Uganda clears all 60 contacts of Kenyan Ebola case Uganda has discharged all 60 people who came into contact with a Kenyan traveller who tested positive for Ebola after they completed the mandatory 21-day monitoring period without developing symptoms, the ministry of Health has announced. Health minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi said none of the contacts had tested positive for the disease, adding that Uganda had not recorded a new Ebola case since declaring the end of its outbreak in July. observer.ug/news/uganda-clea…

Bill to change election of Leader of Opposition gazetted The Bill proposes that all opposition MPs elect the LoP, replacing the current arrangement under which the opposition party with the largest number of MPs selects the officeholder. It would also require opposition MPs to approve the Shadow Cabinet, introduce additional grounds for removing the LoP, and widen consultations on appointments to opposition leadership positions. observer.ug/news/bill-to-cha…

Passenger arrested with 1,000 marijuana rolls aboard Arua bus “Upon search of his luggage, over 1,000 sticks of rolled suspected marijuana were recovered. When he was subjected to interrogation, the suspect claimed that the narcotics were intended for sale to workers at Kinyara Sugar Plantation in Masindi district,” Angucia said. observer.ug/news/passenger-a…

Something for you in #cinema, Other Mommy Other Mommy is a supernatural thriller about an eight-year-old girl trying to survive the supernatural entity pretending to be her mother. observer.ug/lifestyle-entert… #movie #film

The Girl Child Has Seen Days: Ernest Bazanye on writing, comedy and doing it himself The Girl Child Has Seen Days is a story Ugandan readers may feel they have encountered many times before in novels, on television and in countless other forms of storytelling. Ernest Bazanye, though, has a different reason for his version. It is funny. Rather than treating the plot as something precious that must carry the entire weight of the story, Bazanye uses it as a framework for what he really enjoys: putting funny people in ridiculous situations and seeing what happens next. observer.ug/lifestyle-entert…

Government reaffirms Shs 2bn pledge to South Africa returnees The money is expected to cushion the Ugandans who lost their source of livelihood when they left South Africa. President Yoweri Museveni pledged Shs 2bn to a new Sacco that the returnees were urged to form as a financial buffer. observer.ug/news/government-…

Court orders businessman Shukla to deposit Shs 5bn in Bank of Baroda debt dispute The Court of Appeal has ordered Mukesh Shukla, proprietor of Shumuk Aluminium Industries Limited, to deposit Shs 4.8 billion and $36,870.02 within 30 days as security for an outstanding debt owed to Bank of Baroda (Uganda) Limited observer.ug/news/court-order…

Atwine orders stricter Ebola screening at DRC border crossings Health ministry permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine criticised immigration officers at the Mpondwe-Lhubiriha border, accusing some of allowing Congolese nationals into Uganda without adequate checks. Atwine warned that officials found facilitating unauthorised crossings risk arrest and dismissal. She urged the public, particularly residents of border communities, to remain vigilant, saying Uganda remained at risk because of its proximity to the outbreak and the movement of people across the border. observer.ug/news/atwine-orde…

Deputy Mufti seeks Nigerian High Commission CCTV footage in $288,000 gold fraud case Mufti Sheikh Muhammad Haruna Bukenya, who is accused of obtaining $288,000 (about Shs 1.2 billion) cash from Muhammad Kwaido under the pretext of selling him three kilogrammes of gold, says the August 6, 2026 CCTV recording could provide an objective account of the events and help establish the facts before the relevant authorities. observer.ug/news/deputy-muft…

Police paid Makerere Shs 59.32m to transcribe Besigye audio recordings Detective Inspector Benedict Odyek testified that the recordings, extracted from electronic devices submitted for forensic examination, ran for 24 hours, 43 minutes and 15 seconds. He said Makerere charged Shs 40,000 per minute for the transcription. observer.ug/news/police-paid… #BesigyeTrial

Inside Parliament’s hunt for ghost staff “This exercise has shown us that there were people earning free money from Parliament,” one source said. “Most of them do not even know the departments where they belong or work from, while others were seen wandering around looking for where to seek [assistance]. In actual sense, their faces would tell that they do not belong here.” Another staff member put it bluntly: “Every staff member is appearing and presenting their documents, qualifications and promotions. How did you get the promotion? Do you have the qualifications, and how did you join? It is basically a look into former Speaker Anita Among’s human resource practices.” observer.ug/news/inside-parl…

How a ban on charcoal threatens survival for urban vendors Ivan, a charcoal seller in Kamwokya, explained that many vendors took out loans through government poverty-alleviation initiatives like the Parish Development Model to stock their businesses. Abed, a chapati and rolex vendor in Kamwokya, spends about Shs 50,000 every two weeks on charcoal, fearing that shifting to gas will inflate his overhead costs. Similarly, Scovia, who runs a small eatery in Kiira, spends roughly Shs 30,000 a week on charcoal. observer.ug/news/how-a-ban-o…. .

