FREEMAN NEWS-UG

The government has agreed to pay each household affected by landslides in the Bugisu sub-region Shs18 million to facilitate resettlement, as authorities move to relocate thousands of families living in high-risk areas. Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja said the remaining households would receive the money with immediate effect and have two weeks to vacate the landslide-prone areas. According to the figures presented during a meeting with leaders from the sub-region, 1,100 of the 13,684 households earmarked for resettlement have so far moved to safer areas, including Kween, Bulambuli and Kiryandongo districts. The government wants the remaining families to leave the affected areas to reduce the risk of further loss of life, particularly during the rainy season. Nabbanja said the latest decision followed a directive issued by President Yoweri Museveni during a Cabinet meeting, in which he called for compensation and the relocation of people living in landslide-prone areas of Bugisu. “It is...

By Our Reporter Swift News Chief Executive Officer Frank Kamuntu, popularly known as Mr Swift, has graduated with a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Victoria University, marking another milestone in his academic and professional journey. Kamuntu received the qualification during the university’s 10th Graduation Ceremony, which began on Monday and concludes today at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala. A journalist and media entrepreneur, Kamuntu has built his career around news reporting, digital publishing and technology. His latest academic achievement reflects his commitment to professional development and his determination to deepen his knowledge of journalism and mass communication. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in 2024, Kamuntu pledged not to settle for less, vowing to pursue further studies in the same field. Two years later, he has fulfilled that ambition, adding a master’s qualification to his academic credentials. Reflecting on his journey, Kamuntu acknowledged...

The PLU Sincere Cadres, a grassroots mobilisation team formed and led by Mr. Brian Mauso ahead of the 24 October MK endorsement baraza, has been thrown into uncertainty after their leader joined the very group they previously regarded as a rival. Mr. Mauso had established the parallel outfit and directed activities across suburbs of Mbale City and other parts of the Bugisu Sub-region.  Team members say they were neither consulted nor properly briefed about his decision, leaving many questioning the future of their mobilisation work. A member from Bungokho Mutoto claimed Mr. Mauso has a history of making such moves without informing the team. The development has left grassroots cadres demoralised, especially after they were earlier told the other group had sidelined them. The episode has raised fresh concerns about communication, consultation and coordination within grassroots mobilisation structures ahead of the 24 October rally at Mbale Cricket Grounds.

A sharp internal challenge has erupted within the National Resistance Movement in Manafwa District after the chairperson of the party’s Entrepreneurs League formally accused local leaders of bypassing official recruitment rules and moving ahead with a closed shortlist for the powerful District Administrative Secretary post. In a strongly worded letter dated 18 October 2026 and addressed to the District Chairman, Walimbwa Charles P, Mafumo Kefa of the NRM Entrepreneurs League, Manafwa District, said he had never seen any public advertisement for the vacancy despite clear party guidelines requiring adequate publicity. Yet he had already received an invitation to attend a vetting meeting at which four candidates were reportedly already shortlisted. “I therefore seek clarification on who shortlisted the candidates, the criteria used, where the vacancy was advertised, and whether the recruitment process followed the established guidelines,” Kefa wrote. Invoking the party’s popular slogan “K...

Counsel Paul Mugoya Wanyoto has intervened to reconcile two rival Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) mobilisation factions in Bugisu, in a move aimed at uniting their efforts ahead of the October 24 endorsement Baraza for Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba at Mbale Cricket Ground. The two groups, one led by Hajji Isma Mukakandi and the other by Brian Mauso, had been conducting parallel mobilisation activities amid disagreements over their efforts to mobilise supporters for the event. Wanyoto brought the rival camps together during a reconciliation meeting at his home in Nabweya, Mbale Northern City Division, where both sides pledged to work together towards the success of the gathering. The intervention is expected to strengthen the Bugisu regional organising committee's mobilisation drive as it prepares for the Baraza, which is intended to endorse Gen. Kainerugaba, the PLU national chairman, as a potential successor to President Yoweri Museveni. Wanyoto urged the rival factions to put aside t...

MBALE — In an exclusive interview with this publication, Dr. Magolo John Faith, the former Member of Parliament for Bungokho North and Patriotic Officer (PO) 083 of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has strongly condemned recent moves that appear to sow division among members based on background, insisting that every member serves the same overarching purpose. “All members are for the same purpose regardless of their background,” Magolo stated firmly. He stressed that the current moment should be seized as an opportunity for Bugisu to unite for a common cause rather than engage in “useless fights that taint Bugisu’s picture.” The former legislator, who served Bungokho North in the previous parliament and contested the 2026 parliamentary elections as an independent after losing the NRM primaries, spoke with measured conviction. Having been assigned the rank of Patriotic Officer 083 by PLU Chairman Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba earlier this year, Magolo positioned himself as a voice for c...

MBALE/BULAMBULI — In a significant show of grassroots momentum for Uganda’s emerging political succession conversation, Sheba Nagudi Muloni, the Chairperson of the Bulambuli District Women’s Council, has confirmed she will attend the highly anticipated Mbale City Baraza this Friday to formally endorse General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (popularly known as Gen. MK) as the next President of Uganda. The event, scheduled for October 24, 2026, at the Mbale Cricket Ground, is being organised by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) as both a public baraza and the official launch of Gen. MK’s 2031 presidential endorsement campaign in the Bugisu sub-region. Muloni’s confirmation adds a strong local women’s voice from neighbouring Bulambuli District to what organisers describe as a major mobilisation drive across eastern Uganda. As District Women’s Council Chairperson, she represents thousands of women leaders and members at the grassroots level in a district that forms part of the broader Bugisu cultu...