The dream of becoming Uganda’s next instant millionaire has suffered a major blow after ITHUBA Uganda Limited, the operator of the National Lottery, abruptly shut down operations—barely two years after its high-profile launch.In a public notice issued on Thursday, the National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (NLGRB) confirmed that ITHUBA officially ceased operations in Uganda on July 1, 2026, despite having launched the National Lottery under a 10-year licence.The regulator said it has taken over management of the operator’s exit process and is monitoring compliance to ensure winners and other stakeholders receive what is owed to them.Players with outstanding winnings or account balances have been advised to contact ITHUBA through its official communication channels to process their claims as the regulator oversees settlement of valid obligations.Sources at ITHUBA told Red Pepper that the company was forced out of business by the difficult economic environment, although they declined to elaborate further....

The Vatican says priests and lay Catholics who are part of a breakaway right-wing Catholic group that ordained bishops without Pope Leo XIV’s approval are in schism with the wider church and are now excommunicated. In a decree on Thursday, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the top watchdog authority for the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, also warned Catholics globally that the Swiss-based Society of St Pius X is now celebrating the sacraments illicitly. The ultraconservative group, which denies key church teachings, cannot officiate marriages or hear confessions validly, the decree said. The Vatican decree was issued a day after the group consecrated four new bishops, defying a plea from Pope Leo not to do so. It is a strict policy of the Catholic Church that only the pope may authorise the consecration of new bishops to maintain the church’s ties to Jesus’s 12 disciples, who are considered the first priests...

Police in Moroto are searching for a trailer driver attached to Yaobai Cement Factory who allegedly knocked dead a police constable and fled the scene along the Moroto-Soroti Road. The fatal crash occurred on Tuesday, 30th June 2026, at around 3:30 pm opposite Yaobai Cement Factory in Nadunget Sub-County, according to Mt. Moroto Regional Police Spokesperson Mike Longole. Longole said the deceased, Police Constable Isaac Ogira, from the Anti Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) Moroto Zonal Headquarters, was riding a Yamaha YBR motorcycle registration number UP 8113 from Nadunget ASTU Police Barracks towards Moroto town. He said that upon reaching the area opposite Yaobai Cement Factory, the officer collided with a trailer entering the main road from the factory premises. The trailer, a white CHACKMAN, was identified as motor vehicle registration number UA 783EZ. “The driver fled the scene immediately and remains unknown and at large,” Longole said. He added that Ogira died from injuries...

Our Reporter Less than two years after its establishment, Enersave Enterprises Limited has transformed from a fledgling clean energy business into one of Uganda’s emerging players in the clean cooking sector, earning recognition as a hub under the Uganda National Alliance on Clean Cooking (UNACC). The achievement marks more than just institutional recognition. It reflects how targeted financing, strategic partnerships, and growing consumer demand are helping local enterprises accelerate Uganda’s transition to cleaner, more sustainable cooking solutions. Founded in 2024 and based in Baggala Zone, Seeta in Mukono District, Enersave Enterprises Limited was established with a mission to increase access to clean cooking technologies across Uganda. The company supplies electric pressure cookers (EPCs), solar-powered cooking solutions, biogas systems, improved cookstoves and ethanol technologies, while also conducting community sensitization and training on clean energy. Its breakthrough came through the Results-Based Financing (RBF) programme implemented by GIZ EnDev in partnership with Equity...

Uganda Christian University (UCU) is facing renewed scrutiny after the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) faulted the institution for seeking regulatory guidance on Samantha Mwesigye’s credit transfer only after she had completed her law degree and was due for graduation. The latest development adds another twist to a dispute that has sparked nationwide debate over student rights, university accountability and the management of credit transfers in Uganda’s higher education sector. At the centre of the case is Mwesigye’s attempt to transfer academic credits she earned during her first year of a Bachelor of Laws programme at King’s College London before joining UCU under a credit transfer arrangement in 2022. The controversy intensified after the High Court ruled in June that UCU had acted irrationally and unfairly by allowing Mwesigye to study for four years before questioning the validity of her transferred credits at the final stage of her programme....

