KAMPALA — A massive scandal of biblical proportions has rocked the religious fraternity after Uganda’s Deputy Mufti, Sheikh Muhammad Haruna Bukenya, was dragged into a dirty UGX 1.2 Billion ($288,000) fake gold syndicate! In an explosive Wednesday session at Kampala City Hall Court, Senior Grade One Magistrate Edgar Karakire issued stern criminal summons against the 55-year-old top Muslim cleric, ordering him to appear before the dock without fail to answer charges of grand fraud and conspiracy. The development has sent shockwaves through Old Kampala and left the Muslim community reeling in disbelief as one of the country’s most revered religious figures is formally named in a cut-throat city gold racket. THE SHS 1.2BN FAKE GOLD TRAP According to explosive prosecution documents, Sheikh Bukenya, a resident of Kawuku in Entebbe Municipality, alongside his 53-year-old co-accused businessman Muzamiru Elias Lubega of Kasengejje, Wakiso District, allegedly orchestrated a high-stakes swindle against an unsuspecting...

Parliament has ordered the removal of lawmakers’ personal telephone numbers from its official online platforms and records following reports that fraudsters are using the contacts to target MPs. Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa issued the directive while chairing Wednesday’s plenary sitting, instructing the Clerk to Parliament to ensure the numbers are erased without delay. “The Leadership of Parliament has directed the Clerk to Parliament to immediately erase all personal telephone numbers of Members of Parliament from all official platforms,” Tayebwa told the House. He said investigations had established that fraudsters were obtaining MPs’ contacts through Google searches and parliamentary websites before using them to deceive and solicit money from the legislators. “Our investigations indicate that conmen are picking contacts of MPs from Google and using them to trick and defraud the legislators,” he said. Several MPs have reportedly received persistent calls from individuals pretending to be in need of financial assistance or...

Citi Bank has suffered a legal setback in a high-profile sexual harassment case involving one of its top executives after a US federal judge rejected the bank’s bid to keep the dispute in Texas and ordered it transferred to a court in Manhattan, New York. Citi’s parent company, Citigroup Inc., is a publicly traded financial services giant. The group also has a presence in Uganda through its local banking operations, bringing the international controversy involving its senior leadership into focus for Ugandan customers. The case involves allegations of sexual harassment against Citi’s wealth management chief, Andy Sieg, by former managing director Julia Carreon, who claims she was forced out of the banking giant following what her lawsuit describes as a “campaign of unrelenting and egregious sexual harassment.” The October 14, 2026 ruling by a federal judge in Texas is a blow to Citi’s attempt to have the dispute handled in...

KITGUM: Stanbic Bank Uganda has unveiled its modernised branch along Market Street, next to Kitgum Main Market, in a move that will offer expanded access to financial services and support economic growth across Northern Uganda. It was officially opened by Mark Ocitti Ongom, Chief Executive of Stanbic Uganda Holdings Limited (SUHL), alongside Sam Fredrick Mwogeza, Executive Director and Head of Personal and Private Banking at Stanbic Bank Uganda. The ceremony was also attended by Kitgum area Member of Parliament Oneka Lit Denis Amere, the Bishop of Kitgum Diocese Rev. Kitara, and other dignitaries together with business leaders. Ocitti described the branch as a demonstration of Stanbic’s confidence in East Acholi’s economic potential and the role local businesses can play in creating jobs, incomes and opportunities. “This is more than a banking hall. It is a statement of confidence in Kitgum, in Northern Uganda and in the capacity of local enterprise...

By Evans Najuna KAMPALA — The Government of Uganda, through the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), is racing to complete the Katosi–Mutungo Water Supply Improvement Project by November 2026, in a move expected to improve water supply reliability and ease pressure on the Muyenga water supply system. The project is designed to improve water distribution across several parts of Kampala and neighbouring areas by transferring Mutungo’s water demand from the Muyenga supply system to the Katosi network. Once completed, the project is expected to create additional capacity within the Muyenga system, improving supply reliability for households, businesses and institutions across the affected service areas. According to project details, the works involve laying approximately 3.8 kilometres of DN600 ductile iron (DI) pipeline from Seeta to Namanve. The new pipeline is expected to facilitate the transfer of approximately 708 cubic metres of water per hour from the Muyenga system to the Katosi supply...

