Author: Evans Kalyango
Tempers flared high at St. John’s Bugongi Parish Church of Uganda in All Saints Archdeaconry, in Kigezi Diocese, on Sunday, after Chinese investors attempted to mine iron ore on church land, prompting Christians to block them. The disputed land is located on Rwakashunju Hill in Rujanjara Village, Upper Bugongi Ward, Northern Division in Kabale. At around 3:00 PM, two Chinese nationals escorted by Uganda People’s Defence Forces arrived at the site in a double-cabin vehicle registration number UBR 625S. The vehicle also carried several men believed to be casual labourers. The Chinese nationals reportedly began assembling mining equipment, including machinery resembling a bulldozer,…
Twenty-four foreign nationals are in police custody in Busia District following their arrest during a joint operation targeting illegal gold mining and mineral smuggling in the Bukedi sub-region. The operation, code-named “Operation Zaabu,” is being conducted by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development’s Mines Department together with the Police Minerals Protection Unit (PMPU). The crackdown is aimed at curbing illegal mining, smuggling of minerals, and illicit mineral trade across the country. The enforcement team is led by Agnes Alaba, the Commissioner of Mines and Coordinator of the Mineral Development Sub-Programme, alongside Assistant Commissioner of Police Julius Ceaser Tusingwire, who also commands…
Uganda has officially flagged off its national athletics team ahead of the 2026 Confederation of African Athletics African Senior Athletics Championships scheduled to take place from May 12 to 17 in Accra. The team, comprising athletes, coaches, and officials, departed on Sunday with optimism as Uganda seeks strong performances against some of Africa’s top track and field competitors. The continental championships will also serve as an important qualification platform for athletes targeting major international competitions later this year. Uganda Athletics President Dominic Otuchet said Uganda has assembled a strong and competitive squad capable of challenging for medals at the championships. Otuchet expressed…
Police in Butaleja District have arrested a man in connection with the death of a teenager following a violent altercation in the area. The suspect has been identified as Wilber Wegulo, a resident of Damba Cell, Namawa Parish in Kachonga Sub-county. Wegulo is accused of allegedly murdering 16-year-old Ahamada Jarita, who was also a resident of the same area. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the deceased was involved in a fight with a group of youths on Saturday night, May 9, 2026. According to police, Ahamada Jarita was attacked in Namaste Village at around 5:00 PM while returning home from a wedding…
The Electoral Commission has launched a three-day update of the National Voters Register in Kalangala District ahead of the June 24, 2026, by-election for the District Woman Representative to Parliament. The three-day exercise, which started on Monday and runs until May 13 across all the district’s 17 parishes, is intended to allow eligible voters to register, verify their voting details, and transfer polling stations where necessary. EC Spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi told URN that the update exercise is a mandatory legal process conducted ahead of every general election and parliamentary by-election. “The update of the National Voters Register is a requirement in…
Marine personnel from the Busoga North police command, alongside local divers, have retrieved the bodies of two fishermen, who on Tuesday evening drowned in Lake Kyoga. The deceased have been identified as 22-year-old Simon Osina and Peter Kiirya, aged 20 years. The duo have been fishermen attached to Walumbe landing site, in Kidera town council, in Buyende district. The accident reportedly occurred when the duo was fishing using a small-sized boat during the wee hours of May 12th, 2026. Preliminary reports indicate that a group of three fishermen sailing on a small boat had gone to set down their nets when…
By Phillip Karugaba Your Excellency, you have congratulated the NRM MPs for passing the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, and dismissed its critics as shameful and disgusting. You have invoked the 1971 coup as a cautionary tale about foreign interference. With respect, our response addresses what your statement said, and, more importantly, what it did not say. There is a Luganda proverb, “nantabuulirilwa alisabala obw’ebbumba” the one who refuses to be advised embarks in boats made of clay. It is in that spirit that this response is made and in the same spirit that Ugandans responded overwhelmingly to the Bill.…
Police in Busoga East have arrested three men accused of creating fake social media accounts impersonating First Daughter Natasha Karugire and businessman Hamis Kiggundu in an alleged online fraud and extortion scheme. The suspects have been identified as 27-year-old Hassan Mugoya, 22-year-old Ashiraf Kyakatuka, and 20-year-old Asuman Isanga. They were arrested on Wednesday night at around 11:00 pm from their hideout in Nampirika ‘A’ village, Nakalama Sub-county in Iganga District. According to police, the arrests followed a complaint filed by businessman Hamis Kiggundu at Kiwatule Police Station on 5th May 2026, reporting that unknown individuals were impersonating him through parody social media…
Hundreds of sand miners, loaders, and truck drivers in Kasese Municipality say their livelihoods are under threat following a crackdown on illegal sand mining along River Nyamwamba. The protests emerged after police and the National Environmental Management Authority arrested four people accused of illegally extracting sand from the Nyamwamba River valley. The arrests are part of intensified enforcement operations targeting rivers, wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive areas across Kasese District. For many residents, however, the operation has triggered anxiety over survival. Yakub Nsimbe, a truck driver involved in transporting sand, says more than 400 people in Kasese Town depend directly on sand…
The Electoral Commission has scheduled a stakeholders’ meeting ahead of the forthcoming Kalangala District Woman Member of Parliament by-election following the death of Woman MP-elect Helen Nakimuli. The meeting, convened by Justice Simon Byabakama, the Electoral Commission chairperson, will take place on Friday, May 8, 2026, at the Kalangala District Council Hall grounds starting at 8:00 am. The planned engagement marks one of the first official steps by the Commission since Nakimuli, a member of the National Unity Platform, died on April 19, 2026, following an unsuccessful surgery at Alexandra Medical Centre. According to Electoral Commission spokesperson Julius Mucunguzi, the meeting is…