How EU agreed to delay deforestation-free coffee export directive to December 2025
secretary and corporate guru
profit: Stanbic Uganda Holdings Ltd, Centenary Bank, and Absa Bank Uganda accounted for 60% of the industry’s aggregate profit
How a new generation of female activists are countering digital threats: From trolling back to ignoring and blocking bullies, Ugandan women activists are pushing back on cyber harassment
Sex workers find themselves at center of Congo’s mpox outbreak: Many women are forced into the industry because of poverty or because, like Kunguja, they’re single parents and must support their families
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Andrew M. Mwenda
MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph Were
BUSINESS EDITOR: Isaac Khisa
Rethinking Foreign Funding for Africa: African countries’ large and growing debt burdens have become a major obstacle to poverty reduction
WRITERS:Ronald Musoke, Ian Katusiime, Patricia Akankwatsa, Julius Businge.
The Editor welcomes short and concise letters from our esteemed readers on topical issues. Please send them to:
The Editor, The Independent Publications Ltd, P.O Box 3304, Plot 82/84 Kanjokya St, Kamwokya. Kampala,Uganda.
Email: editor@independent.co.ug
Museveni @80
Refer to: Museveni at 80: ‘Uganda: Starting Over’ ( The Independent Oct.1). An 80-year-old man jostling to remain in power after over three decades in power is nothing but a despot and a crook. If his predecessor had held on to power like he has done, would he have become President?
Odidere Via X (formerly Twitter)
Ssemakadde should not sell out
Refer to: “Ssemakadde is the President elect of ULS” (The Independent, Sept. 28). My plea is that IsaacSsemakadde doesn’t sell out.
Muj Martin Via X (Formerly Twitter)
Where did Pastor get Shs 700 million from?
Refer to: “Woman remanded after pastor’s sh700m vanishes in thin air” (The Independent, Oct.4). Where did the pastor get all that money from? He also needs to be investigated.
Muyambi Raul Via X (formerly Twitter)
Museveni can’t escape Kiteezi culpability
Refer to: “How to make Kampala better” ( The Independent Sept. 30). Does Andrew Mwenda want to make an omelette without breaking an egg? Mwenda begins on a clear note by identifying the problem like President Museveni did but then falls short of prescription. Hate him or like him, in January 1986, Tibuhaburwa (President Museveni) clinically diagnosed Africa’s but specifically Uganda’s problem as not the people but crooks who masquerade as leaders who don’t want to leave office after their expiry time. Tibuhaburwa is on record severally making decisions singlehandedly. A
few examples will suffice here: In 1998, he singlehandedly decided to send the UPDF to invade DR Congo without Parliamentary approval. In December 2007, he again singlehandedly sent the UPDF to Somalia without going through Parliament, inter alia. So, which listening Tibuhaburwa is Mwenda talking about? For as long as President Museveni sees any personal political benefits in making a decision, no amount of persuasion will stop him. Tell us, when appointing KCCA directors who advises him on who is best suited for the respective jobs, or when allocating plots of land for
US sanctions on Uganda Police Officers
Refer to: “US sanctions on Ugandan police officers is hot air” ( The Independent , Oct. 3). Yes, it is foul hot air from a government of deceitful genocidal robbers, given its longtwisted track record. Every sane nation is decoupling and avoiding any close partnership with the US. It is toxic and a danger to humanity’s existence.
Jeff N. Via X (Formerly Twitter)
so-called” investors”? Everything is done purely on quick political calculation. President Museveni, therefore, can never escape personal culpability in taking wrong decisions for the entire country. Your so-called ministers are there for their own survival. Have you ever asked yourself why former finance minister Maria Kiwanuka was quickly fired and replaced with current minister Matia Kasaija?
Uwelugosi
EC permits PFF to collect signatures
The Electoral Commission (EC) finally granted the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) permission to collect signatures from its members. This marks a significant milestone for the party as they strive for official registration, a crucial step in their journey to participate in Uganda’s democratic processes.
Previously, the EC had rejected PFF’s registration application due to concerns over the party’s name, colours, and symbol. The commission believed that these elements might create confusion with existing political parties. However, after careful consideration and a series of revisions, PFF has successfully addressed these concerns and met the EC’s requirements.
To secure official registration, PFF must
gather signatures from at least 50 members in two-thirds of Uganda’s districts. This is a substantial task but a necessary step in the party’s journey. The deadline for completing this process is January 3, 2025. If successful, the EC will process PFF’s registration within six months.
The party’s journey to registration has been filled with challenges, but this latest development offers hope for PFF’s future. Political observers will closely watch their success in navigating the registration process as they aim to provide a new platform for Ugandans to participate in the democratic process.
With the EC’s approval, PFF can now focus on mobilizing its members and supporters to collect the necessary signatures.
Kiteezi disaster victims to get government aid
The government announced a comprehensive relief plan to support families affected by the devastating landslide at the Kiteezi landfill in August. The disaster claimed the lives of over 36 people, displaced hundreds of families, and caused widespread destruction.
In response to the tragedy, the government has allocated a significant amount of funding to address the immediate and long-term needs of the affected communities. A total of Sh16 billion has been earmarked to provide immediate aid to displaced families, with each family receiving Sh2 million to help them find alternative housing and leave the temporary tent settlements.
Furthermore, the government has approved an additional Sh83 billion to purchase land for displaced families, ensuring they have a permanent place to rebuild their lives. This initiative will provide the affected communities with
a sense of stability and security as they recover from the disaster.
State Minister for Housing, Persis Namuganza, emphasized the government’s unwavering commitment to supporting the affected families. She acknowledged the severe impact of the disaster on their lives and stressed the need for urgent action to provide them with safe and adequate housing. The government’s relief plan is designed to address both the immediate and longterm needs of the displaced families, ensuring that they have the resources and support necessary to rebuild their lives.
Beyond the financial assistance and land acquisition, the government is also working to address the broader social and psychological impact of the disaster. Counselling services will be made available to help survivors cope with the trauma and loss they have experienced.
Museveni pardons ex-official in Shs4.2B scandal
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni granted a pardon to John Muhanguzi Kashaka, the former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, who was convicted in a high-profile corruption case. Kashaka had been serving a 10-year prison sentence for his role in the misappropriation of government funds.
The corruption scandal, dating back to 2014, revolved around the fraudulent procurement of 70,000 bicycles intended for Local Council leaders (LC1s). Kashaka, along with his now-deceased colleague Henry
Bamutura, conspired to contract a fake company, leading to a financial loss of Shs4.2 billion. Both officials were found guilty by the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court and handed significant prison sentences for their actions.
Kashaka’s scheduled release was initially set for April 2021, but the Court of Appeal upheld his conviction in December 2019, delaying any prospects for early release. While Bamutura was granted bail by the Supreme Court in March 2020 after serving less than a year, he passed away shortly after
Babu critiques foreign sanctions on Ugandan security forces
Former Minister of State for Housing, Captain Francis Babu, expressed concerns about the international sanctions imposed on Ugandan security officers. Babu believes that Uganda should take responsibility for holding its security personnel accountable, rather than relying on foreign intervention.
During a recent interview, Babu questioned the need for foreign-imposed sanctions, arguing that Uganda’s law enforcement agencies should have the capacity to address misconduct within their ranks. He drew a comparison with the United States, where despite instances of police misconduct, the government takes action to hold officers accountable.
Fred Ebil, the Secretary General of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), echoed Babu’s concerns, suggesting that the sanctions are a symptom of deeper problems within the security forces. Ebil attributed these issues to political discrimination, arguing that security personnel are often taught to view political opponents as rebels, leading to unjust treatment.
The sanctions have sparked a debate about the effectiveness of foreign intervention in addressing domestic issues. While some argue that sanctions can serve as a deterrent, others believe that they may have unintended consequences, such as harming innocent civilians.
his release.
Kashaka’s pardon comes after serving 5 years, 2 months, and 9 days of his 10-year sentence. The pardon, granted under Article 121 (1) (a) of the 1995 Constitution, offers Kashaka a second chance despite his involvement in one of Uganda’s most significant corruption cases. Commissioner of Prisons Moses Ssentalo confirmed the news in a press statement, noting that Kashaka had also been awarded compensation alongside the presidential pardon.
EALA to convene in Uganda for regional legislative sittings
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the legislative arm of the East African Community (EAC), will host its upcoming sittings in Uganda from October 20th to November 12th, 2024. The announcement was made by the Speaker of Parliament, Right Honorable Annet Anita Among, during a parliamentary session today.
Speaker Among urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to participate in the EALA sessions, emphasizing the importance of engaging in regional legislative matters. She encouraged MPs to attend, provided their schedules allow, and highlighted the significance of contributing to the EAC’s legislative process.
The EALA’s upcoming sittings in Uganda mark a significant milestone in the region’s journey towards integration. As
representatives from various member states gather to discuss and deliberate on key regional issues, the assembly’s proceedings will undoubtedly shape the future of the EAC.
The EALA’s mandate encompasses a wide range of regional matters, including trade, investment, agriculture, environment, and security. During the upcoming sittings, the assembly is expected to consider and adopt legislation that will promote regional development, enhance cooperation, and address the challenges facing the EAC.
The EALA’s decision to hold its sittings in Uganda is a testament to the country’s growing role within the regional bloc. Uganda has been actively involved in the EAC’s integration efforts, and its hosting of the assembly is a recognition of its contributions to the region’s development.
Museveni reopens reconstructed Makerere University Ivory Tower
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni officially reopened Makerere University’s iconic Ivory Tower, marking the completion of its reconstruction. The building, which serves as the University’s main administrative centre, was severely damaged by a fire on the night of September 20, 2020. The newly restored Main Building features a basement museum, an expanded administrative wing, a dedicated service wing, and a business centre.
During the reopening event, President Museveni also presided over the installation of the new Chancellor of Makerere University, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, who succeeds Prof. Ezra Suruma. In his address, the President congratulated the university on both restoring its historic building and appointing a new Chancellor.
“I was happy to participate in
The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has launched a groundbreaking initiative to bring informal sector workers into the social security net. The Livelihoods Support Project aims to recruit workers in the informal sector, particularly those involved in small-scale agriculture, who are currently outside of the Fund’s coverage.
NSSF Managing Director Patrick Ayota emphasized the significance of this project, stating, “By onboarding the informal sector, we can provide essential social security protection to millions of Ugandans who have historically been
commissioning this iconic building,” Museveni said, recalling historical debates that took place at the university, including a memorable debate in 1969 that featured prominent figures such as Prof. Ali Mazrui and Justice Kanyeihamba. “We had big arguments between patriots, led by Dr. Rodney, and those with other ideas, led by Prof. Mazrui,” he reminisced. President Museveni praised Dr. Kiyonga’s appointment, calling him an “outstanding cadre and leader” in the National Resistance Movement (NRM), with a history of active involvement dating back to 1980. He extended his congratulations to both Dr. Kiyonga and the university.
The President also reiterated the need for universities to enhance the teaching of science courses, with a focus on value addition.
underserved,”
Ayota further highlighted the project’s alignment with the Fund’s strategic objective of enrolling 50% of Uganda’s working population by 2035.
Dr David Ogong, the recently appointed NSSF Board Chairperson while representing the Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development commended the Fund for devising innovative ways of recruiting the informal sector workers. “The recent changes in the law were premised on the fact that every working Ugandan has a right to social security and social protection. The Fund is
Uganda and Lesotho strengthen bilateral ties
Uganda reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Lesotho. Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, representing President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, attended the country’s 200th anniversary celebrations and met with Prime Minister Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Matekane expressed gratitude for the warm welcome he received during his visit to Uganda and commended President Museveni’s leadership in Pan-African affairs. He acknowledged Uganda’s support in areas such as agriculture, health, security, and education.
Dr. Rugunda conveyed President Museveni’s congratulations to the government and people of Lesotho and highlighted Uganda’s desire to enhance bilateral relations through cooperation in key sectors. He referenced previous discussions between President Museveni and Prime Minister Matekane in Entebbe, which focused on expanding cooperation in agriculture, education, defence, and health.
The visit aims to formalize a Joint Permanent Commission and explore new areas of collaboration, including energy, renewable resources, and information and communication technology. Both countries seek to build on past relations and strengthen their partnership.
This meeting marks a significant step forward in strengthening the relationship between Uganda and Lesotho. By building on past cooperation and exploring new areas of collaboration, the two countries can create mutually beneficial partnerships and contribute to regional development and stability.
no longer shackled by the law as was the case not so long ago but is now empowered to broaden its reach. I therefore encourage Ugandans to embrace this opportunity to ensure they are protected from life’s uncertainties. NSSF is the best national entity to guarantee this protection,” he said.
The project is currently being piloted in four districts: Otuke, Kayunga, Sheema, and Mitooma. So far, over 10,780 new members have registered and begun saving with NSSF. The success of the pilot phase has encouraged the Fund to expand the project to other regions of Uganda shortly.
NSSF targets informal sector workers with a new project
MPs protest new proposals in parliament amendment bill
Members of Parliament on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee vehemently opposed additional proposals introduced by Richard Lumu, MP for Mityana South, to the Administration of Parliament Amendment Bill 2024.
The heated debate erupted during Lumu’s presentation of the Bill, which aims to establish a process for electing the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Lumu’s attempt to include new amendments, proposing the creation of two additional Parliamentary Commissioner positions, was met with strong resistance from committee members.
Bosco Okiror, a committee member, accused Lumu of introducing the new changes without proper consultation, describing his actions as an “ambush.” Okiror argued that the Bill had already received a certificate of financial implication, which did not account
for the additional amendments, making them outside the committee’s purview.
Anna Adeke, MP for Soroti District Women, further highlighted that any additional proposals would require a new certificate of financial implication due to the financial burden they would impose. She emphasized that creating two new Commissioner positions would increase the financial burden on Parliament.
Despite the criticisms, John Teira, MP for Bugabula North, urged his colleagues not to focus on Lumu’s methods. He argued that Lumu has the right to introduce amendments, regardless of how they are presented. Teira also questioned the underlying assumptions behind the proposal, asking why the creation of two additional Commissioner positions is necessary to strengthen the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
Uganda launches coffee registration to meet EU standards
The government launched a nationwide registration of coffee value chain actors to ensure compliance with international standards, particularly for the European Union (EU) market. This initiative is crucial for meeting the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which will ban commodities linked to deforestation from entering the EU market after December 2020.
Spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), the registration process aims to bolster Uganda’s position as a leading coffee exporter while promoting sustainable practices. Coffee is a vital contributor to Uganda’s economy, accounting for between 11-22% of the country’s commodity exports.
The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) will lead the registration process, utilizing a Geospatial Monitoring and Evaluation System to track coffee production plots and ensure traceability.
This is a key requirement for meeting the EU’s traceability standards and maintaining Uganda’s market share in the European market, which accounts for 66% of total coffee exports.
Minister Frank Tumwebaze emphasized the importance of coffee to Uganda’s economy and urged all stakeholders in the coffee industry to collaborate and support the registration process. By complying with the EUDR, Uganda can not only maintain its competitiveness in the global coffee market but also demonstrate its commitment to environmental sustainability.
The registration process will involve a comprehensive mapping of coffee farms, ensuring that they meet the EU’s deforestation-free requirements. This will help to protect Uganda’s valuable forests and biodiversity while also safeguarding the livelihoods of millions of people who depend on the coffee industry.
C-Care opens cosmetic spa in Uganda
C-Care Hospital launched a state-of-theart cosmetic surgery spa. This cutting-edge facility offers world-class expertise and advanced technology for Ugandans seeking a wide range of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures.
Led by renowned plastic surgeon Dr William Lubega, the spa aims to eliminate the need for costly medical tourism by providing expert care right at home. The facility prioritizes patient safety and utilizes advanced medicine to minimize complications.
The spa offers a comprehensive range of procedures, including skin rejuvenation, weight loss solutions, PRP therapy, bariatric surgery, hair transplants, and internationalstandard cosmetic procedures. Dr. Lubega emphasized the importance of customized plans tailored to individual goals and budgets, ensuring a personalized and effective experience.
C-Care Hospital has also formed a strategic partnership with Andalusia Hospital in Egypt. This collaboration allows Egyptian experts to provide specialized services in
Uganda paves way for Monkeypox vaccine manufacturing
Uganda is poised to take a significant step in public health preparedness as the country embarks on a project to manufacture its vaccines against Monkeypox. The announcement was made by the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero, during a parliamentary appearance.
Dr. Musenero revealed that her ministry is actively working to develop diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs to combat Monkeypox, a disease that has been declared a public health priority. She emphasized the importance of local production to better serve the needs of Uganda and the region.
The minister’s announcement comes in response to recent Monkeypox outbreaks and the World Health Organization’s recommendation of existing vaccines. By developing its solutions, Uganda aims to strengthen its healthcare capabilities and ensure a more effective response to future outbreaks.
Dr. Musenero drew parallels between the current Monkeypox initiative and Uganda’s successful efforts to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Despite initial skepticism, Uganda was able to generate significant revenue from the sale of PCR kits and other health resources, demonstrating the potential of local vaccine production.
The minister’s revelation is particularly significant given Uganda’s recent experience with Monkeypox. As of September 22, 2024, the country had recorded 24 confirmed cases of the disease. The development of a locally produced vaccine could play a crucial role in preventing future outbreaks and protecting public health.
Uganda, contributing to capacity building and skill development for local healthcare professionals. The hospital aims to become a regional hub for specialized healthcare, attracting patients from across East Africa. At the launch event, Patricia Tino, Executive Director of Bella Zuri, emphasized the importance of holistic wellness and the role of beauty in overall well-being. Bella Zuri has partnered with C-Care Hospital to increase access to world-class healthcare and reduce consultation costs for the community.
Remembering Onapito Ekomoloit
By Andrew M. Mwenda
The life of a reporter, editor, lecturer, media proprietor, legislator, presidential press secretary and corporate guru
On Friday, September 27, Ivan Okuda called me announcing the death of Onapito Ekomoloit. It was as shocking as it was surprising. I had talked to Onapito only a few days earlier about my plans to visit his ancestral home in Amuria, Teso region. Since he retired from being Corporate Affairs Director at Nile Breweries and became its Board Chairman, he had begun to take greater interest in his ancestral village of Amuria.
Okuda’s news left me bewildered. How can a whole Onapito die so quickly and suddenly? But I have always known that life is fragile and fleeting. In the last few years, I have lost people close to me in almost similar circumstances: a sudden car accident, a sudden loss of oxygen, a heart attack or a fatal stroke.
Yet I have failed to cope with these tragic news as they leave me lost and confused. Why is life so fragile? Why do some people die suddenly while others go through a protracted process of suffering? When asked how he wished to die, Julius Caesar answered: “A quick death.” Is that the best way to die?
I have known Onapito Ekomoloit since 1991. At the time, I was a high school student at Mbarara High School, and he, an undergraduate student of journalism at Makerere University. It was not a physical encounter but an intellectual one through Weekly Topic newspaper where he was a journalist.
At the time, Weekly Topic was the heartbeat of Uganda’s progressive journalism: crusading for democracy, human rights and accountability. I was immediately struck by his independence of mind, courage of spirit and his intellectual depth. I was immediately hooked and became a fan.
In July 1992, Weekly Topic newspaper suffered an earthquake. All its top editors and best reporters resigned. The editors included Wafula Oguttu, Charles Onyango-Obbo, Kevin Aliro, Richard Tebere, David Ouma and Jimmy Serugo. The resignation was caused by attempts by the owners, to wit Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Kintu Musoke and Kirunda Kivejinja, to control editorial policy in favour of the government. The three proprietors had all become ministers in the government of President Yoweri Museveni. Their
actions were therefore understandable. But the editors were not willing to compromise the editorial independence of the newspaper at the altar of political convenience.
It turned out that among the journalists who resigned in protest was Onapito leading the pack alongside Dismas Nkunda, Steven Shalita, Kyazze Simwogerere (the latter two still students of journalism at MUK), Linda Nabusayi and others. It was a revolutionary act as the best and most independent journalistic talent now launched their own newspaper, The monitor. By this act of courage, the progressive initiative in journalism shifted from Weekly Topic to The Monitor and was to mark the eventual demise of that once great newspaper. As a young and passionate student, I saw this as an act of revolutinary courage.
The upheaval at Weekly Topic and the launch of The Monitor found me in Kampala. I had come to town from Busoga College Mwiri for medical treatment. I rushed to buy the first copy of this new newspaper on the stands having come out on the very day I was going back to school. From then, henceforth, The Monitor became my favourite and Onapito had an oversized role in it. He was both a reporter and editor at The Monitor.
By the time I joined Makerere in October 1993, Ona, as we fondly called him, had finished his journalism studies with flying colours. And the university had retained him as a lecturer and teaching assistant. The first week I went to class, Onapito was my teacher. I made it my objective to befriend him. My first news article to ever get published was a class assignment he gave me. And he was also its editor. It was published in The Monitor on Friday January 22, 1994. From then began a friendship that lasted 31 years till his untimely death on September 27, 2024.
While still in my first year, Onapito won a Fulbright scholarship and left for the United States to study a masters in journalism for two years. When he returned, he went back to The Monitor as editor and to Makerere as lecturer. Later he was to lead a revolt at The Monitor and went to form a new newspaper, The Crusader, to which be became editor in
chief. It was easy to notice the fire that burned inside this man – he was intensely public spirited. In 2001, he ran and won a parliamentary seat. Once in the house, he worked with Mugisha Muntu to move a motion to stop MPs being ministers. The motion did not succeed. But Onapito was never to give up.
His time in parliament transformed Onapito from an idealist to a real pragmatist. He was able to learn that politics is about practical matters, but idealistic dreams. That change comes from working within a system, rarely by fighting it from outside. In the 2006 elections, he lost his parliamentary seat.
A previous critic of President Yoweri Museveni, Onapito surprised many people when he bounced back as press secretary to the president. Yet I felt at the time he was the right man to hold the job given his immense experience in journalism as a lecturer, editor and reporter. And if we add his experience as a politician, I felt Museveni had the right man.
His time at State House transformed Onapito in extraordinary ways. He was a keen observer of power and how it works. He took his lessons, handled his job with tact and skill, and requested the president to allow him resign when he wanted to change careers.
He left State House with a clean record. Although he loved working for the president, I felt Onapito got frustrated with Museveni’s personal inability to work with professional talent in the field of media. Yet not once in my our many discussions did he ever criticize the president or talk negatively about the things he observed while at State House.
Instead he became an ardent spokesperson of the president, the First Lady and Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. He did this on The Hot Seat, a popular radio talk show I host on KFM on Fridays. Onapito was always the realist on the Friday show, hosting a panel of journalists to discuss the major events of the week. On the show, he always rejected idealism and insisted on using cold logic to analyse national issues.
amwenda@ugindependent.co.ug
Coffee export compromise
How EU agreed to delay deforestation-free coffee export directive to December 2025
By Ronald Musoke
Coffee farmers from northern Uganda show off their harvest during this year's International Coffee Day celebrations (October 1). The national celebrations were held in the northern Uganda city of Gulu. COURTESY PHOTO/UCDA.
Sustained pressure from both within the European Union and coffee-producing countries such as Uganda has compelled the EU to extend the implementation of its Deforestation Regulation directive by 12 months.
The ban is now set to take effect on Dec.30, 2025. In a statement issued on Oct.2, the European Commission said it was proposing a 12-month extension of “phasing-in period” to support the global implementation of the so-called EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).
The European Commission also published additional guidance documents to support third countries (non-EU member states) in their preparation for the implementation of the EU Deforestation Regulation.
“Given the EUDR’s novel character, the swift calendar, and the variety of international stakeholders involved, the Commission considers that a 12-month additional time to phase in the system is a balanced solution to support operators around the world in securing a smooth implementation from the start,” the EU Commission said.
“With this step, the Commission aims to provide certainty about the way forward and to ensure the success of the EUDR, which is paramount to address the EU’s contribution to the pressing global issue of deforestation.”
Should the proposal be approved by the European Parliament and Council, the law will come into force on 30 December 2025 for large companies and 30 June 2026 for microand-small enterprises.
The Commission said the 12-month extension is the only proposed change to the
law and in no way puts into question the objectives or substance of the law, as agreed by the EU. The Commission noted that a large majority of countries around the world will be classified as “low-risk” after applying the benchmarking exercise. “This will give the opportunity to focus collective efforts where deforestation challenges are more acute.”
What’s the EUDR about?
The EU Deforestation Regulation which was passed by the European Parliament on Dec.05, 2022, is aimed at ensuring that the EU does not contribute to the escalating global deforestation challenge. It requires a set of commodities including; coffee, cocoa, soy, palm oil, wood, rubber, and cattle and their derived products are not sourced from deforested land as defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The EU Commission says “deforestation and forest degradation are important drivers to climate change and biodiversity loss, two key environmental challenges of our time.”
The EU’s argument is that the main driver behind the listed products is cutting down forests to expand agricultural farm land. The idea is to encourage European citizens not to consume products that contribute to global deforestation. It is hoped this will bring down the EU’s impact on global deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss as the world moves apace towards the net-zero emissions targets by 2050.
Sigh of relief
Had the implementation of the ban stood, Ugandan coffee exporters would, starting
December 30, this year, been required to present documentation including detailed land-use maps to confirm the coffee they are selling to consumers in Europe is not being grown on land that was converted from forests after 31 December, 2020.
The coffee exporters would also have presented documentation showing compliance with local legislation in production and a due-diligence statement covering the entire coffee supply chain indicating no more than a negligible risk of non-compliance.
Dr. Gerald Kyalo, the Director of Development Services at the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) told delegates during a sensitization workshop held in Kampala in July this year that, if, for example, a coffee dealer bought coffee from farmers in Kasese District in western Uganda, the EU directive would require the dealer to show a list of those farmers accompanied by Global Positoning System (GPS) coordinates which prove there is no deforestation taking place where the dealer bought the coffee. “The GPS coordinates of production plots are to ensure traceability and verify deforestation-free practices,” he said.
Dr. Kyalo said coffee exporters had to attach a due-diligence certificate on every consignment they planned to send to the EU market. “The due-diligence statement must contain origin details, including geolocation data for all plots, with different formats for various plot sizes (polygons for plots over 10 acres (4 hectares) or a single GPS point for smaller plots),” Dr. Kyalo said.
“If for some reason the check returns details to the effect that he (farmer) cut down a forest between 2020 and now to plant
Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries signs onto a board on Oct.1 at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, signalling the beginning of the nationwide registration of all coffee value actors. COURTESY PHOTO/UCDA.
coffee, whoever took that coffee to Europe will be fined; the importer or exporter will be fined. The coffee (consignment) will also be destroyed at the importer’s cost.”
Reprieve for coffee farmers
Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries immediately welcomed the European Commission’s change of heart noting via his X handle that the “12 months of phasingin will help many actors to be ready and comply with the EUDR.”
At the moment, Uganda has no national database of coffee farmers but conservative estimates put the number of coffee farmers around the country to about two million. The coffee farmers range from those who own pieces of land of less than half an acre to those who have recently gone commercial and have sprawls of coffee trees on hundreds of acres of land.
Launching a nationwide coffee value chain actors’ registration in Kampala on Oct. 1, Tumwebaze noted that, in Uganda, coffee is grown on an estimated 353,907 hectares of land by about 1.8 million smallholder farmers and 90% of these smallholder farmers own gardens ranging between 0.5 and 2.5 hectares in size. He added that over nine million people around the country are estimated to derive their livelihood from coffee-related activities along the value chain.
The beverage whose global annual value is US$465bn and ranks as the world’s second largest revenue earner behind oil earns the country millions of dollars annually. Uganda is also the seventh largest coffee producer in the world and the second largest producer in Africa. Indeed, over the last decade alone, coffee has been one of
Uganda’s main foreign exchange earners contributing 11-22% of commodity exports.
Uganda’s coffee earnings
In fact, Uganda’s coffee exports for the past twelve months (Financial year 2023/24) totaled 6.13 million bags worth US$ 1.14bn compared to 5.76 million bags worth US$ 846.02 million in the previous year (Financial year 2022/23).
This represents an increase of 6.33% and 35.29% in quantity and value respectively. Italy maintained the highest market share with 41.96% compared to 44.66% last month. It was followed by Germany 10.55%, India 7.41%, Sudan 6.87% and Spain 5.40%.
Uganda’s coffee exports to Africa amounted to 987,138 bags in FY 2023/24 accounting for 16% of total exports. African countries that imported Uganda’s coffee included; Sudan, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Kenya and South Africa.
But it is Europe which remains the main destination for Uganda’s coffee with the market said to have imported 4,023,480 bags of coffee representing 66% in FY 2023/24. That perhaps explains the apprehension with which coffee farmers and traders from Uganda and elsewhere received the news from the EU. Many said the timeframe the EU gave them to comply was unrealistic.
