President Yoweri Museveni launched his 2026 reelection bid on Tuesday in Luweero District, where his guerrilla movement began its armed struggle four decades ago. The National Resistance Movement candidate told supporters at Bukalasa Agricultural College that his government would move all citizens into the money economy through existing development programs. He said 67 percent of Ugandans had already joined the formal economy, and his administration would target the remaining third during the next term.
Luweero remains one of the country's poorest areas, despite its historical significance to the ruling party. Statistics show 19 percent of district residents live below the poverty line, while subsistence farming dominates the rural...
Police prevented National Unity Platform presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi from reaching his scheduled rally at Bukungu landing site in Buyende District on Tuesday. Security forces deployed teargas trucks to block the main roads and forced his convoy onto remote village paths. Kyagulanyi told supporters that authorities wanted to hide both his popular backing and the difficult conditions facing residents at the landing site.
The detour extended the journey significantly as the convoy traveled through dusty rural roads. Large crowds of residents still came out to greet him along the route in what party officials described as a display of grassroots support despite government interference. Kyagulanyi accused officials of...
Uganda's National Unity Platform released its parliamentary candidates for the Buganda region on Monday, excluding several incumbent lawmakers from the 2026 ballot. The opposition party dropped Mityana Woman MP Joyce Bagala and Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Ssegona from its roster despite their prominence in the current Parliament. Party officials described the selection as a strategic overhaul aimed at strengthening representation in central Uganda.
The new lineup features Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya running for Kampala Central Division, and Deputy Spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro seeking the Nakawa East Division seat. Lawyer Nalukoola Elias Luyimbaazi will compete for Kawempe North, while Mityana Municipality MP Zaake...
Uganda partnered with the World Bank on Tuesday to release its 25th Economic Update, focusing on revenue growth through digital tools and better spending practices. The report examined how technology can help close funding gaps and improve public services across the country. Patrick Ocailap from the Treasury Department emphasized expanding the tax base rather than raising existing rates on citizens. He pointed to digital stamps on consumer products as a key tool for revenue collection.
The Digital Tax Stamps program started in 2019 to track excisable goods like alcohol, soft drinks, cement, and tobacco products. Each item receives a unique stamp that allows authorities to verify tax payments and combat illegal trade. By mid-2023, more...
Ugandan opposition leader Mugisha Muntu announced his Alliance for National Transformation party will pursue strict anti-corruption measures if elected in 2026. The party blames graft for government waste and service delivery failures that cost Uganda approximately $2.6 billion annually. ANT plans to enforce harsh penalties against corrupt officials through asset recovery and public exposure while strengthening oversight agencies such as the Inspectorate of Government.
The party's plan emphasizes merit-based hiring and independent institutions led by honest officials. Muntu argues that current anti-corruption bodies remain weak because corrupt leaders control them. His government would impose accountability from the top down, starting...
Ugandan opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi aims to reduce the cabinet to 20 ministers and decrease the number of legislators if voters elect him in 2026. The National Unity Platform leader stated on Monday that President Yoweri Museveni has allowed wasteful spending and corruption to drain resources from healthcare, education, and water services. Kyagulanyi blamed excessive debt and uncontrolled supplementary budgets for undermining fiscal discipline across government operations.
Uganda has 529 lawmakers in one of Africa's largest parliaments, relative to its population size. Members of Parliament receive new vehicle allowances every five years, regardless of whether they win re-election. The opposition manifesto calls for...
Uganda's National Resistance Movement plans to establish a state-backed marketing company to facilitate the sale of agricultural products across Africa and beyond. The proposed National Marketing Company would handle branding, quality standards and export logistics for commodities that generated $13.2 billion in sales by June 2025. Party officials said the platform would address trade barriers that have led to bans on Ugandan milk, sugar and eggs in regional markets.
The initiative draws from successful models in Ethiopia and Kenya, where government agencies helped boost coffee and horticulture exports through coordinated quality controls and price negotiations. Regional buyers currently purchase nearly half of Uganda's exports, with...
Uganda's military-owned National Enterprise Corporation has secured a contract to guard nearly 300 kilometers of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline through a joint venture with Dubai firm SKA-International Group. The agreement signed on Monday with China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering covers security operations from Hoima to the Tanzanian border along the $5 billion pipeline route. Lt. Gen. James Mugira called the deal a strategic achievement for the country's energy sector during a ceremony in Kampala.
The 1,443-kilometer heated pipeline will carry waxy crude from Uganda's Albertine Graben oil fields to Tanzania's port of Tanga after production begins. Authorities estimate the project could generate $2 billion yearly once operators...
Ugandan opposition leader Mugisha Muntu has promised to restore presidential term limits if voters elect him in 2026, arguing the country cannot achieve stable leadership transitions without constitutional constraints on executive power. The Alliance for National Transformation candidate released his party manifesto on Monday in Kampala, where he said Uganda has never witnessed a peaceful democratic handover since gaining independence in 1962. Muntu noted that every former president has either fled into exile or faced instability after leaving office, creating a system where leaders fear stepping down.
The retired military commander proposed reinstating a maximum of two five-year terms for presidents, calling the current arrangement a...
