Browsing: Uganda

• On 16 November last year, Kizza Besigye and Haji Obeid Lutale were abducted from Nairobi.
• They resurfaced on 20 November when they were arraigned in General Court Martial in Kampala, Uganda and charged with offences relating to security and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
• Kizza Besigye, 68, is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre where he is reported to be in ill health.

Amnsety International has thrown its weight behind increasing calls for authorities in Uganda to release opposition chief Kizza Besigye who is currently on a hunger strike in a military detention centre.

In a statement on Friday, Amnesty International noted that the former presidential candidate who ran against President Yoweri Museveni is grappling with deteriorating health.

Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said: “Ugandan authorities must immediately respect the Supreme Court order, uphold the rule of law …

• Joseph Kony is suspected of 36 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between at least 1 July 2002 until 31 December 2005 in northern Uganda.
• Ugandan Kony is still at large, 19 years after his arrest was ordered by the International Criminal Court.
• On 12 December 2024, ICC judges scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing to start on 9 September 2025, in the absence of the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA).

1. WHO IS JOSEPH KONY?

Joseph Kony was born in September 1961 in Uganda. He is of Acholi ethnicity and a national of Uganda. He is the alleged founder and leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (“LRA”), a Ugandan rebel group that originated in 1987 in northern Uganda among ethnic Acholi communities.

2. IS MR KONY IN THE ICC CUSTODY?

No, the suspect, Joseph Kony, is still at large, 19 years after his arrest was …

• Authorities across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Sudan harassed activists and government critics in spirited attempt to suppress dissent in 2024.
• Human Rights Watch says harassment, intimidation, and arrests of journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition figures intensified.
• In Kenya, senior government officials including President William Ruto threatened the courts for making decisions unfavourable to his administration.

Millions of civilians across countries in East Africa bore the brunt of human rights violations orchestrated by either government security organs or armed groups in 2024, further deteriorating the region’s respect for human rights, a new report by Washington-based Human Rights Watch states.

According to the group’s World Report 2025, authorities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Sudan continued to harass activists and government critics in their spirited attempt to suppress dissent during the year under review.

“Armed forces and armed groups in Sudan and Ethiopia have deliberately targeted civilians and …

• AU Heads of State have been urged to incorporate newly agreed Kampala Declaration’s commitments into national policies and budgets.
• To succeed however, economies must confront climate change, economic instability, and rapid tech evolution head-on to build a resilient agricultural sector.
• By prioritizing resilience, inclusivity, and innovation, the declaration sets a bold precedent for tackling the continent’s most pressing challenges.

The lush shores of Lake Victoria provided a fitting backdrop as African leaders, policymakers, and agricultural stakeholders gathered from January 9th to 11th, 2025, at Kampala’s Speke Resort. The occasion? The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Extraordinary Summit, which culminated in the adoption of Kampala Declaration—a 10-year roadmap for achieving food security and sustainable agricultural growth across the continent.

The Kampala Declaration embodies Africa’s commitment to revitalizing its ailing agrifood systems under the African Union’s Agenda 2063. For this vision to turn into reality, however, Ambassador Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner …

• A staggering $16.2 million from the Bank of Uganda (BoU) was wired into suspect accounts in Japan, audit shows.
• Uganda’s Auditor-General fingers systemic flaws and possible criminal intent in the November 2024 cyber heist.
• Parliament has now forwarded the file for further investigantion by Uganda’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID).

In a high-stakes digital heist, hackers infiltrated Uganda’s treasury systems, siphoning off a staggering $16.2 million (approximately USh60 billion) from the Bank of Uganda (BoU). The theft, first reported in November 2024, sent shockwaves across the country, prompting a forensic audit by the Auditor-General.

The findings of this audit have since ignited intense investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID), laying bare the vulnerability of Uganda’s financial systems.