A win for lobbyists?
As a result, coffee producers and exporters not only in Uganda but also across Africa, Europe, Asia, and South America have been pushing the EU to postpone the implementation date of the directive, citing an ‘unrealistic timeframe.’
Last month, Reuters news agency reported how the world’s top coffee body, the International Coffee Organization (ICO), a
United Nations-affiliated intergovernmental group which represents more than 90% of coffee production and more than 60% of consumption worldwide, was lobbying the European Union to postpone the directive.
“It’s a very ambitious deadline,” said Vanusia Nogueira, the Director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO), in an interview. “We believe that by working with EU leaders, they might be more open to postponing that date.”
Nogueira who was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a coffee summit hosted by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC) in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, said the EU would find some solutions. “The European people like coffee very much—they will not be left without coffee,” she added.
In Europe, EURACTIV reported Sept. 20 that the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, intended to propose a way out on the enforcement deadlock on the new anti-deforestation regulation.
Interestingly, even with the ever-growing pressure from governments, trading partners and conservative members of the European Parliament (MEPs), the European Commission had insisted Sept.24 that it would go ahead with the implementation of the directive.
“The Commission continues to work very intensively on preparations for the entry into force of the law,” spokesperson Adalbert Jantz told reporters in Brussels late last month. “In particular, we are talking a lot with our partners in third countries.”
Backlash in EU
The directive on deforestation-prone products has attracted backlash from even within the EU. An Irish MEP, Cynthia Ni
Coffee drying under a shelter. The beverage is arguably Uganda's most important export. COURTESY PHOTO/UCDA.
Mhurchú told a sector publication, Agriland, on Sept 26 that the proposed new EU rule on deforestation is “a threat to the Irish beef industry.”
Ni Mhurchú said that the measure could negatively impact the Irish beef sector, and she called on the EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to delay introduction of the rules until a new simplified process for beef farmers can be introduced. The MEP said the measure will mean more “red tape” for beef farmers and the beef industry in general.
Under the new rules, the MP said, cutting down trees on their own land could be considered ‘deforestation,’ a designation that would block them from selling beef from that land on the EU market. Farmers will also have to ensure they are not using animal feed that contains soy or palm oil that is driving deforestation abroad, she told Agriland, an Irish online publication.
In Uganda, Jane Nalunga, the Executive Director of the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information Negotiations Institute (SEATINI), a regional non-profit that works to promote pro-development trade, fiscal and investment related policies and process, has been leading the charge on the EU to revise its implementation timeline.
In her most recent sensitization meeting held on Sept. 30, she told delegates in Kampala that Uganda is not against the EUDR but the stakeholders are concerned about the approach the EU has chosen to implement its directive.
“We are not against the regulation but we see a challenge with the way it is being implemented; the deadline is quite short but also the fact that the burden is being shifted to the small scale producers,” she said.
“If the EU is saying that the deadline is December 30, this year, and they say they are not taking our coffee anymore, who loses mostly? The government can lose foreign exchange but they have the option of borrowing; the value chain actors can easily shift to other businesses but the small scale producers won’t be able to adjust easily.”
Nalunga said the EU is shifting the burden to people who are innocent, the small scale coffee producers who have never polluted. “This regulation is about limiting greenhouse gas emissions but small scale producers are innocent when it comes to the climate change crisis,” she said. “Let us discuss with the EU; let us show them that we are interested in addressing the greenhouse gas emissions but let us do so in a humane and equitable way.”
Uganda will comply with EUDR
In the same meeting in Kampala, Robert Nangatsa, the Manager, Extension Services who also doubles as the Focal Person for the EUDR at the UCDA told delegates that “God was on Uganda’s side because some of the key elements in terms of preparation
were already done previously, thanks to Parliament’s passing of the National Coffee Act, 2021, which mandated the UCDA to collect data in form of regulation of all the country’s coffee.
“It’s at that point that UCDA was able to build a unitary system that is capable of collecting the information necessary to build a traceability system,” he said. Nangatsa was presenting a paper about Uganda’s progress towards complying with the EUDR and other EU directives and regulations.
He said the UCDA has already developed geospatial monitoring and evaluation system and farmer registration App of the sector (public, private and civil society) in November 2023. Besides holding out close to ten sensitization workshops around the country, the UCDA also met with the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries in April 2024 to chart out a way forward for the implementation of the EUDR.
“Uganda is making progress towards complying with the EUDR. However, we need sustained efforts in doing this because we already know that there are many benefits of selling sustainable coffee since it attracts premium prices. We must support our smallholder farmers to implement sustainable practices. This must continue,” Nangatsa said.
“If all our coffee can be traced, that can be a plus for Uganda. However, sustained effort is needed in achieving deforestationfree production. There exists broader benefits of aligning with EU directives; for example, unrestricted trade, enhanced reputation, avoiding penalties, collaborative opportunities, and sustainable practices.”
Coffee farmer registration underway
Meanwhile, Tumwebaze, the Agriculture minister, said Oct.1 that the registration of coffee value chain actors is an essential precursor to the creation of Uganda’s National Traceability System. He said the registration is being conducted free of charge by the UCDA and partners and it is not serving any other purpose apart from enabling the development of the value chain and access to the global market.
Tumwebaze said a dedicated Technical Working Group comprising officials from the UCDA, ministries, departments and agencies, has been established to oversee the effective implementation of EUDR regulations.
Going forward, a Geospatial Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) System and Farmer Registration Application has been developed. “This innovative system will capture geolocation data for all production plots where coffee or related products are cultivated,” Tumwebaze said.
A team of enumerators will carry out the registration process on behalf of UCDA and industry players. All coffee value
chain actors including farmers, traders and processors among others will be registered. The enumerators will also record essential details of the value chain actors such as their name, farm name and location, type of coffee grown/produced, among others.
In addition, enumerators will map farms/ gardens by recording their GPS coordinates. UCDA will store and manage the data collected in partnership with NITA(U) and will ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act during the collection, storage and management.
Registration of farmers is old practice
Dr. Victoria Sekitoleko, the former Agriculture Minister and current chairperson of the Board of the Uganda Agribusiness Alliance told The Independent on Oct. 3 that the registration process of coffee farmers should be supported. She said registration of farmers is nothing new in Uganda.
“Growing up, when and if you were involved in growing a cashcrop such as coffee or cotton, you were registered. Everybody belonged to a cooperative society and you were expected to sell your coffee to that cooperative society. So, that cooperative society had your name and they had some expectation from you. They would say, he has got 10 acres, so at most, we expect so much from him.
“During those days, it was unheard of that you would take and sell your coffee to another cooperative society; they wouldn’t actually take it. They would send you back to the cooperative society where you are registered.”
“Secondly, you wouldn’t show up at your cooperative society with a lot more coffee than what they expected from say, your one acre of coffee; you would be questioned where you got it from. So, in a way, that in itself protected the whole country against thefts.”
“Now that we are taking about traceability; not minding about who is going to be the final consumer of the coffee, it is important to know what you are eating and where it is coming from.”
Sekitoleko told The Independent that although at the moment the spotlight is on coffee farmers, because coffee is the most important crop for Uganda, eventually, all growers of other crops are going to be registered.
“A few years from now, a Nakati (vegetable) farmer will be registered and they will have codes so that if you go to a supermarket and buy Nakati, the supermarket scanner will click and display the village where the Nakati you are buying is from and who the grower is,” Sekitoleko said, “Registration is mostly about traceability, and the environment which all of us would love to protect.”
How a new generation of female activists are countering digital threats
From trolling back to ignoring and blocking bullies, Ugandan women activists are pushing back on cyber harassment
By Ian Katusiime
Safina Virani, a Ugandan feminist and activist, recalls a pivotal moment from about a year ago when her tweet against child marriage in the Middle East went viral.
“I got bullied from all sides; Christians, Muslims, Arabs—they were like, ‘Oh, you westernized people, you American,’ because they had the assumption that I was American,” she shares during our interview at a restaurant in Kampala.
The tweet about child marriage led to an influx of emails and threats, prompting her to remove her email from her Twitter profile and, for the first time, make her account private.
“That was the one time I had to dissociate my profile from my work because they would go on the website and look for my email to send me
threatening emails,” says Safina, who serves as the Co-Director of Frauen Initiative Uganda, a women-led community organization that provides a safe space for victims of sexual violence.
“They would Photoshop my face onto naked bodies… it was insane. As a feminist, you develop a tough skin so that such things don’t affect you as much because you know the work you’re doing is controversial, and not everyone will appreciate it,” she explains. “I can’t say you get used to it, but you learn to live with it. Still, it is mentally taxing.
In her journey as an activist, Safina has battled all kinds of threats ranging from attempts to hack into her account and stalking her. Bullying is something she gets almost every day.
“We like to call it online misogyny. It’s basically when you get attacked for something that you say because you are
a woman or a feminist,” she narrates.
“It happens a lot when I give a controversial opinion. If it’s supporting Gaza, they will say she’s an Arab…so my identity changes all the time. If it’s a feminist tweet, they will say, oh you white people.”
To counter these threats, Safina employs certain measures for her safety and for that of the women (the victims of sexual violence) who reach out to her. “After I get sensitive information through my DMs, I delete on my end. I tell them to delete on the other end too in the event that the account gets hacked.” Any further conversation has to happen on encrypted channels like Signal.
For women whose AI-generated images are being shared, there’s a remedy. There are several websites where such images can be uploaded that prevent them from being shared. “The snake is cut from the head. I use this tool a lot,” she states.
For ride hailing apps like Uber and Safe Boda and through which a number of women have reported harassment, Safina maintains two separate numbers as a precaution.
She cautions against posting one’s location in real time when attending events as this would make for easy targeting.
Frauen initiative which Safina co-founded reports attempted hacks on its website almost every week with unknown people trying to get access to their emails and passwords. “I was surprised to learn how often that happens,” she says. The organisation’s work has angered a number of people and she reckons they need extra digital security.
Safina is now more renowned because of her posts condemning Israel’s genocide in Gaza that she keeps churning out on her X account. “I have always been pro-Palestine,” she declares. Her posts can generate up to 20,000 Retweets triggering approval and hate in equal measure.
Her advocacy for Palestine has earned her a steady drumbeat of wrath.
Since the war in Gaza started in
Edna Ninsiima
October 2023, the cyber threats Safina has faced as a pro-Palestine activist have escalated. Here is here what they sound like: ‘I am gonna find you and rape you,’ ‘I wish you get raped.’
She says many prominent female pro-Palestine voices have faced the same threats online since social media is virtually the only defence they have against Israel’s might.
Some of the people attacking her have reported her to the other organisation she works for, FRIDA Young Feminist Fund. They do this by tagging FRIDA in tweets asking her for firing. Luckily for her, her employer stands with Palestine.
Most of these are bot accounts which appear faceless but with the intent to drive a certain agenda. But Israel has also hired specific influencers who constantly push back on the activism by the likes of Safina. However, she is unfazed and takes back the fight.
“When you troll me online, I will troll you back,” she remarks gleefully.
“I will let you know that I am a bigger bully.” She takes pride in the fact that it’s hard to bully her.
She has had clashes with spokespersons of the Israeli government but she is familiar with their template which goes along the lines of ‘You’re a Hamas supporter. How are you a feminist and you support rape?’ “I don’t really take them seriously,” she says.
Safina is now accustomed to getting LinkedIn notifications of US State Department employees looking her up which she finds amusing. “America is not really a country I strive to go to,” she points out.
Western donors pull out funds
Incidentally, some western donors have pulled funding from FRIDA because of its pro-Palestine stance. “What’s the point of working with people whose politics don’t align with yours as an activist? I don’t see myself lowering my voice. It’s a bloody genocide, why would you support it?” she asks.
Agather Atuhaire, an activist and whistleblower who heads Agora Discourse, a public accountability NGO, has faced her fair share of digital threats. Two years ago, Atuhaire blew the lid on a procurement scam where the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among splashed millions of taxpayers’ money on new luxury SUVs.
She has spearheaded an online campaign called #UgandaParliamentExhibition, which exposes the corruption and embezzlement of funds associated with Speaker Among, highlighting an unprecedented ostentatious display of
wealth. Given the powerful individuals she has challenged, Atuhaire has faced a familiar accusation: being labeled a foreign agent.
“We have always faced attacks for how we are agents of imperialists, how we are working for visas and asylum, how we are working for people to give us money, and so forth,” she tells The Independent in a virtual interview.
Agora was active during the #March2parliament protests that started on July 23 and ran for a couple of weeks. The mobilization for the protests was done online with a few protestors hitting the streets.
It was from these protests that Agora faced criticism from the Ugandan government and other actors that it was a foreign funded-organisation. Since most of Agora’s work is online on X, the attacks and push back played out in hashtags and tweets. Agora’s critics said it should come clean on who it receives funding from.
Many people rallied to Agora’s defense, stating that the NGO is accountable to its donors and emphasizing that its funders are clearly listed on its website.
Ignoring bullies
For Atuhaire, it was a familiar playbook. “I don’t usually respond. I see that as propaganda aimed at distracting us and deflecting,” she says. “I ask people to respond to the issues and facts we raise. Let them impeach our facts or dispute them instead of deflecting.”
Atuhaire is randomly slut shamed online in the course of her work in spite of being a journalist and a lawyer. Ignoring people who make such accusations and starving them of
engagement has become one of her tried and tested tactics.
“I don’t respond. A few times, I have responded in a way that takes away that power from them. For example, when I am told I am sleeping with multiple men, I ask ‘how is that a problem for Ugandans?”
She adds, “We are talking about people stealing resources for children that are dying, how does me sleeping around even if I was sleeping with one hundred men, affect Uganda?... That has sort of died off.”
“I do that not just for me but for other women that might be silenced because someone is playing that card.”
She explains, “When I see someone’s motive is to attack, not to ask questions I can provide answers for, I ignore.”
But even when you disarm online bullies, there is no denying the impact it has on your mental wellbeing. Atuhaire takes occasional breaks from X in what is usually called an online detox.
“The work takes a toll on you emotionally, because you are dealing with the emotional baggage of everyone else; the political prisoners, their families, people who have been abused in one way or another, corruption, the attacks come in and you get overwhelmed so the only thing to do is to take a break.”
Edna Ninsiima, a feminist, writer and communications consultant, has dealt with a lot of bullying and “internalized misogyny” on social media.
