African culture

By PETER SSUUNA; MENGO Drama erupted at the Nateete-Lubaga Chief Magistrates' Court in Mengo on Monday after the State challenged the competence of a key defense witness in the case against nine men accused of falsely accusing Pastor Robert Kayanja of sodomy. The witness, Dr. Phenehansi Bwambale, 44, a police officer attached to the Police Training School in Kabalye, told court he is a forensic pathology expert with two degrees and five years of experience. He said he had come to testify for the defense after examining the young men who allege they were sodomized. Bwambale stated that in addition to being a pathologist, he is also a qualified dental surgeon. However, State Prosecutor Jonnathan Muwaganya objected to his testimony, arguing that Bwambale lacks the legal capacity and experience to testify in such a case because his background is in dentistry. Muwaganya told court that a check on the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council website shows Bwambale is reg...

By PETER SSUUNA Residents of Kitovu Village in Kajjansi, Wakiso District, have appealed to the Government to bring a health facility closer to their community, saying the nearest one is four miles away and they cannot afford the journey, as they have little money. Together with their Village Secretary, Ssaalongo Robinson Nsiko, the residents joined their voices to plead to the Government to at least provide them with a nearby hospital to save them from the long trek. They say private clinics in the area are too expensive and they cannot afford treatment there. They made the remarks during a medical camp organized at Tuzukuke Primary School by the Rotary Club of Kitende Breeze in partnership with the Ministry of Health, which screened residents for various diseases and provided treatment. Residents were screened for high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria, eye problems, dental issues and other illnesses, and were also educated on family planning methods. The organizers also taught ...

By; Admin. Willy Ssonko, 48, a resident of Kiyanja Zone in Kawempe, in a distressed state, struggling to breathe, said one of his relatives tried to poison him to take over his mother's land that was given to her by his late grandfather Luka Lunninze. The person he accuses of these acts is Andrew Baasi, whom he says sold off part of his mother's land while pretending to be the administrator of the late Lunninze's estate, and now he has been left with nowhere to stay. He showed the will of the late Lunninze which distributes his wealth, including the plot of land that was given to his late mother Melda Nambi which she left to him, but now Baasi allegedly wants to take it from him as well. Ssonko explained that when his grandfather died in 1976, he left each of his children with their share, including Baasi's father the late Ssemugooma, and he wonders why Baasi is targeting his mother's plot and leaving his own father's share. He accused Baasi of having gr...

By our reporter Residents of Ssembabule have praised the legacy left by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Sam Kuteesa in their District in politics and in developing their area. They said this at a thanksgiving function organized to thank him for what he has done for them, which was held at the district grounds, where different people spoke highly of his good deeds. They went as far as naming a road after him called 'Sam Kuteesa Road' as well as naming a building at the district headquarter after him, and they gave him various gifts including 12 cows which they collected from the 17 sub-counties that make up Ssembabule and other things. Almost everyone who got the microphone praised him for the service he has rendered in developing Ssembabule including starting their District which they are proud of, building them schools, roads, churches and mosques as well as grooming various people in politics and other things. This thanksgiving was led by Rev. Can. Enock Muhanguz...

Godfrey Ntanzi BY OUR REPORTER The family of the late Peter Male in Kisubi has accused the Kajjansi RDC, Patrick Mubiri, of being behind land grabbers who have come to take their kibanja, which has even led to them being abducted and severely beaten, almost losing their lives. Godfrey Ntanzi, 68, a resident of Ndejje, complains that this Resident District Commissioner has gone out of his way to prevent them from utilizing their late father's land measuring about two acres located in Buwaali, Kisubi Parish. He adds that he is working together with his sister Immaculate Namakula and other people to reclaim their land. L to R, Godfrey Ntanzi and Peter Male Junior Ntanzi says that as the heir, he had gone to the land to inspect it and to install cameras to protect it from grabbers, but he was shocked when this RDC came with a vehicle type known as a "Drone" [security drone van] and they beat him with hammers and tore his trousers, while his colleague he was with was hac...