Auditor-General report on $16.2 million cyber theft

The explosive revelations landed in Parliament on January 9, 2025, where Government Chief Whip Denis Hamison Obua presented the Auditor-General’s report. The report painted …

• Activists and critics are intensifying their opposition to the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), citing concerns over its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts.
• Recent protests erupted in Uganda and Tanzania in response to the announcement that Chinese state-owned entities would fund the controversial pipeline project.
• Delays in financing have caused jitters among investors, leading EACOP shareholders to increase their equity stake from 40% to 52% as the project continues to face scrutiny.

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) is once again at the center of controversy, as activists and critics intensify their opposition to the energy project. Detractors are raising alarms over its potential to inflict severe environmental and socio-economic damage, adding to the growing chorus of opposition.

In a fresh wave of protests, demonstrators took to the streets of Uganda and Tanzania, voicing their dissent against the EACOP project. The peaceful rallies were sparked by a recent …

• When she tested positive for mpox, the news left Anna, a Ugandan, deeply shocked.
• Anna had never imagined that the disease she had been reading about on her smartphone was what she was suffering from. Yet, she did not lose hope.
• As of 18 December 2024, Uganda’s Ministry of Health reports show that 1,089 cumulative mpox cases had been confirmed.

Twenty-year-old Anna Akola smiles, a beautiful wide smile that lights up her whole face. She speaks very softly, and if you are not attentive, you can miss her words. It is hard to believe that this is the same person who, a fortnight ago, was writhing in pain and discomfort in the isolation unit at Pallisa General Hospital in Eastern Uganda.

Anna had been diagnosed with mpox, a viral disease that the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 14 August 2024. …

• With Acumen’s boost, d.light will speed up operations in Uganda, where about 2M people will access electricity for the first time.
• By selling customer receivables to Brighter Life by d.light (BLd) upfront, d.light subsidiaries now have immediate cash flow, enabling them to scale at speed.
• This funding model not only supports financial sustainability but also mitigates currency risks by conducting transactions in local currencies.

For solar-power equipment provider d.light, the journey to lighting homes across East Africa with reliable green energy is fast gaining momentum.

In the latest move, d.light has received a $5 million investment from Acumen’s Hardest-to-Reach (H2R) initiative. This funding is poised to enhance d.light’s presence in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Acumen’s investment in d.light’s multi-country receivables financing facility, Brighter Life by d.light (BLd), aims to expand energy access for underserved communities in East Africa, creating a huge impact on millions of lives.

Acumen’s H2R is a …

• Green building in Uganda is gaining traction with several standout projects showcasing sustainable design and construction.
• Uganda’s green building strategies are rooted in a few key principles, key among them, energy efficiency, biodiversity preservation and use of sustainable materials.
• Projections by the IFC show that investment in green buildings in emerging market cities will hit $24 trillion over the next 10 years.

Uganda is making a stab at establishing itself as a leader in green urbanization in East Africa, leveraging policies such as the Uganda Green Growth Development Strategy (UGGDS). This development blueprint aims to integrate key aspects of sustainability into urban planning through eco-friendly infrastructure, green energy, and resource efficiency.

Kampala, the capital city, is increasingly welcoming green projects with authorities embracing strategies that seek to minimize environmental impact while fostering urban resilience in the face of adverse effects of climate change.

Landmark green building projects

Green building in …

• Bad weather is severely affecting Brazil, and Vietnam’s coffee output.
• Coffee prices are soaring as global supply decreases from the South American countries.
• As Brazil and Vietnam take a hit, East African coffee producers stand to gain as prices increase.

Coffee output in Brazil and Vietnam has taken a hit owing to bad weather affecting global supply, a scenario that could turn the tide in favour of the bean producers from East Africa.

At the moment, Brazil, which is the world’s largest coffee supplier, is facing worsening drought that is expected to further affect the optimum production of the crop in this year.

Since April 2024, rainfall in Brazil has been below the required amount, which has in turn severely affected the flowering of coffee trees and therefore, overall production.

According to the ICE, there is a drastic decline in arabica coffee stocks which are reported to be at a …