“There’s a ganging up that happens. A lot of times it was through dog whistling, someone comes onto a post and then says something…kind of calling the others to the ring,” she explains.
She recalled a time she tweeted saying the whole concept of a friend zone is rooted in a very patriarchal rape culture. “Because there was barely any critical thinking, it dragged on for days and then there’s a whole timeline of people mocking you saying derogatory things and mostly bullying you,” Ninsiima says.
She also talks about the ways in which homophobia was used against her.
“When you are a woman advocating for feminist politics, the thing that misogynists can use against you is homophobia. They will say Edna is having sexual relations with another woman...so this is supposed to make you say I don’t want to be associated with being a lesbian so let me back out.”
Ninsiima adds, “Even myself at that point, I wasn’t yet okay with being accused of being a lesbian or unlearning conditioned homophobia.”
Agather Atuhaire
She would often hear of WhatsApp groups where fabricated stories were being discussed. “So then it becomes, ‘oh they are just pushing an agenda, they are just sleeping together which would infantilise the movement.”
She stresses that it was significantly worse for some of her “comrades” who are queer because of how rife homophobia is in Uganda. In addition, she cites how feminists are always called ugly, unmarried, bitter women-labels that are meant to derail them.
Being hyper visible as a feminist was a tall order for her. Someone once threatened to release naked pictures of her. “I had a good idea there was no chance those pictures were out there but I started to question myself. But I thought maybe someone took them without my consent as it happens a lot of the time. I spent like a whole three days terrified.”
The same person also threatened to knock her down with a car. “It messes with your mind. If you are not experiencing it or are part of the bullies, it doesn’t register with you,” she says.
But in spite of it all, Ninsiima and her feminist comrades did find a way to counter the digital threats.
“What we did was to stick together on and offline. Online, there was a thing of ‘They will come for you’ they being the feminists. So people would say to us ‘oh you guys cleaned the timeline. Misogynists became afraid to say certain things. You may think it but you won’t say it,” she says with a hint of pride.
“The counterattack, was if you are coming for Edna, you are coming for all of us. If someone was going through it, there was concerted support from all the comrades,” she recalls.
When she had to cover a book launch, all her comrades came for the event as a form of solidarity and security. Banding together was a way of guarding against the many threats they faced.
They also signed up for digital security trainings just to learn the basics like two factor authentication and the like.
The block button
But another well-known measure proved effective: blocking.
“A lot of times abusers thrive on access. In any circumstances when you revoke that access, they can’t access you. Blocking was very helpful.”
But there was pushback on that too earning Ninsiima the moniker, block master. This included a sharing of screenshots among those who had been blocked by her.
“It was frowned upon then. How dare
you revoke access? I am proud to see today where women say just block.”
Muting of conversations was also helpful, she adds. “Continued interaction with abuse has very dire consequences on your mental and even physical health as I saw because I went into therapy for this.”
Ninsiima as a writer has been a victim of plagiarism which she considers a digital threat but also “good old misogyny.” A young man plagiarized an article from her blog and it was published in a prominent newspaper. “This is a story that has been published on a blog that is not obscure; it has enough readers and has been re-shared many times online,” she says.
“The misogyny is in just assuming that a young man can write. If it was a young woman…I cannot confirm but they may do some due diligence,” she adds.
Ninsiima cites the fact that the person who plagiarized her work is part of a prolific young professionals’ program, as a troubling issue. She said that since it was not the first time he was plagiarizing work, on top of the editors not doing their gatekeeping work, perpetuates a lack of accountability.
“He has a whole community of intellectual friends who are mentoring him, how haven’t they figured it out?” she asks.
Mercy Awino, a lawyer and activist, found her calling during the #March2Parliament protests. She has been an engaged activist since then. Her tweet telling off President Museveni when he called the young protestors “Bazzukulu” (grandchildren) garnered attention for its boldness and take no prisoners’ attitude.
A few days later, she received a call
from an unknown number with the typical threat: “We know where you stay and why are you joining the wrong people? We shall come for you.” Her parents called her to caution her since people were calling them too.
Months into activist duty, Awino is now getting the drill. For those that raise issues, she engages but for the trolls, she ignores while for those that make threats, she hits the block button.
“I am deliberate about sharing my location with my friends for when I am at court and when I am at work in case anything happens,” she tells The Independent in an online interview.
She undertook a training on digital and physical safety by Defend Defenders, a human rights defenders organisation—which she found helpful and applies what she learnt daily.
As an activist, Awino has grasped the reality in her line of work. “The first thing to understand is that a dead activist is no activist. Whatever we do it is very important to make sure that we are being safe while doing it,” she says.
Digital laws used to silence political critics
Uganda has the Computer Misuse Act 2011 as the only piece of legislation against digital threats but the government has mostly used it go after critics as opposed to protecting the digital rights of Ugandan citizens.
“Given the current political landscape, it is very possible that you could be disappeared or harm could be suffered upon your family,” she reckons.
She shares tips with her ilk through “an actors analysis” so as to weigh one’s actions against their outcomes. “If I speak out against police, what kind of reaction would I get form the police or the public; who would be my ally, who would be threatened, and what is the magnitude of that threat?”
Awino states that the situation may be different when everyone else is speaking out on the same issue. “But when an issue gains traction and brings you a lot of attention because you are the only one raising it, the risk rises and your security goes up,” she cautions.
“You inform other networks of human rights defenders: I am going to do this, and this is the kind of feedback I may get, she says, “Be alert, have the legal people involved and those that offer protection, so that if anything happens, they are able to come in time.”
This story is an outcome of a DW Investigative Journalism Fellowship on Digital Threats
Mercy Awino
Rusumo hydropower project transforms lives in Burundi
and its neighbours
Project is located at the common border of Rwanda and Tanzania on River Kagera
By Ronald Musoke
For any surgeon, one of the worst moments in the operating room is the sudden, gut-wrenching silence that comes with a power outage in the middle of a medical operation.
Dr. Franck Arnaud Ndorukwigira, the Deputy Director of Gitega Regional Hospital—the largest health facility in Burundi’s political capital, Gitega—knows this all too well.
“One day, during a laparotomy for pelvic peritonitis, there was a power cut,” he recalled. “We had to finish the operation using a torch. It was incredibly difficult.”
The hospital, like many others in Burundi, struggled with unreliable electricity. To cope, management purchased a diesel generator to supplement the country’s erratic power supply. However, running it around the clock proved unsustainable due to limited hospital funds, forcing difficult decisions about its use. Staff like Dr. Ndorukwigira often faced frustrating, even perilous, working conditions.
Rusumo hydropower to the rescue
Today, the seemingly insurmountable challenge has been overcome, thanks to stable and regular supply of electricity from the brand new 80-megawatt Rusumo hydroelectric power station.
The Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project was developed by the governments of Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania through a commonly owned Rusumo power company. The joint development was entered through a tripartite agreement signed in 2012.
The project is located at Rusumo Falls at the common border of Rwanda and Tanzania on River Kagera while the power production facilities are located entirely on the southside of the bank of the Kagera River in Rwanda.
Built at a cost of US $340 million, with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB Group) providing US$ 107.11 million, including US$ 97.31 million from the Bank Group’s concessional lending window, the African Development Fund, and US$ 9.8 million from another AfDB lending vehicle, the Nigeria Trust Fund, as well as the World Bank and the European Union, the power station now supplies Burundi with about
A mother smiles as she carries her baby inside Gitega General Hospital. Stable electricity at the health facility has enabled the hospital management to produce sufficient oxygen which has improved the survival rate of newborn babies at the facility. COURTESY PHOTO/AFDB.
27 megawatts of electricity. A similar share of electricity goes to the national grids of Rwanda and Tanzania.
The regional electricity sharing initiative was spearheaded by the Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme (NELSAP), one of two investment arms of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), a regional body that brings together countries within the Nile River Basin.
These include; Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Eritrea participates in NBI activities under “observer” status. NELSAP’s project targets improving access to electricity in the upper Nile Basin countries of Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda through increased cross-border sharing of electricity.
Besides the construction of the power station itself, the project also included the installation of transmission lines, including a 161-kilometre cable to deliver the 27 megawatts of electricity to Burundi.
Rusumo Dam saves lives
The steady electricity supply from the Rusumo Dam means that Gitega Hospital can now devote more resources to upgrading equipment and medical teams can focus on their primary mission of saving lives.
The hospital has installed an oxygen
production unit that meets its own needs and supplies gas to other regional medical centres. New incubators in the hospital’s neonatal department are permanently connected to the oxygen generator, saving the lives of premature babies.
“It has made a huge difference,” Dr Ndorukwigira says. “We took in a mother who gave birth to premature triplets at six months. If these new incubators were not connected to electricity 24 hours a day, we couldn’t have cared for these babies properly and they would probably have died. Now the babies are gradually gaining weight and their mother is very happy.”
The upgrading of electricity infrastructure associated with the Rusumo project is also helping local businesses and households as well, boosting the regional economy.
Additional work is now underway to extend medium-voltage power lines to more rural communities, promoting inclusive economic growth. Ezéchiel Bagayuwitunze, who coordinates Burundi’s share of electricity from the Rusumo project, described the overall impact the project is having on Burundi:
“Previously, the town of Gitega and the surrounding districts suffered frequent and long power cuts and major drops in voltage, due to electricity shortages and low capacity of the existing transmission cables. The installation of better cables and hydroelectric power from Rusumo Falls means that we can provide a better service to people in Gitega region and the country as a whole.”
Jean Barakamfitiye, the engineer in charge of the Gitega and Muyinga substations notes that by focusing its power supply strategy on hydroelectricity, Burundi is building a greener, more sustainable future, supporting low-carbon economic and social development.
“We have a vision of a developed country in 2040 and a rich country in 2060… The Rusumo project makes a major contribution to achieving that goal,” said Barakamfitiye.
The stable supply of electricity from Rusumo has also made it possible to shut down a 30-megawatt oil-fired power station, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gas. The closure of the thermal power station helps save USD 2 million per month, the cost of buying fuel and lubricants.
Serengeti and Maasai Mara hit by climate change – a major threat to wildlife and tourism
Over the past six decades, rainfall has been above average and there have also been recurrent severe droughts, erratic extremely wet conditions and a temperature rise of 4.8°C to 5.8°C
By Joseph Ogutu
The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, which includes Kenya’s Maasai Mara and Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, is one of the most famous and wildliferich areas in Africa.
Every year, millions of animals move across the land in search of fresh grass and water, creating an incredible spectacle known as the Great Migration. This migration sustains hundreds of predators and scavengers like vultures. The wildlife is also important for local governments and communities that rely on funds from tourism and conservation efforts.
All this activity – the well-being of wildlife, the water they drink and the vegetation they feed on – depends on weather patterns. Extreme weather phenomena, therefore, can wreak havoc on the workings of the ecosystem.
I’m part of a team from the universities of Hohenheim and Groningen, Free University of Berlin, the IUCN, the Indian Institute of Management in Udaipur and the Kenya Meteorological Department which has
been studying weather patterns in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem since 1913. Our new study has found that it has been experiencing major changes.
Over the past six decades, rainfall has been above average and there have also been recurrent severe droughts, erratic extremely wet conditions and a temperature rise of 4.8°C to 5.8°C.
These events are having a significant impact on wildlife populations and biodiversity in the area. Vegetation and water are gradually drying. Competition between wildlife, livestock and people for resources is increasing. Wildlife numbers are falling and there are changes in patterns of migration and breeding.
Key findings
We have found that the Mara-Serengeti is rapidly warming.
The average monthly minimum temperatures (taken in Narok Town, bordering the Maasai Mara ecosystem) between 1960 and 2024 increased significantly – an overall rise of 5.3°C. The
minimum temperature increased from 7.9°C in May 1960, reaching 13.2°C in 2024.
Rainfall in both the Maasai Mara and Serengeti increased over time. Severe droughts are becoming more frequent and intense. And though extreme floods are relatively rare, they’re also increasing in frequency and intensity over time.
What’s driving these changes
By analysing patterns in rainfall and temperature alongside global oceanic and atmospheric climate systems, we connect the weather changes in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem to climate change. The global climate systems are changing due to global warming.
Specifically, we examined the Southern Oscillation Index and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) between 1913 and 2024. These are the most significant oceanic and atmospheric patterns affecting climate in east Africa.
The Southern Oscillation Index measures the difference in air pressure between two places, Tahiti in the South Pacific and Darwin
in Australia. When the sea level pressure difference is big it signals changes – like El Niño (warm phase of the oscillation) or La Niña (cold phase) – which can affect weather patterns around the world. El Niño is linked to more rainfall in east Africa and La Niña to droughts.
The Indian Ocean Dipole is a climate pattern which is like a seesaw for the ocean temperatures in the Indian Ocean. Sometimes, one side of the ocean near Africa gets warmer, while the side near Indonesia gets cooler. Other times, it flips, with Indonesia being warmer and Africa cooler. This changing pattern affects the weather, causing more rain when the ocean near east Africa is warmer and droughts when the ocean is cooler.
Our study of the Southern Oscillation Index found that around 1970 the shifts in oceanic and atmospheric conditions that cause El Niño and La Niña were becoming more extreme. As a result, these events – and the droughts and floods they bring – are happening more often and with greater intensity.
Meanwhile, between 1913 and 2024, the Indian Ocean Dipole has slowly increased due to steady ocean warming. And there are two repeating cycles that happen every 4.1 and 5.4 years. These cycles change in strength and timing, but they keep coming back regularly. The steady strengthening of the dipole is a sign of global warming and altered atmospheric circulation. The increased frequency and intensity of dipole events, when there are warmer sea surface temperatures in the western Indian Ocean, are linked to more frequent and severe floods and droughts in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
Implications of weather changes
The droughts, floods and temperature rise are affecting wildlife populations and biodiversity in the ecosystem.
We’ve seen this through field observations in annual reports by Kenya’s Game Department and its successor, the Wildlife Conservation and Management Department, and from local district documents in the Kenya National Archives and there are also more contemporary observations.
We analysed this observational data to identify trends and patterns in wildlife populations over time, and the timing, scale and location of changes. We then linked these to changes in the weather and specific anomalies, such as droughts.
We also systematically ruled out other potential causes, such as disease outbreaks, habitat destruction, pollution or overexploitation, such as through poaching.
These are some of the impacts from the ecosystem’s changing weather patterns:
Droughts kill wildlife through
starvation, thirst and dehydration and the increased predation and poaching of weakened animals.