By Samson Ssemakadde NAIROBI Uganda’s Aaron Isabirye announced himself on the regional stage on Saturday, delivering a commanding performance at the Mid-year Junior Squash Tournament in Parklands, Nairobi.  The 10-year-old P.5 pupil from St. Benedict Primary School in Kabulengwa, Nansana, swept past Kenya’s Henry Sishia 3-0 in both the Under-10 and Under-13 finals.  Competing against older opponents, Isabirye also reached the semifinals in the U15 and U19 categories before bowing out to Kenyan challengers. The tournament drew 80 junior players from across Africa, aiming to spotlight emerging talent. Isabirye, who trains at Kampala Club under coach Michael Raymond Kawooya, has been on a tear this year.  His 2026 trophy cabinet already includes titles from the Mutebile Memorial tournament, Kinyara Invitational, and Bank of Uganda Open. “Isabirye is a very promising player who improves every time. I’m happy to work with him,” Kawooya said after the matches. Isabirye’s rise h...

Ziada Kabahuma By Our Reporter Zaida Kabahuma, 41, is contesting DNA results that ruled out one of the two children she says she had with retired Lt. Col. Steven Kananula, 79. She accuses the soldier’s son of orchestrating the dispute. Kananula, a resident of Kisigula, Mutundwe, became paralysed after an accident in December 2016. Kabahuma claims he fathered her two children, now aged 8 and 11, and says she has received no support from his family for eight years. In 2018, she took the matter to court seeking child support. According to Kabahuma, Col. Kananula did not deny paternity in court. He cited his accident and instructed his son, Titus Twesige, to work with his wife to provide for the children and his own care. Kabahuma says those instructions were never carried out. Twesige, she claims, refused to accept the children as his father’s and requested DNA testing. Kabahuma alleges he argued that one child could not be his father’s because the child has sickle cell disease, whi...

By Paul Galiwango, Entebbe Environmentalists and human rights defenders under Luv 4 All Foundation Uganda, LFAU, have launched a nationwide campaign that puts plant-based foods at the center of Uganda’s fight against malnutrition. The launch, held at Lake Victoria Hotel Entebbe, drew local leaders, researchers, and community advocates who say small-scale urban farming could be a game-changer for nutrition in space-constrained communities. The scale of the problem LFAU director Mike Musisi opened with stark numbers from the 2025–2026 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report and UNICEF data: Group Estimated cases of acute malnutrition Coverage Children 6 months – 5 years 428,000 Across 43 districts Pregnant or breastfeeding women 84,000 Across 43 districts Musisi argued that Uganda, as a food basket for East Africa, shouldn’t be seeing these numbers. The gap,...

By Peter Ssuuna Walton Members of the Red Cross Kawempe North branch have expressed frustration over the sale of blood in hospitals, yet they collect it voluntarily to save patients. They are asking the Government to intervene. From 2022 to 2026, the branch collected 30,000 units of blood through voluntary donations. Members say that when they go to hospitals, the same blood is sold to patients. One member, Ssanya, tabled a motion saying this practice discourages volunteers who collect and donate blood for free with the goal of saving lives, only for it to be sold at high prices in hospitals. They asked the Government to track down those who have made it a habit to sell blood to patients. The members also want their branch to start income-generating projects like poultry farming, liquid soap making, and others, instead of only relying on aid during disasters. The newly elected chairperson,  Alex Luganda , said that the Red Cross has no control over blood once it is handed...

By Our Reporter A Wakiso landowner is behind bars after the brokers he hired to survey his land tricked him into signing a sale agreement instead. The scheme ended in court with the victim remanded alongside his alleged conmen. Vincent Ssekatawa, 56, of Kiganda Zone, Kayunga Ward, Wakiso District, trusted brokers Peter Mwesigwa, 42, and Paul Balya, 27, to bring surveyors for his five-acre plot in Maate Village, Mityana. He promised them a commission once the work was done. On November 28, 2025, in Lungujja, Lubaga, Mwesigwa and Balya asked Ssekatawa to sign a document. They told him it was to allow surveyors to start work. In reality, it was a land sale agreement. Ssekatawa signed, unaware he had just “sold” his land in Singo Block 101, Plot 08. The brokers then sold it to Moses Mugagga for UGX 35 million. No surveyors ever showed up. Instead, Mugagga appeared with the agreement, claiming ownership. A shocked Ssekatawa denied selling, but Mugagga insisted the paperwork made t...