Mourning and unanswered questions have engulfed Ibanda’s education fraternity following the death of prominent businessman and educationist Jeeb Rwomushana, whose death comes about a year after another director linked to Ibanda University and Alliance Educational Institutions, Wilson Ahimbisa, also died. Rwomushana, a key figure in the establishment and growth of Ibanda University in Western Uganda, served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and headed the promoters of Alliance Educational Institutions. News of his death has triggered an outpouring of grief among members of the academic community, former students and people in Ibanda District, where he was regarded as one of the figures behind the expansion of private education. However, the circumstances surrounding his death had not been publicly disclosed by the time of publication. His death has also brought renewed attention to the loss of two prominent figures associated with the same education network within a relatively short period....

KAMPALA: Stanbic Bank Uganda has pledged UGX 20 million in support of the 3rd edition of Virunga Gorilla Marathon scheduled for Kisoro on November 21, 2026 under the theme ‘Running for Climate Action’. Speaking at the kit handover ceremony on Tuesday, Diana Ondoga, Manager, Corporate Social Investment, reiterated the bank’s commitment to partnerships involved with environmental conservation. “The cause of the run is focused on conservation in the Kisoro area, and we have opted to join the Virunga team in this noble cause. As we all know, as a country, we are experiencing adverse climate effects so every effort involved at restoration, at nurturing, at growing, we look forward to working with the team,” she said. The forest strips in Kisoro, notably in Mgahinga and parts of Bwindi, are famous because the tree canopy hosts a large percentage of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas which are a big tourism draw....

By Michael Jjingo. When the price of fuel rises, the pump is the only place where the problem becomes visible. Uganda’s rising fuel prices are telling us a much bigger economic story than what we see at the filling station. Between June and October, petrol has moved from about Shs.6,415 to Shs6,890 per litre, while diesel has risen from approximately Shs.6,510 to Shs7,190, an increase of nearly 11 percent in just four months. Adding to this is the tax increment of about Shs200 per litre, as the pressure becomes even more significant. To this moment, the revealing number is the exchange rate: the Uganda shilling has moved from around Shs.3,634 in June to Shs4,140 in October, against the US dollar. In simple language, we are paying more for the same imported commodity because our currency has become weaker. And therein lies the real story, not the oil barrel price of $106. Fuel is not mere...

Shareholders of Igara Growers Tea Factory Limited are racing against time to save the company’s processing plant, tea estates and other properties from auction over loan arrears exceeding Shs5 billion owed to DFCU Bank. A public auction notice published on October 7, 2026, by S&L Advocates, acting on the instructions of a financial institution and registered mortgagee, gives the company 30 days to clear the outstanding loan balance, interest, and legal costs or risk losing its assets. The shareholders have until November 5 to settle the arrears, according to information provided by the company’s stakeholders. The assets at risk include Plot 46, Igara Block 25 in Kabingo, Bushenyi District, where the main processing plant is located; Plot 14, Buhweju Block 29 in Burere, measuring 11.9 hectares; the 80.5-hectare Kakombe Tea Estate; and the 65.5-hectare Nyarugote Estate. Other properties listed include processing facilities, vacant land, firewood yards, a guesthouse, generator facilities, boiler...

Two pupils have been confirmed dead, and three others injured after a fire gutted dormitories at Hami Junior School in Kagoma, Maganjo B zone, Nabweru Division, and Wakiso District. The incident occurred at about 10:30 pm, according to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, who has identified the deceased as Namusoke Lamia, 8, a Primary One pupil, and Abdu Shakul Bwete, 10, a Primary Three pupil. The injured pupils are  Yusuf Miyingo Alcham, 13, Primary Seven; Hamidu Muyimba, 9, Primary Three; and  Hasadu Kazibwe, 7, Primary One at Hami Junior School.   Owoyesigyire says the injured pupils were rushed to Bethel Medical Centre for first aid, while the bodies of the deceased were conveyed to the City Mortuary at Mulago for postmortem. Preliminary police findings indicate that the dormitory was partitioned with wood and had double and triple-decker beds. The fire at Hami Primary comes a month after two other fire...