Drought is linked to increased humanwildlife conflict because wild animals raid crops, kill livestock and injure or kill people.
Droughts intensify the competition for scarce resources among wildlife, pastoralists and their livestock.
Droughts temporarily increase carcass availability, boosting predator numbers, but as prey numbers decline, predators face starvation and their numbers decrease.
Heavy rainfall replenishes drinking water sources and promotes plant growth, but it also causes wildlife drownings and destruction of habitats.
Heavy rainfall after droughts can kill wildlife because sudden severe temperature drops following the onset of rains can be fatal to weakened animals. The rapid growth of young grass can further endanger vulnerable animals due to nutritional imbalance, sudden dietary change and dehydration.
Heavy rainfall increases grass biomass and fibre accumulation, thereby depressing nutritional quality for ungulates that thrive best at intermediate biomass levels.
Droughts bring diseases, such as anthrax or rinderpest outbreaks, and pathogens, such as parasitic lungworm.
Droughts shrink the area of wetlands critical for herbivores during droughts.
Heavy rainfall increases the risk of fires
by promoting lush grass growth. The excessive biomass dries, ignites and burns.
Abundant rainfall can boost breeding but may also increase wildlife death due to diseases and predation in lush conditions.
Droughts force wildlife to migrate over longer distances in search of food and water, leading to early departures, delayed arrivals, or movement into dangerous areas, such as near poachers.
Heavy rainfall causes animals to roam further from their usual ranges and reduces the number of animals that migrate.
Unpredictable rainfall makes animal migrations more erratic, and often mistimed with periods of peak resource availability.
Extended droughts suppress reproduction, reducing birth rates, milk availability, and successful mating. This leads to unseasonal calving, reproductive pauses or failures and high mortality among young animals.
Droughts delay the onset of births and timing of birth peaks, while good rains advance it.
Droughts decrease the number of females that breed and reduce the likelihood of synchronised breeding among females, while high rainfall increases synchrony of births and females that give birth.
Source: The Conversation
New York Times: Kamala Harris—The
Only Patriotic Choice for President
As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race
By The Editorial Board
It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump. He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest. He has proved himself temperamentally unfit for a role that requires the very qualities — wisdom, honesty, empathy, courage, restraint, humility, discipline — that he most lacks. Those disqualifying characteristics are compounded by everything else that limits his ability to fulfill the duties of the president: his many criminal charges, his advancing age, his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates. This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election. For this reason, regardless of any political disagreements voters might have with her, Kamala Harris is the only patriotic choice for president.
Most presidential elections are, at their core, about two different visions of America that emerge from competing policies and principles. This one is about something more foundational. It is about whether we invite into the highest office in the land a man who has revealed, unmistakably, that he
will degrade the values, defy the norms and dismantle the institutions that have made our country strong.
As a dedicated public servant who has demonstrated care, competence and an unwavering commitment to the Constitution, Ms. Harris stands alone in this race. She may not be the perfect candidate for every voter, especially those who are frustrated and angry about our government’s failures to fix what’s broken — from our immigration system to public schools to housing costs to gun violence. Yet we urge Americans to contrast Ms. Harris’s record with her opponent’s.
Harris offers best alternative
Ms. Harris is more than a necessary alternative. There is also an optimistic case for elevating her, one that is rooted in her policies and borne out by her experience as vice president, a senator and a state attorney general.
Over the past 10 weeks, Ms. Harris has offered a shared future for all citizens, beyond hate and division. She has begun to describe a set of thoughtful plans to help American families.
While character is enormously important — in this election, pre-eminently so — policies matter. Many Americans remain deeply concerned about their prospects and their children’s in an unstable and
unforgiving world. For them, Ms. Harris is clearly the better choice. She has committed to using the power of her office to help Americans better afford the things they need, to make it easier to own a home, to support small businesses and to help workers. Mr. Trump’s economic priorities are more tax cuts, which would benefit mostly the wealthy, and more tariffs, which will make prices even more unmanageable for the poor and middle class.
Beyond the economy, Ms. Harris promises to continue working to expand access to health care and reduce its cost. She has a long record of fighting to protect women’s health and reproductive freedom. Mr. Trump spent years trying to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and boasts of picking the Supreme Court justices who ended the constitutional right to an abortion.
Globally, Ms. Harris would work to maintain and strengthen the alliances with like-minded nations that have long advanced American interests abroad and maintained the nation’s security. Mr. Trump — who has long praised autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban and Kim Jong-un — has threatened to blow those democratic alliances apart. Ms. Harris recognizes the need for global solutions to the global problem of climate change and would continue President Biden’s major investments in the industries and
technologies necessary to achieve that goal. Mr. Trump rejects the accepted science, and his contempt for low-carbon energy solutions is matched only by his trollish fealty to fossil fuels.
As for immigration, a huge and largely unsolved issue, the former president continues to demonize and dehumanize immigrants, while Ms. Harris at least offers hope for a compromise, long denied by Congress, to secure the borders and return the nation to a sane immigration system.
Many voters have said they want more details about the vice president’s plans, as well as more unscripted encounters in which she explains her vision and policies. They are right to ask. Given the stakes of this election, Ms. Harris may think that she is running a campaign designed to minimize the risks of an unforced error — answering journalists’ questions and offering greater policy detail could court controversy, after all — under the belief that being the only viable alternative to Mr. Trump may be enough to bring her to victory. That strategy may ultimately prove winning, but it’s a disservice to the American people and to her own record. And leaving the public with a sense that she is being shielded from tough questions, as Mr. Biden has been, could backfire by undermining her core argument that a capable new generation stands ready to take the reins of power.
Checks and balances
Ms. Harris is not wrong, however, on the clear dangers of returning Mr. Trump to office. He has promised to be a different kind of president this time, one who is unrestrained by checks on power built into the American political system. His pledge to be “a dictator” on “Day 1” might have indeed been a joke — but his undisguised fondness for dictatorships and the strongmen who run them is anything but. Most notably, he systematically undermined public confidence in the result of the 2020 election and then attempted to overturn it — an effort that culminated in an insurrection at the Capitol to obstruct the peaceful transfer of power and resulted in him and some of his most prominent supporters being charged with crimes. He has not committed to honoring the result of this election and continues to insist, as he did at the debate with Ms. Harris on Sept. 10, that he won in 2020. He has apparently made a willingness to support his lies a litmus test for those in his orbit, starting with JD Vance, who would be his vice president. His disdain for the rule of law goes beyond his efforts to obtain power; it is also central to how he plans to use it. Mr. Trump and his supporters have described a 2025 agenda that would give him the power to carry out the most extreme of his promises and threats. He vows, for instance, to turn the federal bureaucracy and even
the Justice Department into weapons of his will to hurt his political enemies. In at least 10 instances during his presidency, he did exactly that, pressuring federal agencies and prosecutors to punish people he felt had wronged him, with little or no legal basis for prosecution.
Some of the people Mr. Trump appointed in his last term saved America from his most dangerous impulses. They refused to break laws on his behalf and spoke up when he put his own interests above his country’s. As a result, the former president intends, if re-elected, to surround himself with people who are unwilling to defy his demands. Today’s version of Mr. Trump — the twiceimpeached version that faces a barrage of criminal charges — may prove to be the restrained version.
Unless American voters stand up to him, Mr. Trump will have the power to do profound and lasting harm to our democracy.
That is not simply an opinion of Mr. Trump’s character by his critics; it is a judgment of his presidency from those who know it best — the very people he appointed to serve in the most important positions of his White House. It is telling that among those who fear a second Trump presidency are people who worked for him and saw him at close range.
Mike Pence, Mr. Trump’s vice president, has repudiated him. No other vice president in modern history has done this. “I believe that anyone who puts themselves over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” Mr. Pence has said. “And anyone who asks someone else to put them over the Constitution should never be president of the United States again.”
Mr. Trump’s attorney general has raised similar concerns about his fundamental unfitness. And his chief of staff. And his defense secretary. And his national security advisers. And his education secretary. And on and on — a record of denunciation without precedent in the nation’s long history.
That’s not to say Mr. Trump did not add to the public conversation. In particular, he broke decades of Washington consensus and led both parties to wrestle with the downsides of globalization, unrestrained trade and China’s rise. His criminal-justice reform efforts were well placed, his focus on Covid vaccine development paid off, and his decision to use an emergency public health measure to turn away migrants at the border was the right call at the start of the pandemic. Yet even when the former president’s overall aim may have had merit, his operational incompetence, his mercurial temperament and his outright recklessness often led to bad outcomes. Mr. Trump’s tariffs cost Americans billions of dollars. His attacks on China have ratcheted up military tensions with America’s strongest rival and
a nuclear superpower. His handling of the Covid crisis contributed to historic declines in confidence in public health, and to the loss of many lives. His overreach on immigration policies, such as his executive order on family separation, was widely denounced as inhumane and often ineffective.
And those were his wins. His tax plan added $2 trillion to the national debt; his promised extension of them would add $5.8 trillion over the next decade. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal destabilized the Middle East. His support for antidemocratic strongmen like Mr. Putin emboldened human rights abusers all over the world. He instigated the longest government shutdown ever. His sympathetic comments toward the Proud Boys expanded the influence of domestic right-wing extremist groups.
Trump convicted of felony charges
In the years since he left office, Mr. Trump was convicted on felony charges of falsifying business records, was found liable in civil court for sexual abuse and faces two, possibly three, other criminal cases. He has continued to stoke chaos and encourage violence and lawlessness whenever it suits his political aims, most recently promoting vicious lies against Haitian immigrants. He recognizes that ordinary people — voters, jurors, journalists, election officials, law enforcement officers and many others who are willing to do their duty as citizens and public servants — have the power to hold him to account, so he has spent the past three and a half years trying to undermine them and sow distrust in anyone or any institution that might stand in his way.
Most dangerous for American democracy, Mr. Trump has transformed the Republican Party — an institution that once prided itself on principle and honored its obligations to the law and the Constitution — into little more than an instrument of his quest to regain power. The Republicans who support Ms. Harris recognize that this election is about something more fundamental than narrow partisan interest. It is about principles that go beyond party.
In 2020 this board made the strongest case it could against the re-election of Mr. Trump. Four years later, many Americans have put his excesses out of their minds. We urge them and those who may look back at that period with nostalgia or feel that their lives are not much better now than they were three years ago to recognize that his first term was a warning and that a second Trump term would be much more damaging and divisive than the first.
Kamala Harris is the only choice.
The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values. It is separate from the newsroom.
Source: New York Times
Oct. 04 - 10, 2024
Uganda’s financial institutions posts record Shs1.4 trillion profit
Stanbic Uganda Holdings Ltd, Centenary Bank, and Absa Bank Uganda accounted for 60% of the industry’s aggregate profit
By The Independent
Uganda’s supervised financial institutions including commercial banks, micro-deposittaking institutions (MDIs), and credit institutions, recorded a combined profit of Shs1.4 trillion for the year ending June 2024, a slight 1% increase from the previous year, despite challenging economic conditions and the closure of two financial institutions. The rise in profitability was largely driven by increased interest income, improved asset quality, and reduced provisions for bad debts, according to the Bank of Uganda’s annual report for the 2023/24. However, some institutions faced elevated interest expenses due to high cost-of-deposit ratios.
South Africa’s Standard Bank’s subsidiary in Uganda, Stanbic Uganda Holdings Ltd (SUHL), Catholic owned Centenary Bank, and Absa Bank Uganda accounted for 60% of the industry’s aggregate profit.
SUHL, the country’s largest financial institution by assets, posted a 15.2% increase in profit after tax, reaching Shs412 billion. Centenary Bank saw a 19% rise, with profits after tax totaling Shs297 billion, while Absa Bank Uganda registered a 15.6% growth, recording Shs146 billion in profit after tax.
Michael Atingi-Ego, the deputy governor, Bank of Uganda said in a statement that financial institutions maintained adequate liquidity and capital buffers, ensuring their capacity to meet regulatory standards and withstand shocks.
“The banking sector remained profitable, well-capitalised, and compliant with revised minimum capital requirements,”
he said.
“Moreover, Uganda’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, following a thorough assessment, was a significant achievement that reaffirmed our commitment to strengthening the country’s Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism framework.”
Asset growth and lending activity
Total assets within Uganda’s financial institutions grew by 8.4%, rising from Shs49.7 trillion to Shs53.9 trillion in June 2024. The increase was attributed to greater holdings of government securities, loans, and foreign deposits by financial institutions.
Government securities saw a 10.1% rise to Shs15 trillion, while loans increased by 6.8% to Shs22.6 trillion. Deposits in foreign financial institutions grew by 33.2%, reaching Shs4.17 trillion.
Commercial banks led asset growth, with an 8.9% increase to Shs52.6 trillion, while microfinance deposit-taking institutions (MDIs) saw a 2.1% rise to Shs882.6 billion.
However, credit institutions experienced a 21.5% drop in assets, primarily due to the closure of Mercantile Credit Bank Limited in June 2024, which had previously held over a quarter of CI assets. Similarly, EFC Uganda Limited, a microfinance deposit-taking institution, was liquidation by the central bank citing capital inadequacy and poor governance. On the liabilities side, deposits remained the primary source of funding for financial institutions, growing by 4.2% to Shs36.4 trillion. The increase was driven by a rise in savings and time deposits, which grew by 4.7% and 5.7%, respectively. Lending activity also showed improvement, with loans growing by 6.8%, higher than the 5% recorded in the previous year. Net credit extensions more than doubled from Shs 650.1 billion to Shs 1.34 trillion. However, overall credit growth remained below the long-term trend, reflecting the cautious approach by both financial institutions and borrowers amid tighter financing conditions.
Improved asset quality and liquidity resilience
Uganda’s financial institutions also reported improved asset quality. The ratio of nonperforming loans (NPLs) to total gross loans dropped from 5.8% in June 2023 to 4.9% in June 2024, with notable improvements in the business services and real estate sectors. In addition, liquidity buffers across the sector increased, with the aggregate liquid assets rising by 10% to Shs17.5 trillion. The liquidity ratio grew from 45.7% to 46.8%, ensuring that all financial institutions met the regulatory minimums. The liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) for commercial banks and credit institutions jumped from 239.6% to 371.6%, well above the required minimum of 100%, reflecting their ability to withstand liquidity shocks.
