appear before Parliament to account for the outstanding UGX 219 billion reportedly still owed to the Bank of Uganda nearly a decade after the central bank took over the lender. The lawmaker, a Certified Public Accountant known for his focus on financial oversight and accountability, argues that the prolonged non-recovery of the funds raises serious questions about transparency in the resolution of one of Uganda’s most high-profile bank failures.  He wants the former owners to explain why the amount remains unpaid and to outline any steps being taken—or not taken—to settle the obligation. Nakiyi’s intervention underscores growing parliamentary interest in protecting public resources tied up in the Crane Bank receivership. Bank of Uganda placed Crane Bank under statutory management in October 2016 after determining it was significantly undercapitalised and p...

KAMPALA – In a sharp intervention that has reignited national debate over the state of Uganda’s electricity distribution, Office of the National Chairman (ONC) Manager Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo has demanded higher levels of accountability and transparency in the power sector. Speaking out amid growing public frustration, Namyalo specifically questioned the performance of the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), citing persistent blackouts, lengthy delays in connecting new customers, and the burden of high electricity tariffs that continue to strain households and businesses across the country. “Ugandans deserve better,” she asserted, calling on government and oversight institutions to thoroughly investigate the use of public funds allocated to the sector. She urged authorities to strengthen service standards and guarantee that citizens finally access reliable and reasonably priced electricity. Her remarks come at a time when UEDCL, which took over the national distribu...

A massive crowd filled Mbale Cricket Grounds on Saturday, October 24, 2026, turning the venue into a sea of energy, national flags, and patriotic fervor as the Bugisu sub-region formally endorsed Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba for the 2031 presidential race. The Muhoozi Kainerugaba Museveni (MKM) Bugisu Endorsement Launch Baraza drew thousands of supporters from Mbale City’s Northern Division and across the wider Bugisu sub-region. Organizers had spent days mobilizing, deploying branded vans and coordinating with local leaders. By the time the event got underway, the grounds were packed, with people waving Uganda’s black-yellow-red flag and chanting in support of the general, who chairs the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU). Senior figures joined the gathering. PLU General Secretary Hon. Fadil Twalla, Deputy Director for Mobilisation Henry Basaliza Mutegeki, State Minister for Public Service Hon. Lydia Wanyoto, and PLU Coordinator for Greater Mukono Jimmy Lwanga were am...

In a powerful boost to education and youth empowerment in Sironko District, Hon. Asha Mafabi Nabulo has secured full bursaries for 11 deserving students to pursue higher education at Metropolitan International University. The initiative has given these young people a second chance at their academic dreams after financial barriers nearly derailed their futures . Among the beneficiaries are Masaba Joshua Pison and Nafuna Priscilla, who openly expressed deep gratitude to Hon. Asha for intervening at a critical moment when their families could not afford university fees. The students revealed that they had remained at home since completing Senior Six, held back solely by the lack of resources needed to continue their studies. They described the bursaries as a true life-changing opportunity that has restored their hope and opened the door to a brighter future. The beneficiaries thanked Hon. Asha Mafabi Nabulo for her investment in their education and pledged to support her work while mobili...

Budadiri East Member of Parliament Julius Nakiyi, accompanied by Budadiri Town Council Mayor Andrew Wodero, on Friday presented a formal request to Ministry of Finance officials in Kampala seeking the inclusion of funds for the construction of permanent Town Council offices in the 2027/2028 National Budget. The delegation met with ministry technocrats and tabled the proposal for a dedicated administrative block to serve the growing urban centre. Officials acknowledged the submission and requested supporting documentation — including technical designs, cost estimates, land ownership details and prioritisation justification — before undertaking a full review and advising on the way forward. Nakiyi and Wodero emphasised that the absence of proper office facilities has long hampered service delivery, record-keeping and the effective coordination of local government programmes in Budadiri. A permanent structure, they argued, would strengthen institutional capacity, improve accountability an...

