Browsing: Uganda

• 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 …

• Uganda has digitized land management system to ease transactions.
• Real estate stakeholders urged to align with the new digital system.
• Stakeholders cautioned to conduct due diligence along with use of the new system.

Authorities in Kampala have launched what they call as the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS), a digital platform which the country’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is banking on to modernize management of the key resource.

According to an update from the ministry, the initiative seeks to eliminate inefficiencies in land management in the country. The ministry says that by digitizing land records, they will be able to enhance transparency and accessibility to vast array of land records.

“The system is a significant step toward transforming land services and boosting public trust…the UgNLIS manages spatially-referenced data for land registration, valuation, planning, and administration across Uganda,” reads the report in part.

“The digital system is …

• Sub-Saharan Africa economic growth remains stuck in “low gear” with a large youth population at risk of being left behind—The World Bank.
• Currently, seven in 10 children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to pre-primary education.
• The World Bank says stabilizing economies and transforming education to equip the region’s growing workforce with stronger foundational skills and market-relevant expertise is critical.

Despite signs of a fragile economic recovery, Sub-Saharan Africa economic growth remains stuck in “low gear” with a large youth population at risk of being left behind. According to the latest analysis by the World Bank’s Africa Pulse, two factors are critical to jumpstart inclusive growth: stabilizing economies and transforming education to equip the region’s growing workforce with stronger foundational skills and market-relevant expertise.

The report, which is in its 30th edition and on the theme of Transforming Education for Inclusive Growth, says economic activity in the region …