Outlook for the sector
The country’s credit conditions are expected to improve further, driven by monetary policy easing by the Bank of Uganda. Additionally, with institutions holding sufficient liquidity buffers and maintaining strong capital adequacy, the sector is well positioned for continued growth. The aggregate capital adequacy ratio (CAR) stood at 25.5%, with a tier 1 capital ratio of 24.2%. Interestingly, all banks and credit institutions met the regulatory minimums, while three financial institutions –ABC Capital Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Opportunity Bank – opted to move from Tier I to Tier II during the year, in line with their business strategy and capital planning to meet the central bank’s new capital requirements.
UEDCL takes over electricity distribution in Western Uganda
By Julius Businge
Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has officially taken over Kilembe Investments Limited (KIL), a rural power distributor in Uganda’s Western Service territory, marking the fifth concession acquired by UEDCL.
The handover ceremony, held on Sept.30 at Rwenzori Square in Kasese, was attended by officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral DevelopmentThis transition reflects the government’s decision not to renew private electricity distribution concessions upon expiration, directing management of these assets to UEDCL. Over the past seven years, UEDCL has successfully taken over four other concessions, including FERDSULT Engineering Limited in 2017, Bundibugyo Energy Cooperative Society in 2021, Pader Abim Community MultiPurpose Energy Cooperative Society in 2023, and Kyegegwa Rural Energy Cooperative Society in 2024. Additionally, UEDCL is set to take over Umeme Limited on April 1, 2025. State Minister for Energy, Okasaai Sidronius Opolot, emphasized UEDCL’s vital role in advancing Uganda’s socioeconomic transformation through enhanced electricity access. He underscored the importance of sustainable operations and investments in network improvements by UEDCL, aligning with the government’s
strategic objectives.
“UEDCL should prioritize accelerating electricity access, enhancing distribution infrastructure, minimizing energy losses, combating equipment vandalism, and improving customer service through digital payment systems,” Opolot stated.
Acknowledging the challenges ahead, the Minister expressed confidence in UEDCL’s capability to fulfill its mandate, while highlighting the necessity for transparency, accountability, and value for money.
He noted the surplus electricity in Uganda, resulting from underutilization and demand constraints, calling for improved planning and investment to meet the growing energy demands of the country. Furthermore, he encouraged Kilembe Investments Limited (KIL) to explore other opportunities within the energy sector.
Pauline Irene Bateebe, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, commended UEDCL for its effective management of the transition of five concessions over the past decade, assuring stakeholders of the government’s confidence in UEDCL’s ability to ensure smooth operations, job retention, and the execution of critical government initiatives such as the Free Electricity Connections Policy and the Electricity Access Scale-up project. She urged communities in Buhweju, Kasese, Rukungiri, Sheema, and Mitooma to support UEDCL in its efforts to enhance
electricity access and reliability.
UEDCL Managing Director, Paul Mwesigwa, recounted the company’s successful acquisitions of the previous concessions and welcomed the KIL team as new members of the UEDCL workforce.
He emphasized the company’s commitment to teamwork, integrity, and a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, making it clear that any employee engaging in corrupt activities would face immediate dismissal. As a fully government-owned entity, UEDCL operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. The company is tasked with managing assets of 33kV and below nationwide, monitoring concessioned networks, distributing electricity in nonconcessioned areas, and operating a pole plant in Lugogo. Currently, UEDCL operates 62 offices across 102 parliamentary districts, employing 487 staff as of September 2024, with further expansion anticipated following the takeover of Umeme in 2025.
UEDCL’s business model focuses on ensuring timely customer connections, maintaining reliable power supply, controlling energy losses, and optimizing payment collection. These strategic efforts have enabled UEDCL to maintain energy losses within regulatory targets and achieve a 100% cash collection rate by August 2024.
By The Independent
Uganda’s central bank has recorded a fourfold increase in income, reaching Shs 1.2 trillion for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. This significant growth, as detailed in the Bank of Uganda’s Annual Report for FY 2023/24, marks a substantial rise from the Shs 277.8 billion recorded in the previous financial year.
The bank’s operating income rose by 44% to Shs 1.66 trillion, largely fueled by favorable returns on foreign investments. Income from these investments surged to Shs 805.8 billion in FY 2023/24, compared to Shs 438.6 billion in the previous year.
The bank’s strategic investment approach,
which involved locking in high interest rates for extended periods within money market investments, played a crucial role in this increase. Notably, US deposit rates fluctuated between 5% and 6% as major central banks implemented restrictive monetary policies aimed at curbing inflation.
In addition to foreign investment gains, local interest income also saw a significant boost, increasing from Shs 616.6 billion to Shs 756.8 billion. This rise was driven by advances to the government and revenue generated from recapitalization securities.
While the bank’s expenditures, including interest expenses, experienced a modest increase of 4%—reaching Shs 746.2 billion— this growth was primarily attributed to monetary policy costs associated with the
mopping up of excess liquidity.
The bank achieved a significant improvement in its cost-to-income ratio, which declined to 45% from 62% in the prior year, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency.
Total assets for the bank saw a slight decrease of 3%, falling to Shs 26.23 trillion from Shs 27.05 trillion at the end of June 2023. This decline was primarily due to net foreign exchange outflows related to government imports and repayments of external debt.
In contrast, the bank’s net worth experienced a substantial increase of 35.2%, rising to Shs 5.49 trillion driven by a surge in income, alongside additional recapitalization securities received.
Haiti becomes 12th CARICOM member state to accede to the Afreximbank Partnership Agreement
With Haiti’s signature, 12 of the 15 CARICOM member states have now acceded to the Partnership Agreement, with nine of them concluding its ratification
By The Independent
Haiti has become the 12th Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member state to accede the partnership agreement between and among CARICOM countries and African ExportImport Bank (Afreximbank).
During a ceremony on Sept. 25 at the Haitian Investment Forum, held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti, Dr. Garry Conille, and the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Professor Benedict Oramah, signed the documents formalising Haiti’s accession to the partnership.
Introduced by the Bank in 2022 following the African Union’s 2008 resolution designating the Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa, the Partnership Agreement recognises that Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora share deep historical, cultural, and political ties, as well as a sense of
common identity. It therefore seeks to promote the Global Africa agenda, which includes the expansion of two-way trade and investment between Africa and its Diaspora, to stimulate economic development.
With Haiti’s signature, 12 of the 15 CARICOM member states have now acceded to the Partnership Agreement, with nine of them concluding its ratification. The move paves the way for both public and private sector institutions in the country to access the US$1.5bn financing limit approved by Afreximbank’s Board to support projects and trade related transactions in the region. This limit is set to double once all the CARICOM member states join the partnership agreement.
Afreximbank to extend US$ 250 million credit facility
At the event, Afreximbank announced plans to institute a US$ 250 million facility to support the rebuilding of the Haitian economy.
In his comments, Haiti’s Prime Minister, Dr. Garry Conille said: “It is with immense gratitude that we receive your
announcement today of a US$250 million facility for Haiti. This is a decisive and impactful gesture that holds the promise of revitalisation for our economy and renewal for our people. This facility will allow us to address some of the most pressing challenges we face, from infrastructure and energy to agriculture and manufacturing. It will also serve as a catalyst for unlocking the potential that exists within our nation — potential that has long been stifled but never extinguished.”
He added that the facility was a concrete step towards regaining Haiti’s rightful place in the global economy, noting that it would create the right conditions for Haiti to ‘once again stand tall,’ contributing not only to the region but to the wider world.
In his remarks, Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, said: “I express deep and sincere gratitude to the Prime Minister of Haiti, The Honourable Dr. Garry Conille, for his courage and demonstrated commitment to advancing trade and investment relations between Africa and Haiti, and the Caribbean region in general. Haiti’s accession to this Partnership Agreement marks another historic move towards enhanced AfriCaribbean cooperation thereby helping to propel the Global Africa agenda towards a more prosperous future.”
Following the introduction of the Partnership Agreement with Caribbean countries, Afreximbank has hosted three editions of its AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum (ACTIF) in the region and established its regional office in Barbados. In just under two years, the multilateral Bank has provided more than US$2.5 billion in funding across the CARICOM, targeting key areas such as infrastructure development, climate adaptation projects, SME financing, among others.
In June, the Bank hosted its 2024 Annual Meetings in The Bahamas, a historic event that brought together more than 4,000 people from across the globe. The event also doubled as the third ACTIF and served as one of the high-level events by Afreximbank to demonstrate the Global Africa movement.
Professor Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank exchanges partnership agreement documents with Honourable Dr. Garry Conille, Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti (third right). The two leaders were accompanied by senior officials from Afreximbank and the government of Haiti.
Increased funding and strategic recommendations dominates 13th Mineral Wealth Conference
The conference concluded with a strong emphasis on national content development, recommending that mining regulations incorporate strategies to boost Ugandan participation
By Julius Businge
The urgent need for increased funding in Uganda’s mineral sector took center stage at the 13th Mineral Wealth Conference, held in Kampala from Oct.12. Key stakeholders from the government, private sector, and mining industry gathered to address pressing issues and develop a strategic roadmap for the future.
The event, organized by the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, and the Minerals Africa Development Institution (MADI), focused on the theme “Leveraging Critical Minerals for Sustainable Development and Economic Transformation.”
One of the primary recommendations was a substantial increase in the sector’s budget allocation, which currently stands at less than Shs 50 billion for this financial year. Stakeholders underscored the necessity of annual budget increments to facilitate the quantification of Uganda’s mineral resources and improve data collection and distribution—critical elements for driving sector investment.
Similarly, access to capital emerged as another significant challenge for private sector players. In response, participants proposed the establishment of a Mineral Fund, initiated by the government in partnership with the private sector. They also advocated for the issuance of government bonds in collaboration with local banks as a viable solution to unlock essential capital for the industry.
The conference also called
for the creation of a Mining Institute, mirroring similar institutions in the oil and gas sector. This initiative aims to train geologists, metallurgists, and other mining professionals, ensuring a skilled workforce to propel the industry forward.
The operationalization of the Uganda National Mining Company was emphasized as a priority, with participants noting its vital role in safeguarding government interests and enhancing public-private collaboration for the industry’s long-term success. Additionally, stakeholders stressed the importance of rapidly drafting and gazetting regulations to fully implement the Mining and Minerals Act, 2022, which would foster a more conducive business environment and attract increased private sector participation.
Investment in infrastructure, particularly in roads and electricity in mining areas, was highlighted as crucial for reducing operational costs and enhancing the competitiveness of Uganda’s mining sector on the global stage. Participants encouraged the government to explore international auctions
modern mining technologies to enhance safety and productivity. Capacity-building programs, developed in collaboration with the private sector, were proposed to equip ASMs with the skills necessary for more efficient operations.
Regional cooperation also featured prominently in discussions, with calls for the establishment of refineries and value-addition facilities benefiting not only Uganda but the entire region.
for mineral resources to attract foreign investors and facilitate technology transfer.
The discussion also addressed sector incentives, with calls for ongoing dialogue with the government to introduce tax rebates on VAT and corporate taxes to stimulate investment.
Multi-sector partnerships
Multi-sector partnerships were deemed essential for improving access to capital, training, and market development, as well as for organizing key industry events like the Mineral Wealth Conference. Such collaborations are expected to strengthen the sector and open new avenues for growth.
Market access for Ugandan minerals was another focal point, with participants urging the country to leverage regional and international trade agreements, such as the East African Community (EAC), COMESA, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to create more export opportunities.
For artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs), the conference recommended the adoption of
In light of global trends, participants emphasized the importance of aligning Uganda’s legal framework with Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, which are increasingly critical for attracting investments. They also advocated for the digitization of the mining sector, proposing the creation of an online cadastral system and enabling online registration for ASMs and licensing processes to enhance operational efficiency and transparency.
The conference concluded with a strong emphasis on national content development, recommending that mining regulations incorporate strategies to boost Ugandan participation through job creation and local community engagement, similar to initiatives seen in the oil and gas industry.
These recommendations are set to inform future policy and strategy, ensuring that Uganda’s mineral sector plays a pivotal role in the country’s socio-economic transformation. Aggrey Ashaba, chairman of the governing council of the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum, presented the proposals to President Yoweri Museveni, represented by Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, who pledged to advocate for their implementation.
Ashaba expressed optimism about the sector’s growth potential, stating, “Currently contributing 2.2% to GDP in FY 2022/23, this could rise to 7% or more, as reported in the 1950s and 1960s, through resource quantification, formalization of artisanal miners, and infrastructure enhancements.”
CEOs urged to fight climate change
Fabian Kasi, Managing Director of Centenary Bank, urged Uganda’s Chief Executive Officers to make fearless decisions in the fight against climate change during the 15th Annual CEO Forum at Mestil Hotel and Residences in Kampala. He emphasized the necessity of bold leadership in champi-
oning sustainability; reminding attendees that businesses are meant to serve future generations.
Kasi highlighted that a leader’s true value is measured by succession, stating, “If we create followers who can do great things together, that is true significance.”
The forum, themed “Only One Earth:
Sen exits
MTN Uganda Chief Marketing Officer, Somdev Sen will step down from his position effective Oct.11, concluding his seven-year tenure with the company. Sen has been instrumental in driving substantial growth through various customer engagement initiatives, data-driven strategic insights, and impactful marketing campaigns including doubling customer numbers. Following his departure, Mr. Sen will take on a new role as Chief Digital and Commercial Officer at MTN Rwanda, effective October 14, 2024. MTN Uganda, CEO Sylvia Mulinge expressed her appreciation for Sen’s contributions, stating, “Somdev’s contributions have driven our growth and inspired our team. His passion and dedication have left a lasting impact on MTN Uganda. As he moves on to new opportunities, we are proud of all he has accomplished and confident he will continue to achieve great things. We wish him every success in his next chapter.” In his farewell statement, Sen said: “I am extremely honored to have served MTN Uganda in three distinct roles. I am grateful for the amazing team at MTN and the wonderful people of Uganda whom I have had the great pleasure of working with. As I move on to my new role, I am confident that you shall keep being unstoppable.”
Our Purpose and Mandate,” attracted over 100 corporate heads to discuss sustainable solutions to climate challenges. Kasi also called for collaboration among business leaders and stakeholders to effectively address sustainability issues, reinforcing the importance of unity in creating lasting change for the environment.
Gen Z prefer two-way dialogue with brands- Infobip study
New research from global communication platform Infobip uncovers how different generations prefer to engage with businesses as Black Friday approaches. According to the Generational Messaging Trends Report, a significant 65% of shoppers under 27 years old favor two-way dialogue with brands, while 83% expect brands to recognize them as individuals.