Sironko District Woman Member of Parliament Hon. Asha Mafabi Nabulo has thrown her weight behind the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) with a substantial financial contribution of UGX 2 million, aimed at bolstering preparations for a major endorsement ceremony scheduled for tomorrow in support of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, popularly known as MK. The donation, made by the sitting legislator who is herself an active member of the PLU, is intended to facilitate logistical arrangements, mobilisation efforts, and other organisational needs for the event that is expected to formally rally support behind Gen. Muhoozi. Sources close to the preparations indicate the funds will help cover costs related to venue setup, transport for supporters, publicity materials, and coordination of grassroots mobilisation in the lead-up to the ceremony. Hon. Asha’s contribution comes at a critical moment as the PLU intensifies activities surrounding the planned endorsement of Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. The genera...

MBALE — In a clear show of political muscle ahead of a high-stakes endorsement ceremony, Hajji Mafabi Lumolo Suliman, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Chairperson for Sironko District, has injected UGX 10 million into the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) to bankroll preparations for tomorrow’s baraza in Mbale City. The veteran district leader personally handed over the cash contribution to Paul Wonyoto, the host of the event, underscoring his full backing for the PLU-organised ceremony set to endorse MK. The timely financial boost is expected to strengthen logistics, mobilisation and ground operations for the gathering, which organisers say will draw supporters from across the region. Hajji Mafabi’s gesture comes as the PLU intensifies its political outreach, positioning the endorsement baraza as a key moment in the broader campaign to consolidate support. Local political observers note that the Sironko NRM chairperson’s contribution signals strong alignment between established p...

Kampala’s Future on Trial: As Courts Race Toward Final Judgments, the Battle for Control of the Capital Intensifies. What You Need To Know:  The corridors of Kampala’s magistrate and High Court buildings are thick with tension. With less than a month left on the judiciary’s strict 60-day timeline for resolving the flood of local council election petitions, the fight for who will control Uganda’s capital for the next five years has moved decisively from the ballot box to the courtroom—and the legal bills are mounting. At the heart of this high-stakes contest stands the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, against the youthful National Unity Platform (NUP) of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine. What began as a fiercely contested local council election has become a war of attrition, with 94 petitions lodged in magistrate courts and 17 in the High Court from Kampala alone—out of 346 petitions filed nationwide. These n...

Education Minister Peter Ogwang confirms traditional school will be renovated following Budadiri East MP Julius Nakiyi’s motion of national importance The long-awaited restoration of Masaba Secondary School is finally on the horizon. Education and Sports Minister Hon. Peter Ogwang on Wednesday confirmed before Parliament that Masaba Secondary School (Masaba SSS) in Budadiri East has been officially included on the list of traditional schools earmarked for comprehensive renovation by the Government of Uganda. The announcement came after Budadiri East Member of Parliament, Hon. Julius Nakiyi, raised a matter of national importance, urging the government to restore the once-proud institution to its former glory. “Masaba Secondary School has been included among the traditional schools scheduled for renovation,” Minister Ogwang told the House, drawing applause from several Members of Parliament, particularly those from the Bugisu sub-region. The confirmation has injected fresh hope into the...

Kampala, Uganda — In a defining moment for Uganda’s digital future, Hon. Joyce Nabbosa Ssebugwawo, Minister of State for ICT and National Guidance (Information), officially launched the country’s National Data Strategy on 20 October 2026 at the Mestil Hotel in Kampala. The five-year blueprint (2026/27–2030/31) sets a shared national direction for how Uganda will manage, protect, share and use data as a strategic asset to drive development, improve public services and support economic transformation. The launch, held under the theme “Unlocking the Power of Data for Uganda’s Transformation,” brought together government officials, development partners including UN Global Pulse Uganda and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), private-sector leaders, academia and civil society. It marks a deliberate shift from treating data as a passive administrative byproduct to wielding it as a national economic asset essential for evidence-based planning, decision-making and service delivery....

