Power makes Andrew Mwenda tick Power seems to follow Andrew Mwenda everywhere. Or perhaps, more accurately, Mwenda seems to follow power. In almost every conversation about Uganda, good, bad, and ugly, he speaks about his interventions: helping people, solving situations, making things happen. He calls the Inspector General of Police. He calls the military intelligence. He calls the president. He intervenes between powerful people. He gets things done. And so, especially on television, opposition figures often ask him a simple question: You are acting as who? observer.ug/viewpoint/power-…

Crime thriller Hit Point premieres on M-Net The series combines a heist story with police drama, dark comedy and romance. It will air weekly until November 30. At the centre of Hit Point are detectives Leo and Bella, played by Nick Blood and Saffron Hocking. Their latest case begins when three men wearing animal masks intercept a Range Rover carrying £10 million in cash. The investigation takes an unexpected turn when Bella’s closest colleague, Leo, turns out to be one of the robbers. He has stolen millions in drug money to help pay for the care of his younger brother, who was paralysed in an accident. observer.ug/lifestyle-entert…

Prophet Israel Ford, founder of LifeWorks Church, and his wife and co-pastor, Lydia Ford, introduce 'church minister' Shakayla Ford (formerly Shakayla Talley) as Israel’s second wife during a church service held in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday. Lydia told the congregation that her husband had a second wife and introduced Shakayla as her “sister in marriage.” Shakayla said, “It is amazing to know that this is the will of God.” Pastor Israel later defended the arrangement on Instagram, arguing that the teaching that a man should have only one wife was “unbiblical” and citing scripture to support his position

Open letter to President Museveni: PDM funds used to pay medical bills in Ankole Your Excellency, Research from the Greater Ankole subregion shows a clear and troubling pattern; many beneficiaries of the Parish Development Model (PDM) are using the funds to pay medical bills rather than invest in production, trade, or household enterprise. This finding is important. PDM and related economic empowerment programmes were designed to lift households and strengthen local economies. Yet when illness strikes, the money is diverted. Families that receive support still face the same pressure that forces others across the country to organise fundraising drives for medical costs. In Greater Ankole and beyond, increased incomes and development funds are being consumed by health expenses. observer.ug/viewpoint/open-l…

Police admit traffic system issues fines to wrong vehicles Traffic and Road Safety spokesperson Michael Kananura said today, Monday, that the errors occur when an officer enters a registration number incorrectly, sometimes missing a single digit, causing the system to generate a fine against a different vehicle. The admission follows complaints on social media, including from academic and human rights and social activist Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, who said he had been stopped and informed that he had an outstanding ticket whose timing he disputed. Another motorist, Denis Woniala, said his friend, who drives a Toyota Spacio registration number UBB 881F, received a fine whose attached image showed a Nissan X-Trail bearing the same number plate. Several other motorists have raised similar complaints. observer.ug/news/police-admi…

Balaam interdicts 29 Kisoro officials over Shs 900m theft, ghost schools The Local Government minister accused Kisoro chief administrative officer (CAO) John Nyakahuma and district education officer Emmanuel Mwunvaneza of allegedly receiving government funds to support schools that he said did not exist, citing Nyakinama Primary School and Buhumbu Primary School. A resident also told the minister that Kanaba Primary School did not exist despite allegedly receiving government funding and teachers’ salaries. observer.ug/news/balaam-inte…

In defence of Raymond Mujuni: Why the best critics make the best public servants Can someone who has spent years criticising government become an effective public servant without abandoning the principles that made the criticism valuable? It is ironical that lawyers represent murderers and rapists as a matter of professional duty but communications professionals are put under a spotlight for the clients they choose to advise or employers they decide to work for. The comparison needs nuance. A lawyer protects rights and due process while a communicator shapes perception and reputation, and owes a duty to truth and the public interest. Now, ethical communication is not the art of spinning a bad situation into a good story. It is the work of helping an institution confront reality, take responsibility, and speak honestly about the remedy. Action first, communication second. If the problem remains, no clever lines or slogans will hold sway. observer.ug/viewpoint/in-def…

Ugandan businesses urged to treat tax as a planned expense Sanyu Daisy Namayanja, a senior tax consultant at Bennett Advisory, advised entrepreneurs to incorporate tax obligations into their monthly budgets alongside salaries, rent, utilities and other operating expenses. Namayanja said businesses should aim to pay the correct amount of tax by maintaining proper records and meeting statutory deadlines. “People operate businesses for the first, second and third year without paying attention to compliance. Then one day, they receive an assessment and begin complaining that URA wants to bring them down,” Namayanja said. “But the problem is that you have earned money without meeting your tax obligations. Tax should be a planned expense, just like rent, salaries and electricity.” observer.ug/business/ugandan…

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…