Parliament’s Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry has intensified its inquiry into the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), placing the standards regulator at the centre of scrutiny over allegations of poor governance, delayed certification, weak enforcement of standards and complaints that its processes are stifling business growth rather than facilitating trade. The committee started its probe on Wednesday by receiving evidence from stakeholders including Uganda Revenue Authority on the complaints by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on historical leadership, governance, and the constitutional mandate of UNBS.  On Thursday, the committee met officials from the Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), former UNBS directors and other stakeholders as part of an investigation that was carried over from the 11th Parliament. The inquiry seeks to establish whether leadership and governance failures in UNBS have undermined its constitutional mandate of protecting consumers while promoting trade and industrial growth. Committee Chairperson Boniface Okot said...

The troubles surrounding Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) Executive Director Prof. Charles Kwesiga appear to be deepening, with a financial institution (names withheld for now) moving to take over his property over unpaid debts. A public auction notice published on July 24, 2026, indicates that Kwesiga’s Kabale building could be up for grabs unless he clears the outstanding loan balances within 14 days. The notice issued by Cranimer Associates, a government and bank auctioneer, states that the property — registered under Kwesiga Charles Guy — will be sold by public auction or private treaty if the outstanding principal, interest, auctioneer fees and related costs are not settled. “Upon instructions from our client, a financial institution, we shall proceed to sell this property together with developments thereon unless the defaulter/mortgagor pays the outstanding loan balances, our fees and costs before the expiry of fourteen (14) days from the date of this...

Centenary Bank has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Uganda’s growing Chinese business community by strengthening partnerships and expanding tailored financial solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of Chinese-owned enterprises operating in the country.At the Bank’s annual Chinese Clients’ Dinner held in Kampala, Centenary Bank brought together Chinese entrepreneurs, business leaders, strategic partners including Sino-Uganda Security Centre, and the Bank’s management to discuss emerging opportunities, strengthen relationships and explore ways of promoting sustainable business growth.Recognising the increasing contribution of Chinese investors to Uganda’s economy, the Bank highlighted its continued efforts to provide convenient, reliable and competitive banking services to businesses involved in trade, manufacturing, construction, infrastructure development, energy and other sectors.Over the years, Centenary Bank has introduced several customer-focused solutions for the Chinese business community, including reduced account transaction charges, preferential pricing for telegraphic transfers (TTs), competitive foreign exchange rates through its Treasury team and a secure Corporate Internet Banking...

By our Reporter Equity Bank Uganda has handed over a brand-new 2025 Isuzu 67-seater school bus to Busoga High School, Kamuli, in a move that underscores the growing emphasis on learner safety following a series of fatal road accidents involving school children across the country. The new bus, acquired through Equity Bank Uganda’s tailored asset financing solutions, is fitted with onboard surveillance cameras to enhance safety, accountability and monitoring during school transport.The handover comes at a time when Uganda is grappling with concerns over the safety of learners travelling for school activities. In recent weeks, several road crashes involving school vehicles have claimed the lives of students, prompting the Ministry of Education and Sports to suspend school tours and trips as investigations into the accidents continue. Speaking during the handover ceremony, Dr. Kakuba Mpango the Chairperson of the School Board called on the driver to exercise the highest level of...

The noose is tightening in the explosive Busega-Mpigi Expressway scandal as investigators widen their probe to scrutinise the role of Eng. Isaac Wani, the current Commissioner for National Roads at the Ministry of Works and Transport. RedPepper has established that investigators are now examining decisions made by Wani during his tenure at the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), where he served as Director of Network Planning and Engineering and chaired the Contracts Committee during the procurement of the controversial Busega-Mpigi Expressway project. At the heart of the investigation is a burning question: How did a project initially estimated at about Shs600 billion balloon into a multi-trillion-shilling undertaking? Highly placed sources say investigators are reviewing procurement records, contract approvals and technical decisions taken during the early stages of the project to establish whether due procedures were followed. Documents seen by RedPepper indicate that the spiralling costs were largely driven by...

The High Court in Entebbe has declined to grant Movit Products Limited an early judgment declaring it the lawful owner of about 32 acres of disputed land in Sazi Buwaya, Wakiso District, ruling that the ownership dispute must proceed to a full trial. In a ruling delivered by Lady Justice Flavia Nabakooza, the court dismissed Movit’s application for judgment on admission, finding that the evidence presented did not amount to a clear and unconditional admission by the government that the company exclusively owns the land or that the Uganda Prisons Service is trespassing on it. The application arose from Civil Suit No. 395 of 2024, in which Movit sued the Attorney General over land comprised in Busiro Block 536, Plot Numbers 1677, 1678 and 1679, measuring approximately 32 acres. The company had asked the court to enter judgment in its favour based on a report by the Ministry of Lands indicating...

A Kampala-based Lawyer has petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a directive requiring staff to join the institution’s Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO). In his letter addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions and copied to the Attorney General, Lawyer Steven Kalali contends that the mandatory recruitment of prosecutors and support staff into the ODPP Staff SACCO is unconstitutional because membership in any association must be voluntary. The complaint follows an internal memo dated June 23, 2026, in which the  DPP Lino Anguzu communicated a management decision directing all staff to join the staff SACCO as part of efforts to promote a savings culture and improve employees’ financial well-being. According to the memo, staff contributions will be deducted beginning in July 2026, with monthly contributions varying according to rank. Senior Prosecutors will contribute up to 500,000 shillings per month, while officers in lower salary scales like...

Traders at Kiseka Market say a one-hour shooting spree by security operatives inside shops forced the business center to close as people scrambled to save their lives. The traders in arcades on Aga-khan Road kept their shops closed for over two hours on Monday, after plain-clothed security operatives in a “drone” vehicle clashed with them at Original Kiseka Spare Parts Center Arcade. The confrontation started when traders resisted arrests. A trader at the arcade, who asked not to be named, said security operatives in a drone minibus parked near the building. Three pistol-wielding officers went to the second floor of a spare parts shop and tried to arrest a trader, but he demanded their IDs and to know the charges against him. The trader added that the officers were in a hurry and were unwilling to be questioned. They tried to forcibly remove him from the shop as their colleagues...

The long-running campaign to carve a new Anglican diocese out of West Ankole Diocese has erupted once again after Christians in Sheema District formally petitioned the Church of Uganda’s Provincial Assembly, demanding the immediate creation of the proposed Central Ankole Diocese (CAD). In a detailed petition addressed to the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, the faithful argue that they have waited for more than three decades, fulfilled every constitutional requirement, invested heavily in infrastructure and finances, and can no longer continue under what they describe as prolonged uncertainty. The petition, dated July 20, 2026, paints a picture of a determined Christian community that believes the time has finally come for Sheema to have its own bishop and independent diocesan administration. The petitioners insist that the matter has dragged on for over 30 years and has become a source of anxiety among Anglican believers...

Uncertainty continues to surround whether medical interns will continue receiving government allowances following the proposed policy changes that seek to abolish them, as more than 2,000 pre-interns prepare to report to internship sites across Uganda next month. According to the Ministry of Health’s internship deployment list, 2,290 pre-interns are expected to report in August. Kampala International University has the largest number of deployed interns, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total. It is followed by Makerere University with 198 interns, King Ceasor University with 162, the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) with 110, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) with 86. While the release of the deployment list has ended months of uncertainty over placements, pre-interns say the government’s silence on the issue of living allowances has left them anxious. Dr Daniel Kirunda, a pre-intern, said the lack of communication from the government is deeply concerning, especially...