By PETER SSUUNA Mothers in Kasangati and surrounding areas who use Kasangati Health Centre IV now have reason to smile. Many will no longer face the risk of losing their newborns minutes or hours after birth. This follows the efforts of the Rotary Clubs of Kasangati and Bulindo, who mobilized partners to construct and equip a Neonatal Unit at the government facility. The unit is designed to care for newborns with health complications. The unit has been fitted with modern life-saving equipment, including ventilators to help babies breathe, infant warmers, oxygen monitors, phototherapy machines for jaundice, and other tools aimed at giving critically ill newborns a chance at survival. The Rotarians handed over the equipment to the hospital in-charge, Dr. Joseline Akugizibwe, who thanked them for responding to the hospital’s urgent appeal. Dr. Akugizibwe said the health centre delivers over 4,500 babies annually between 450 and 500 each month. “With those numbers, many babies are bor...

By Our Reporter Excitement is building in the Busiro county team camp ahead of Sunday’s Masaza Cup opener against Gomba at Trinity College Nabbingo. The squad received a major boost of food supplies this week, with players vowing to give everything on the pitch. The team was handed 200kg of rice, 50kg of maize flour, 50kg of sugar, 25kg of beans, and 20 mattresses for the players. The donation came from Godfrey Ssennoga, a Busiro native and proprietor of Kings Bar and Lounge in Busiro. “This gesture came from the heart,” Ssennoga said. “As a Munnabusiro, I want the best for our county.” He urged other well-wishers to support the team in its bid to overcome all challengers. Head coach Simon Ddungu, popularly known as ‘Ddunga’, thanked the county leadership for entrusting him with the role and hailed Ssennoga’s intervention as timely. “This came when we needed it most,” he said, appealing for continued support, especially with food. Ddunga promised fans a victory and called on them t...

The case of Sheikh Umar, widely known as “Omulombi w’edduwa”, has begun to be heard. His sister-in-law has testified about his sexual harassment of her daughter. Sheikh Kassim Umar Muwonge Kamoga, known as Seeka Umar of Nansana, has had testimony given against him in a case of attempting to defile a 13-year-old girl (name withheld). He allegedly took the child from her parents and sexually harassed her in an abusive manner. He is appearing before Judge Alice Komuhangi Khaukha of the High Court’s International Crimes Division. Led by State Prosecutor George Bigirwa, Cissy Naluwooza, 39, Seeka Umar’s sister-in-law and a resident of Kiboga, is the mother of the alleged victim. In a calm but visibly pained voice, she told the judge everything that happened. Naluwooza told the judge that all she narrated was told to her by her daughter, since she was not present at the time she had gone to Kalangala to work after separating from her husband. She has two children with him, including the ...

Bazzukulu ba Ipolito nga bajaguza Kkooti ya Kisekwa e Mengo esazizzaamu obwa “Kajubi” katikkiro w’ekika ky’Ensenene obubadde bumaze emyaka egisukka mu 120 mu bw’ensowole n’eragira balonde omuggya nga balambikibwa ennono ya Buganda era ayanjulwe obutasukka nnaku 30. Bino byasaliddwawo olukiiko lw’abalumuzi ku kkooti eno abaakulembeddwa kisekwa, Dr. Robert Ssonko Kanakuloopa, Lubega Ssebende n’abalala oluvunnyuma lw’omusango KD/01/2023 okutuuka ku nkomerero yaagwo. Bazzukulu ba Ipolito Lule Gyolyabalamu ab'e Nsenene abawangudde omusango, baawawaabira bazzukulu ba Marko Kironde okulya ensowole ku bwa Katikkiro bw'ekika era bazze bazuzumba okuva 1920. ku kkono ye Ian Kabali Katikkiro gwe baggyeko ne Dr. Frank Ssebbowa mu ntuula za kkooti eziyise Bano nga bakulembeddwamu Charles Sserebe ne Mulindwa Magatto beemulugunya nti Ian Kabali Katikkiro aliko kati si y’ateekeddwa kubanga tava mu lunyiriri lwa Ipolito oluvaamu Kajubi.   Bisoba bitya? Okusinziira ku Sserebe omuwaabi agamba nti...