Parliament orders removal of MPs’ phone numbers from public platforms Tayebwa said investigations had established that fraudsters were obtaining MPs’ telephone numbers through Google searches and parliamentary websites before using them to solicit money under false pretences. Several MPs have reportedly received persistent calls from individuals claiming to need financial assistance or impersonating senior government officials to solicit money. observer.ug/news/parliament-…

How poverty, stress silently kill Ugandans Dr Nassanga believes financial stress, changing diets, and declining physical activity are contributing to the problem. “The non-communicable diseases have been there, but we’re stressed. People are poor. People are stressed, the lifestyle, the food that people are eating. Gone are the days when people used to walk long distances and take part in physical activities – community games, football and netball matches,” she said. observer.ug/news/how-poverty…

Court upholds Nameere’s election despite recount irregularities In a judgment delivered by Justice Bernard Namanya, the court ruled that although there were irregularities in the recount of votes, the petitioner, Nalubowa had failed to prove that they substantially affected the election results. “In conclusion, although the recount was conducted in non-compliance with the electoral law after the integrity of several electoral materials had been compromised, the petitioner, Nalubowa Rose did not prove that the figures certified by the Chief Magistrate were erroneous,” reads the judgment in part. “Even if those excluded (1,353 votes) were added to Nalubowa Rose’s tally, her total would rise to 24,529 votes, leaving Nameere Justine ahead by 973 votes. The exclusion of the 1,353 actual votes therefore did not affect the election results in a substantial manner observer.ug/news/court-uphol… #UGVotes26

High court dismisses Mabirizi’s appeal against CDF Muhoozi, PLU Mabirizi’s complaint stemmed from the launch of the PLU on February 7, 2024, at Plot 7, Sandler Lane, Naguru, Kampala. He accused the respondents, most of them politicians, of managing or assisting in managing an unlawful society, conspiracy to commit a felony, holding themselves out as members of an unlawful society, and making speeches intended or likely to encourage support for such a society. The PLU is a pressure group associated with efforts to mobilise support for Muhoozi’s presidential ambitions. On the allegation that the PLU was an unlawful society, Wolimbwa said the supporting affidavit did not identify any declaration, instruction, decision or course of action showing that the organisation intended to interfere with or resist the administration of justice. He emphasised that supporting the political ambitions of a serving military officer did not, in itself, automatically render an organisation unlawful. observer.ug/news/high-court-…

Could the Gashumba saga with Pentecostals be a smokescreen for bigger storm? We love gossip and gossip loves idle and gullible Ugandans. Over the past week or so, it emerged that government entered into one of the worst-ever deals to lease off vehicle number plates production. What’s more, the elephant in the room is the spiraling fall of the shilling! But everything just seems to be normal. Yeah…the number plates Gordon Wavamunno used to provide for just Shs 100,000 are now costed at Shs 720,000. And everything is supposed to be normal because they are ‘digital numberplates.’ We really are a nation of jokers. As a result, hundreds of billions have been lost in this scheme. But just as the public comes to terms with the extent of the loss, a totally uncalled-for battle emerged regarding spiritual miracles to divert us. observer.ug/viewpoint/could-…

#Uganda’s youth are sleeping on a global #technology opportunity In those markets, much of the routine work involved in developing technology products is being commoditized. Tools such as Codex, Claude, Lovable and Replit are lowering the barrier to building software. Founders who once needed a sizeable development team to get an idea off the ground can now prototype, test, and ship with fewer people. Here is what matters to a young person in Kampala, Gulu or Mbarara: the companies being created in these Western markets still need work done. Lots of it. Marketing creatives. Product videos. UI/UX design. Website assets. Copywriting. Research. Social media operations. Build samples, take feedback, learn to deliver to a brief and prove your competence. The client wants the work done, not a speech about your potential. Even a $100 contract is meaningful money for someone starting out. observer.ug/technology/ugand… #AI #youth

Editorial: Clean up Parliament, punish those behind fraudulent recruitment The exercise, which began on October 19, offers Parliament an opportunity to confront allegations that have damaged its reputation. Reports of irregular recruitment, nepotism, ghost workers and appointments outside the approved staffing structure suggest something more troubling than administrative negligence. If substantiated, they would expose a system in which public employment became a privilege distributed through personal connections rather than merit. These allegations must be investigated fairly, without assuming that every appointment made under the previous leadership was irregular. But fairness must not become an excuse for inaction. Parliament occupies a special place in Uganda’s constitutional order. It makes laws, scrutinizes government expenditure and holds public officials accountable. observer.ug/viewpoint/clean-…