The study highlights that 86% of consumers across all age groups anticipate targeted communications, prompting retailers to adopt personalized strategies. “Consumers want brands to connect in a conversational and friendly manner, boosting loyalty. Our new playbook assists retailers and e-commerce companies in tailoring their approaches for this shopping season,” stated Ivan Ostojić, Chief Business Officer at Infobip. Gen Z and Millennials lean toward creative, entertaining messaging, while Gen X and Baby Boomers prefer straightforward, relevant communication. Notably, 68% of Baby Boomers favor chat apps over 57% of
UBA Uganda denies management crisis
United Bank for Africa Uganda Limited (UBA Uganda) has refuted recent media reports suggesting a management crisis within the organization, affirming that the current Managing Director, Chioma A. Mang, has been assigned broader responsibilities within the UBA Group, effective October 1, 2024. The bank emphasized its adherence to corporate governance practices and confirmed that an announcement regarding the appointment of a new Managing Director will be made in due course. “We appreciate
Chioma A. Mang’s contributions to UBA Uganda during her tenure, which have been exemplified by significant growth, and we wish her continued success in her new role,” stated Haziana Niyonsaba, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA Uganda. Contrary to the claims circulating in some media outlets, which alleged that Mang was recalled to the bank’s headquarters in Nigeria due to difficulties related to the working environment, UBA Uganda maintains that the transition is part of its ongoing strategic development.
Gen X, likely due to increased leisure time for messaging.
Younger generations, especially Millennials (60%) and Gen Z (53%) prefer chat apps for brand interactions, while social media platforms like TikTok and YouTube dominate their engagement. Surprisingly, 30% of Gen Z and younger Millennials also selected voice communication as a preferred method. In regions with youthful demographics, such as Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, understanding these preferences is crucial. For instance, Kenya has 18.4 million Gen Zers, constituting 33.4% of its population, highlighting the need for businesses to tailor their engagement strategies effectively.
As a subsidiary of the United Bank for Africa, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, UBA Uganda operates in twenty African countries, as well as the United Kingdom, France, and the United States. The stock of UBA Transnational is traded on the Nigeria Stock Exchange under the symbol UBA. Founded in May 2008, UBA Uganda began its operations with the opening of its main branch on the Kampala-Jinja Highway and has since expanded to key upcountry towns including Mukono, Jinja, Mbale, and Mbarara. MTN Uganda CMO Somdev
EAC, EABC, and private sector representatives gather for a group photo during the Round Table discussion themed “Boosting Intra-EAC Trade and Investment: Unlocking Barriers and Leveraging Opportunities” in Arusha, Tanzania. The event was sponsored by GIZ, ISUZU East Africa Ltd, Tanzania Cigarette Public Limited Company, Stanbic Bank, Groupe EIS-EKA, and Tanzania Breweries Limited.
at East African Crude Oil Pipeline Ltd welcomes the first delivery of insulated oil pipeline for construction at the Main Camp and Pipe Yard in Kyotera District on September 30. Uganda anticipates commencing oil production in 2025.
PostBank disburses Shs6bn of GROW loans
The Independent
PostBank Uganda, committed to its mission of “Fostering Prosperity for Ugandans,” has disbursed the first tranche of the GROW Loan, amounting to Shs6 billion. The funds have been distributed to 353 women entrepreneurs as part of a project funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, in partnership with the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), according to an announcement made on Sept.3.
The GROW Loan is a government-backed initiative designed to empower women entrepreneurs by offering affordable loans and business development support. It aims to boost financial inclusion and stimulate economic growth by helping women-owned businesses transition from micro and small enterprises to medium and large-scale operations.
PostBank, the only government-owned bank involved in the GROW project, has successfully allocated all the funds from the first tranche to women entrepreneurs across various sectors, including agriculture, trade and commerce, business services, and construction.
“We are grateful to the government for championing this impactful initiative, which not only promotes financial inclusion but also encourages women entrepreneurs to engage in socio-economic activities aligned with the National
Development Plan III (NDP III). This will help raise household incomes and improve the quality of life for Ugandans,” said Ibrahim Kato, PostBank Uganda’s Chief Retail Officer.
“Through PostBank’s Smart Woman Account, we have been able to disburse the first tranche of Shs6billion, and we believe this will significantly help grow women’s businesses and contribute to Uganda’s sustained economic development.”
The GROW Loan is exclusively available to womenled businesses and is delivered through a PostBank account to ensure accessible banking solutions. “As a bank focused on driving financial inclusion and enabling our people to grow and prosper, we are proud to support projects like the GROW Loan, which empowers women entrepreneurs to take control of their financial futures,” Kato said.
He also noted that PostBank has applied for the second tranche of funds and is awaiting disbursement to continue supporting the growth of women-led businesses in Uganda.
Beyond the GROW Loan, PostBank has played a key role in supporting government initiatives aimed at improving the prosperity of Ugandans. These include the disbursement of Parish Development Model funds through the Wendi Mobile Wallet, payment of COVID-19 relief funds to households, and support for landslide victims in Bududa, among other projects.
Stanbic Bank’s Head of Distribution, Sylvia Atuhairwe (C), presents a gift to one of the SACCO leaders who participated in the financial literacy training organized by the bank’s Financial Fitness Academy on Oct.1, 2024. The training, held at Tuzza Hotel in Bushenyi, gathered over 100 leaders from the West Ankole Region.
Staff
Rwanda will deploy Marburg vaccine under trial as death toll rises to 12
The Rwandan government said there were 46 confirmed cases, with 29 of them in isolation
By Agencies
Rwandan health authorities will begin a vaccine study against the Marburg hemorrhagic fever, officials said Sunday, as the East African country tries to stop the spread of an outbreak that has killed 12 people.
Rwanda, which received 700 doses of a vaccine under trial from the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute on Saturday, will target health workers and emergency responders as well as individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases, according to the Health Ministry.
Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana told reporters Sunday that the Rwanda Biomedical Centre had reviewed the vaccine shipment.
There is no authorized vaccine or treatment for Marburg.
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces, such as contaminated bed sheets. Without treatment, Marburg can be fatal in up to 88% of people who fall ill with the disease.
In a statement, Sabin Vaccine Institute said it had “entered into a clinical trial agreement with the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, the trial sponsor, to provide investigational doses” for the study.
46 confirmed cases
The Rwandan government said there were 46 confirmed cases, with 29 of them in isolation. Health authorities have identified at least 400 people who came into contact with confirmed cases of the virus.
Rwanda declared an outbreak of Marburg on Sept. 27 and reported six deaths a day later. Authorities said at the time that the first cases had been found among patients in health facilities. There is still no confirmation of the source of the outbreak.
Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death through extreme blood loss.
In Rwanda, most of the sick are health workers in six out of the country’s 30 districts. Some patients live in districts bordering Congo, Burundi, Uganda and Tanzania, according to the World Health Organization.
Rwandans have been urged to avoid physical contact to help curb the spread. Strict measures include the suspension of school and hospital visits as well as a restriction on the number of those who can attend funerals for Marburg victims. Home vigils aren’t allowed in the event a death is linked to Marburg.
The U.S. Embassy in Kigali has urged its staff to work remotely and avoid visiting offices.
Marburg outbreaks and individual cases have in the past been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Ghana, according to WHO.
The virus was first identified in 1967, after it caused simultaneous outbreaks of disease in laboratories in Marburg, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia. Seven people died after being exposed to the virus while conducting research on monkeys.
Sex workers find themselves at center of Congo’s mpox outbreak
Many women are forced into the industry because of poverty or because, like Kunguja, they’re single parents and must support their families
By Agencies
It’s been four months since Sifa Kunguja recovered from mpox, but as a sex worker, she said, she’s still struggling to regain clients, with fear and stigma driving away people who’ve heard she had the virus.
“It’s risky work,” Kunguja, 40, said from her small home in eastern Congo. “But if I don’t work, I won’t have money for my children.”
Sex workers are among those hardest-hit by the mpox outbreak in Kamituga, where some 40,000 of them are estimated to reside — many single mothers driven by poverty to this mineral-rich commercial hub where gold miners comprise the majority of the clientele. Doctors estimate 80% of cases here have been contracted sexually, though the virus also spreads through other kinds of skin-to-skin contact.
Sex workers say the situation threatens their health and livelihoods. Health officials warn that more must be done to stem the spread — with a focus on sex workers — or mpox will creep deeper through eastern Congo and the region.
Mpox causes mostly mild symptoms such as fever and body aches, but serious cases can mean prominent, painful blisters on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
Kunguja and other sex workers insist that despite risks of reinfection or spreading the virus, they have no choice but to keep working. Sex work isn’t illegal in Congo, though related activities such as solicitation are. Rights groups say possible legal consequences and fear of retribution — sex workers are subject to high rates of violence including rape and abuse — prevent women from seeking medical care. That can be especially detrimental during a public health emergency, according to experts.
Health officials in Kamituga are advocating for the government to shutter nightclubs and mines and compensate sex workers for lost business.
Not everyone agrees. Local officials say they don’t have resources to do more than care for those who are sick, and insist it’s sex workers’ responsibility to protect themselves.
Kamituga Mayor Alexandre Bundya M’pila told The Associated Press that the government is creating awareness campaigns but lacks money to reach
everyone. He also said sex workers should look for other jobs, without providing examples of what might be available.
Sex work a big part of economy
Miners stream into Kamituga by the tens of thousands. The economy is centered on the mines: Buyers line streets, traders travel to sell gold, small businesses and individuals provide food and lodging, and the sex industry flourishes.
Nearly a dozen sex workers spoke to AP. They said well over half their clients are miners.
The industry is well organized, according to the Kenyan-based African Sex Workers Alliance, composed of sex worker-led groups. The alliance estimates that 13% of Kamituga’s 300,000 residents are sex workers.
The town has 18 sex-worker committees, the alliance said, with a leadership that tries to work with government officials, protect and support colleagues, and advocate for their rights.
But sex work in Congo is dangerous. Women face systematic violence that’s tolerated by society, according to a report by UMANDE, a local sex-worker rights group.
Many women are forced into the industry because of poverty or because, like Kunguja, they’re single parents and must support their families.
Getting mpox can put sex workers out of business
The sex workers who spoke to AP news agency described mpox as an added burden. Many are terrified of getting the virus — it means time away from work, lost income and perhaps losing business altogether.
Those who recover are stigmatized, they said. Kamituga is a small place, where most everyone knows one another. Neighbors
whisper and tell clients when someone is sick — people talk and point.
Since contracting mpox in May, Kunguja said she’s gone from about 20 clients daily to five. She’s been supporting her 11 children through sex work for nearly a decade but said she now can’t afford to send them to school. To compensate, she’s selling alcohol by day, but it’s not enough.
Experts say information and awareness are key
Disease experts say a lack of vaccines and information makes stemming the spread difficult.
Some 250,000 vaccines have arrived in Congo, but it’s unclear when any will get to Kamituga. Sex workers and miners are among those slated to receive them first.
Community leaders and aid groups are trying to teach sex workers about protecting themselves and their clients via awareness sessions where they discuss signs and symptoms. They also press condom use, which they say isn’t widespread enough in the industry.
Sex workers told AP that they insist on using condoms when they have them, but that they simply don’t have enough.
Kamituga’s general hospital gives them boxes of about 140 condoms every few months. Some sex workers see up to 60 clients a day — for less than $1 a person. Condoms run out, and workers say they can’t afford more.
Dr. Guy Mukari, an epidemiologist working with the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Congo, noted that the variant running rampant in Kamituga seems more susceptible to transmission via sex, making for a double whammy with the sex industry.
Lydia Mugambi’s artistic legacy celebrated in solo show
The selected artworks in the exhibition Imparted Impressions depict the artist’s distinctive style of painting influenced by European modernist art making techniques but also a delicate sense of freedom in choice of material, composition and subject matter
By Dominic Muwanguzi
To say that Lydia Mugambi is one of the senior underrated artists in Uganda is not an understatement. This is mostly because her name has not made waves like some of her contemporaries like, Theresa Musoke who graduated from Margret Trowell School
of Fine art in its early years. If her name raises any form of familiarity within the arts, it will be probably because of her love for theatre where she equally excelled as a talented actor in several stage plays at the National Theatre. But her forte as an accomplished artist and educator is probably what still stands out, especially when one encounters with her classical
collection of her personal works on display at Xenson Artspace. The exhibition Imparted Impressions: A Retrospective of Lydia Mugambi sheds a spotlight on the artist’s illustrious career marked with a venture into multidisciplinary art forms but also celebrates her personality as a resilient, hardworking, inspirational, and innovative woman artist of her generation.
Mugambi’s extensive collection suggests an artist who’s a social commentator through her work. Her paintings, sculptures and prints eloquently convey the realities and aspirations of her immediate surroundings. This is often interwoven with different types of imagery and motifs which communicate her very powerful expressive visual language. For example, she mostly uses pure colours, a common style of painting reminiscent in many paintings of senior artists from Makerere art school, as a medium to convey her messages effectively to her audience. Equally, this tradition of working with colour sparingly seems to allude to the scarcity of painting material in the country at the time that was mostly precipitated by political turmoil. On the other hand, most of her paintings are in abstract form, revealing to her audience the influence of European techniques of art making which were highly emphasized at the institution during her time there.
But a critical encounter with some of her works reveal a certain level of independence, especially within the aspect of composition, material and subject matter. She draws on her technical competence of drawing the human figure, a recurring motif in her works, as a figurative representation of the human condition and experience she interrogates through her work. As such her commentary on the social and sometimes political terrain of her motherland is not abstract in the eyes and minds of her audience. The human figure becomes at once an entry point into the artwork, facilitating the viewer to understand and relate with the message being passed on. Similarly, her sculptural works suggest an artist who is ardent to pay attention to the ongoing conversations around the subject of woman identity in the contemporary world. This is a very interesting path to take on for the veteran artist who many may assume to be disinterested in such a “fashionable” topic. Yet through such interrogation, she’s able to delicately subvert the stereotype on
the female gender. In fact, her profession as a woman artist is a symbol of challenging the prejudice around women as solely caretakers of a home and not workers.
The different artistic approaches with or on different mediums like ink, paper,
canvas and Dutch-wax (kitegi fabric) offer a much deeper conversation on her technical competence and adeptness to experiment. While the latter aspect may be thought to be a new phenomenon on the contemporary art scene, Mugambi demonstrates to us in her collection that she probably could be one of the pioneers of this movement of pushing the boundaries of art through experimentation . Conversely, this approach in her artwork facilitates her freedom of expression where each medium can be used to convey different types of messages to different types of audiences. Here, it becomes obvious that the artist pays as much attention to her audience as she does to the art making. She therefore underpins the notion that the artwork is never complete until it gets an audience.