Allegations that some police officers are demanding money from suspects in exchange for release are undermining ongoing crime crackdowns in the Kampala Metropolitan Area, with community leaders and security experts warning that the practice is weakening efforts to dismantle criminal networks. Since the beginning of the year, police and army units have conducted weekly intelligence-led operations across Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and parts of Mpigi District, targeting criminal gangs blamed for a rise in attacks, robberies, injuries and killings within the Kampala Metropolitan Area. The increase in crime also triggered changes in police leadership, with Inspector General of Police Abbas Byakagaba replacing KMP Commander CP Richard Ecega with ACP Ezekiel Emitu after Ecega faced criticism over his handling of crime in the city and surrounding areas. Recent high-profile incidents in 2026 include the murder of Pamela Ruth Tumwebaze, the UCU Director of Student Affairs, who was killed in her bedroom last week,...

KAMPALA – Uganda’s procurement watchdog has suspended three companies from participating in government contracts, in a move that comes as Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba reportedly intensifies a wider campaign against alleged rogue contractors accused of undermining public procurement, particularly within the defence sector. The Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) announced the sanctions through Circular No. 3 of 2026 issued on June 23, following a resolution of its Board of Directors during a meeting held on June 18. The circular, signed by Executive Director Benson Turamye, names Okavango Logistics Limited, Dita Limited and Uptown Incorporation Limited as the latest companies suspended from participating in public procurement and disposal proceedings after being found in breach of the ethical code of conduct for providers. “In accordance with Section 128(a) of the PPDA Act, Cap 205, the Board of Directors of the Authority at its meeting held on...

The government has, for the first time since security agencies shut down Nation Media Group (NMG), officially acknowledged that the closure was ordered under a presidentially sanctioned security inquiry, but stopped short of explaining what prompted the action or how long the restrictions will remain in place. In a brief statement titled, “Security-led Inquiry into the Disruption of Nation Media Group Operations,” ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba said the events of June 28 that disrupted the operations of Nation Media Group were the result of a security investigation instituted by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. According to the minister, the inquiry involves the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Uganda Police Force, other security agencies and technical experts. The statement, however, does not disclose the nature of the alleged security concerns, the legal basis for the closure, the scope of the investigations,...

Political firebrand and veteran politician Miria Matembe has found herself in fresh legal trouble after being formally charged with promoting sectarianism over remarks she allegedly made during a television interview. According to a charge sheet dated June 30, 2026, from Jinja Road Police Station, the 73-year-old businesswoman and former legislator is accused of making statements that allegedly promoted hostility against members of the Banyankole tribe. The charge sheet states that Matembe, a resident of Luzira in Nakawa East, allegedly made the remarks during an appearance on DK TV Uganda in June. Prosecutors claim she stated that “all our taxes are being spent on the Banyankole women ministers,” remarks authorities say were likely to promote hostility, hatred or ill will against members of the Banyankole community. She has been charged under Section 38(1)(d) of the Penal Code Act relating to promoting sectarianism. The charge sheet bears the consent of the Director...

Coffee lovers may soon feel the heat in their wallets after heavy rains in Brazil disrupted the world’s biggest coffee harvest, sending arabica coffee prices soaring. The relentless downpours have drenched Minas Gerais, Brazil’s largest coffee-growing region, delaying harvesting and raising fears that the quality of the crop could suffer. The weather scare has jolted global coffee markets, with arabica prices climbing sharply as traders worry about tighter supplies. Over the past two weeks, coffee prices have surged, with arabica hitting a one-and-a-half-month high and robusta recently reaching a four-and-a-half-month peak before easing. The price rally has also been fueled by shrinking global coffee stockpiles. Arabica inventories have fallen to their lowest level in more than two years, adding to concerns that supplies may tighten further if bad weather persists. Experts are also keeping a close eye on a developing El Niño weather pattern, which could disrupt Brazil’s next flowering...