As the Ugandan government began disbursing a one-off resettlement package of Shs18 million to households living in landslide-prone areas of the Bugisu sub-region on Tuesday, a sharp critique has emerged accusing local leaders of betraying their people by accepting a flat rate that fails to reflect the true cost of land, homes and livelihoods in the Mount Elgon area. In a strongly worded opinion, commentator Gemei Clyne argued that the compensation, announced by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja following a Cabinet decision, is “foolhardy” and inadequate. Clyne pointed out that land prices in Bugisu make the package unrealistic even for bare land alone. “I don’t know of any area in Bugisu where an acre of land costs less than 20m,” Clyne wrote. “Therefore, even if the 18m is for land purchase alone, consideration for the cost of relocation and construction of a simplest mud and wattle structure has not been factored.” The government package, part of a Shs62 billion programme targeting 1,4...

Former Bungokho North Member of Parliament John Faith Magolo has called on residents to exercise patience while the Prime Minister and local leaders work to resolve the deadly clashes between communities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) in the forest area. Speaking on Tuesday during a mobilisation meeting in Bubyangu Sub-county, Magolo addressed the recent violence that has left several people dead and others seriously injured. He urged the affected communities to remain calm as high-level efforts continue to bring an end to the confrontations. The former legislator made the remarks while encouraging residents to turn out in large numbers for the October 24 endorsement event for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, popularly known as Gen. MK, scheduled to take place at Mbale Cricket Ground. Magolo emphasised that the ongoing tensions between local communities and UWA require careful handling by the Prime Minister’s office working alongside local leaders. He stressed that patience from resi...

Budadiri East Member of Parliament Hon. Julius Nakiyi has called on the government to urgently renovate and upgrade Masaba Secondary School in Sironko District. Hon. Nakiyi notes that the school has produced thousands of responsible citizens over the years and was once one of the leading educational institutions in Eastern Uganda. He stresses the need for swift government intervention to restore the school’s former glory, improve the learning environment, and guarantee quality education for current and future students.  The MP believes renovating and upgrading Masaba Secondary School would be a vital investment in education and in the future of young people in Sironko District and the wider Bugisu sub-region. It should be noted that Masaba Senior Secondary School is a historic co-educational public school located in Budadiri Town Council, Sironko District, in the Bugisu sub-region of eastern Uganda that was established in the early 1950's.

Victoria University Vice Chancellor Prof. Lawrence Muganga has credited the late Rajiv Ruparelia with helping shape the institution’s focus on practical learning, innovation and expanding access to higher education. Rajiv, the son of businessman Dr. Sudhir Ruparelia, died in a road accident on May 3, 2025, aged 35. More than a year after his death, his contribution to Victoria University continues to feature in discussions about the institution’s growth and its approach to preparing graduates for the job market.Send Condolences Under his influence, the university strengthened its emphasis on equipping students with practical skills, embracing technology and aligning academic programmes with the changing demands of the workplace. Bridging the Gap Between Education and Employment Rajiv’s vision challenged the traditional approach to higher education, which often places greater emphasis on academic qualifications than on the practical application of knowledge.Send Condolences At Victoria ...

KAMPALA Uganda (UGNEWSLINE) – Six authors affiliated with Victoria University have launched their books during the university’s 10th graduation ceremony held between October 19 and 20th, 2026. The joint book launch was one of the activities held alongside the graduation celebrations, with the authors presenting copies of their publications to the university’s Chancellor, Prof. John Opuda-Asibo, in recognition of their contributions to knowledge and intellectual development. The books explore a range of subjects, including artificial intelligence, leadership, environmental sustainability, personal development and professional success. Prof. Opuda-Asibo congratulated the authors for investing their time, commitment and expertise in writing books that share knowledge and experiences with the public. He described book writing as a means of empowering people by providing critical knowledge that can help address societal challenges, including poverty and illiteracy, while promoting economic ...