Mugambi’s artistic legacy is one that is undisputed. Her technical prowess, creative agility and individuality are presented to us in this exhibition that seeks to expose, engage and educate both the young and established artists. For the young artists, Mugambi’s legacy provides immense inspiration to succeed against all odds. The artist chose a male dominated profession and excelled in it, despite the challenges which were attached to the vocation at the time. On the other hand, the established artists can learn from her versatility as she took on different careers besides art teaching and making. This has enabled her to be economically independent even in retirement but also look healthy and vibrant. As such the many facets of this exhibition, give it an enduring resonance to the different types of audiences that attended its opening and those that will continue to interact with it during the time it will remain open.
The exhibition Imparted Impressions: A Retrospective of Lydia Mugambi is part of the emerging curators program by Xenson Artspace in partnership with British Council. The exhibition is curated by Maria Olivia Nakato.
By Kenneth Rogoff
HRethinking Foreign Funding for Africa
African countries’ large and growing debt burdens have become a major obstacle to poverty reduction
ow long can the complacent West continue to ignore Africa’s sovereign-debt crisis? As African countries grapple with unsustainable debt burdens, restructuring negotiations with Western governments and multilateral institutions such as the International Monetary Fund have stalled. While forgiveness is essential, it is important to bear in mind that a significant share of Africa’s foreign debt is held by private lenders and China, neither of which has shown much willingness to offer relief.
With nearly 400 million people living in extreme poverty, Africa’s growing debtservicing burden has become a major obstacle to poverty reduction, as rising costs are compounded by wars, regional conflicts, climate disasters, and a sluggish global economy. The continent’s population, currently at 1.5 billion, is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. It is unlikely that young Africans, who need only look at their smartphones to see that other countries can offer better opportunities, will quietly accept their circumstances for much longer.
Given this reality, it is naive to think that the West can remain indefinitely insulated from the fallout of Africa’s violent conflicts and economic crises. Whether through rising immigration, terrorism, or proxy wars over the continent’s vast natural resources, the consequences will inevitably spill over to the developed world.
So, what can be done? Ultimately, African countries must grow their way out of debt, as East Asia has done and as countries in South Asia – particularly India – are beginning to do. Just as Asian economies once followed Japan’s economic model, Africa needs a few success stories to set an example for the rest of the continent.
But such a shift will take years. In the meantime, foreign-aid programs must be overhauled, focusing on grants rather than development loans. Africa’s green transition alone requires at least $100 billion annually, including the vital task of providing electricity to the 600 million Africans who still lack access. If the United States can spend $1 trillion on green projects that will likely have only limited effectiveness, it should be able to direct a portion of that investment to Africa, where its impact could be far greater.
The aim must be to prevent African countries’ debt from spiraling out of control. To this end, Western governments should also introduce legal reforms that bar enforcement of sovereign-debt contracts in developed-country courts. Forcing private lenders to rely on the legal systems of debtor countries would incentivize prospective sovereign borrowers to strengthen their legal and financial systems to gain lenders’ trust. Countries with less-developed institutions would need more time, making grants essential to bridging the gap in the short term.
While this proposal may seem harsh, it reflects an uncomfortable reality: borrowing from private foreign lenders has often been a mixed blessing for developing countries, especially those in Latin America and Asia. This is partly because most developingcountry governments, even when not corrupt, pursue short-sighted borrowing strategies, taking on debt that poses unnecessary risks to their populations.
Time and again, debt crises have derailed development efforts. In his 2002 book Globalization and Its Discontents, Nobel laureate economist Joseph E.
African countries must adopt a similar approach and move toward local jurisdiction over debt contracts
Stiglitz attributes this pattern to the conduct of international financial institutions. But the real problem is a legal system that allows foreign lenders to wield disproportionate power by suing defaulting borrowers in New York and London. Far too often, the IMF is left to clean up the mess.
This is why, as early as 1990, Stanford economist Jeremy Bulow and I argued that debt disputes should move to borrowercountry courts. While the IMF’s proposal for a sovereign-debt bankruptcy mechanism could be seen as a step in the right direction, it faces resistance from lenders that rightly assume the Fund would be more sympathetic to borrowers than the New York courts would be. Some emergingmarket governments also oppose this idea, fearing that it would limit their ability to secure foreign loans.
But that is exactly the point. Latin America’s experience with foreign debt shows that recurring crises often outweigh the short-term benefits of borrowing. In recent years, most middle-income emerging markets have managed to mitigate default crises by adjudicating sovereign-debt disputes in their own courts, with Argentina being a notable exception.
African countries must adopt a similar approach and move toward local jurisdiction over debt contracts. Transitional financing should ideally come from outright grants, much like the Marshall Plan did for postwar Europe. But the shift from development loans to grants must be far-reaching, reshaping the World Bank’s framework for funding projects into a grant-based system.
To be sure, this will require a substantial financial commitment, and any genuine solution to the continent’s debt crisis would need to bring China on board. At the very least, the West must curtail lending modalities that exacerbate Africa’s already dire economic situation.
Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University and recipient of the 2011 Deutsche Bank Prize in Financial Economics, was the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund from 2001 to 2003.
Source: Project Syndicate.
By Agnes Kalibata and Fowler,
AAfrica’s food security depends on adaptive crops
Africans are increasingly reliant on the small number of staple crops that dominate global agriculture
frica’s food systems are facing myriad challenges, from climate shocks and low productivity to supply-chain disruptions and soil degradation. In 2022, one in five Africans was undernourished, even though the continent’s cultivated land could more than meet its food needs. But that would require effective management and, perhaps most importantly, planting adaptive crops such as millet, sorghum, teff, and fonio.
These underutilized crops have long been staples in African communities and offer nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits. Unfortunately, food companies and retailers often overlook them – which must change to have any hope of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Rapid urbanization and changing tastes have dampened demand for traditional crops in Africa, increasing reliance on the small number of staples that dominate global agriculture. Only 20 plant species provide more than 90% of the world’s food requirements, with maize, rice, and wheat accounting for 60% of total caloric intake. But relying on a few staples is unsustainable, especially given rising temperatures. Without effective climate adaptation strategies, yields for such crops could decline by as much as 30% by 2050, in which case demand would outstrip supply and even more people would go hungry.
African governments must work with the agri-food industry and farmers to increase demand for climate-resilient and nutrientrich adaptive crops that would enable the continent to feed its growing population. There are more than 300 such “opportunity crops,” a few of which are popular globally, including lentils, cassava, pumpkin, and sweet potato. But many more are known mainly by the communities that grow them.
Interest in these crops has been growing. Efforts to commercialize fonio in West Africa have been relatively successful, and the ancient gluten-free grain is gaining international attention, with the global brand Knorr naming it as a “Future 50 Food” for a healthier planet. Teff, a cereal grain from the Horn of Africa, is also growing in popularity as a so-called superfood.
National policymakers and international partners have an important role to play in reducing Africa’s overdependence on
global staples such as maize and wheat. The Ghanaian government has used policies that promote cereal-flour blending to boost consumption of locally grown sweet potatoes. In Kenya, the International Potato Center has encouraged local women to make chapatis, a type of flatbread, with orange-fleshed sweet potatoes. Making greater use of these crops has nutritional benefits and creates new investment opportunities, especially because consumers have shown a preference for these substitutions.
But to change eating habits and create new markets, policymakers must ensure that African farmers and communities reap the benefits of growing adaptive crops. That is not the case today: climate-resilient and nutrient-dense grains such as fonio are not as commercially viable as traditional staples. In Senegal, the labor-intensive process of removing fonio’s tough hull results in just 10% of the crop reaching market, with the rest consumed by farmers and their families. Therefore, at present, there is little financial incentive to grow fonio. But this can change. Providing farmers with better equipment and processing methods could make the grain more competitive in wider markets.
The large-scale adoption of adaptive crops and their associated technologies requires market and policy incentives, research funding, and regulatory reform. The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS),
In
Kenya, the International Potato Center has encouraged local women to make
chapatis, a type of flatbread, with orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
launched by the African Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the US Department of State, is a step in the right direction. VACS promotes global interventions, including land-use planning and fertilizer technologies for adaptive crops, and helps governments develop supportive policies and build agricultural capacity. It also educates farmers on how to grow adaptive crops successfully.
At this month’s Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, African institutions demonstrated their willingness to lead this charge. The AU Commission, in particular, has made important progress with its Africa Common Position on Food Systems, which recognizes that expanding the continent’s food basket will require intentional investment in traditional and indigenous crops. To make this a reality, the private sector in Africa and elsewhere must invest in research and development to scale up production of a new wave of food products made with adaptive crops that are attractive to consumers in Africa and elsewhere.
Policymakers, for their part, must promote the commercialization of opportunity crops by coordinating with pioneering companies, small- and medium-size enterprises, and nonstate actors to address constraints. That could mean leveraging policies like blending targets, providing incentives such as tax breaks and subsidies, and launching publicawareness campaigns. Governments could also use procurement to introduce adaptive crops into meals for schools, hospitals, and other public-sector catering.
Closer collaboration between governments, development partners, the private sector, and farming cooperatives can accelerate the uptake of adaptive crops. Such initiatives promise to help many African countries meet their goals of diversifying their agricultural practices, reducing their dependence on maize, wheat, and rice, and achieving growth that is good for people and the planet.
Agnes Kalibata, the former special envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, is President of AGRA. Cary Fowler, 2024 World Food Prize laureate, is US Special Envoy for Global Food Security.
Source: Project Syndicate.
By Richard Haass
TEarthquakes in the Middle East
Many hoped Israel’s war with Hamas would not spread beyond Gaza but Hezbollah has made a regional conflict inevitable
he Middle East resembles nothing so much as an earthquake zone with multiple fault lines. In recent weeks, fighting has increased sharply along one of those lines, Israel’s border with Lebanon, and more specifically, between Israel and Hezbollah. This in turn has triggered activity along another fault line, as Iran, Hezbollah’s backer, retaliated by firing ballistic missiles at Israel, which has vowed to respond severely. Less clear is what will come next, either along these particular fault lines or elsewhere in the region.
What has made escalation all but inevitable are rocket strikes by Hezbollah against Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7 attack. Israel evacuated some 60,000 citizens from the northern border to shield them from the risk of attacks similar to Hamas’, but the mounting exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel made it impossible for them to return safely.
What enabled the emergence of this new front, however, is that the situation in Gaza had reached something of a new equilibrium. Over the past year, Israel has sharply degraded the military threat posed by Hamas. Between 10,000 and 20,000 of its fighters have been killed, with many of its leaders either assassinated or forced into indefinite hiding in Gaza’s labyrinth of tunnels. Israel determined that it could safely shift its focus to its northern border and Hezbollah.
What Israel has accomplished thus far against Hezbollah is impressive. First by detonating explosives implanted in pagers and walkie-talkies, then by targeted aerial bombardment, Israel decimated Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s leader for over three decades, and killed a significant number of Hezbollah fighters.
After Israel’s costly intelligence failures in the lead-up to October 7, the attacks against Hezbollah have revived the Israeli security establishment’s prestige by demonstrating its continued ability to gain precise intelligence about enemy groups and exploit that intelligence in a decisive fashion. The belief that Israel and Hezbollah had reached a stalemate, with Israel sufficiently deterred from forceful action by Hezbollah’s ability to unleash a missile barrage against it, has been debunked.
Israel followed its covert operations and
air attacks with a ground incursion into Lebanon of unknown extent and duration. Also unclear is the purpose. Eliminating Hezbollah is impossible, and occupation of large swaths of Lebanon would be illadvised given Israel’s poor history with such undertakings.
Current Israeli policy seems designed more to discourage Hezbollah from further attacks, but this, too, may not be possible. Although Israel has seriously weakened the organization, it still maintains a sizeable fighting force, making it a dangerous foe, especially in any war fought mostly on its home turf. At the same time, as Hezbollah installs new leaders, it must decide whether and how to respond to Israel. The more it retaliates, the more it will invite strong Israeli military action. In short, it is far from clear where all this is leading.
One can sympathize with what Israel has done in Lebanon while criticizing what it has done, and failed to do, in Gaza. Hamas, like Hezbollah, is an Iran-backed terrorist organization that seeks Israel’s destruction. But that is where the similarities end. Hamas is a national liberation movement that has support from elements of the native Palestinian population. Hezbollah, by contrast, is purely an instrument of Iranian foreign policy, with little attachment to the aspirations of the Lebanese or Palestinian peoples.
Moreover, no country would countenance living with a threat that required tens of thousands of its citizens to vacate their homes. And the Lebanese government forfeits some of the normal advantages of sovereignty by failing to fulfill the obligation
We may well be nearing a turning point in the Middle East. What we don’t know is where that turn could take us
of ensuring that its territory is not used by terrorists to attack another country.
For its part, Iran has reacted to these attacks on what was perceived to be its strongest proxy by taking what could be the fateful step of attacking Israel directly. I am frankly surprised that Iran did this, although its leaders may have felt compelled to do so lest they appear weak. Or they may have thought they could thread the needle by acting against Israel without provoking a meaningful military response.
But Iran has now provided Israel with a justification to retaliate, for example by attacking nuclear sites and military targets, or even energy-related facilities central to its economy. Israel proved it could do so in April, in the aftermath of an unsuccessful Iranian drone and missile attack.
Striking Iran directly is something many Israelis would welcome, as they have grown weary of dealing with its many proxies. After years of indirect conflict, there is significant domestic support for “going to the source,” with the hope that doing so would persuade Iran to curtail its support for its proxies. Some even appear to believe such attacks could trigger events that would bring about the downfall of the Iranian regime. Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, “When Iran is finally free – and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think – everything will be different.”
Regime change cannot be ruled out, though it is far from likely, much less assured. It is also far from clear what sort of government might replace the current one. The current regime is more likely than not to weather whatever comes its way, find ways to attack Israeli and Western targets around the world, and, most consequentially, accelerate its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. We may well be nearing a turning point in the Middle East. What we don’t know is where that turn could take us.
Richard Haass, is President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior counselor at Centerview Partners. He previously served as Director of Policy Planning for the US State Department (2001-03), and was President George W. Bush’s special envoy to Northern Ireland and Coordinator for the Future of Afghanistan.
