Quality Chemical Industries Limited (QCIL) has posted its strongest financial performance since inception, reporting a third consecutive year of profit growth as investments in manufacturing capacity and product diversification continued to pay off. For the financial year ended March 2026, the pharmaceutical manufacturer recorded an 8.8 percent increase in revenue to more than 290 billion shillings, while profit after tax surged by 38.8 percent to a record 56.4 billion shillings. Speaking at the company’s Annual General Meeting, Board Chairman Emmanuel Katongole described the results as the best in QCIL’s history, attributing the performance to continued investment in manufacturing, an expanding product portfolio and growing regional demand. The shareholders approved a final dividend of 6.4 shillings per share, bringing the total dividend for the year to 16.6 shillings per share. Katongole said the year was also marked by major milestones, including the commencement of construction of the company’s second manufacturing plant...

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth has defended his decision to redirect billions of shillings from the Office of the Speaker to parliamentary committees, saying the move is intended to strengthen Parliament’s oversight role and curb corruption. The reforms come against the backdrop of sustained public criticism of the 11th Parliament, whose leadership faced accusations of extravagant spending, ballooning administrative budgets and weak oversight of the Executive. Critics argued that Parliament’s growing expenditure, particularly under the Office of the Speaker, contrasted sharply with worsening economic conditions and declining public confidence in the institution. Speaking on Tuesday while opening a week-long induction seminar for members of the 12th Parliament in Munyonyo, Oboth-Oboth said he directed the Clerk to Parliament to transfer 10 billion shillings from the Office of the Speaker to committee operations after learning that committees lacked adequate funding to execute their constitutional mandate. “I asked whether the committees were...

Our Reporter When Matovu Muhudi watched his mother struggle with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) after years of cooking over smoky traditional stoves, he saw more than a family tragedy. He saw a public health crisis affecting millions of Ugandans. Rather than continue treating the symptoms as a medical professional, Muhudi chose to tackle the cause. That decision led to the birth of Elsmart Conservation Technologies, a clean energy enterprise that is now emerging as one of Western Uganda’s most promising manufacturers of improved cookstoves and biomass briquettes. Founded in March 2020 and headquartered in Nyakaizi, Mbarara City South, the company is combining healthcare, environmental conservation and manufacturing to address one of Uganda’s biggest development challenges, household air pollution. “My mother’s illness changed everything,” Muhudi recalls. “I wanted to provide ordinary Ugandans with cooking technologies that protect their health while remaining affordable.” Today, Elsmart manufactures energy-efficient biomass stoves from recycled...

Uganda’s second school term is well underway but many headteachers are still wresting with a familiar problem; keeping the school running while waiting for parents to finish paying fees. Slaries, food, scholastic materials and facility upkeep all demand immediate attention, yet the money often comes in slowly. To help bridge this gap, Equity Bank Uganda has rolled out financing options designed specifically to address these challenges for schools. These solutions are giving administrators breathing room during one of the most financially demanding stretches of the school calendar. Public and government-aided schools frequently struggle with delayed capitation grants, while private schools must balance the need for upfront payments against the realities of household financial pressures that often result in late or staggered fee payments. Equity Banks Olivia Mugaba- Head of SMEs addressing the audience At the same time, schools face rising utility costs, increasing compliance requirements, infrastructure expansion needs and persistent...

Our Reporter Equity Bank Uganda and My Tree Initiative have strengthened their partnership to advance environmental conservation and climate resilience through a major tree planting exercise at Kyasanku Hill College in Kasanje, Mpigi District, reinforcing the Bank’s contribution to Equity Group’s ambitious target of planting 35 million trees across East Africa. Held along the Kampala-Masaka Highway, the exercise saw Kyasanku Hill College dedicate two-acres of land for environmental restoration, with students, teachers, community leaders and partners planting a mix of indigenous and fruit tree species that will provide long-term ecological, educational and economic benefits. The initiative forms part of Equity Bank Uganda’s sustainability agenda under the Africa Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARRP), which recognizes environmental conservation as a key driver of climate resilience, food security, biodiversity protection and inclusive economic growth. Speaking during the event, Virginia Ssemakula, Equity Bank Uganda’s Manager for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, said protecting the...

Stanbic Black Pirates have been crowned the 2026 National Rugby Premiership champions after edging Buffaloes RFC 30-29 in a dramatic final that showcased resilience, attacking flair and determination. The defending champions wasted no time asserting themselves, with Nathan Bwambale crossing the try line in the fourth minute to give Pirates an early lead. Buffaloes responded four minutes later through Yasin Waiswa, whose two successful penalties kept his side within touching distance. Pirates, however, quickly regained momentum. Alex Aturinda scored the team’s second try before William Nkore successfully converted to stretch the lead to 12-6. Frank Kidega then added a third try as the defending champions continued to dominate proceedings. The relentless pressure forced Buffaloes into making two substitutions before halftime in an attempt to stem the Pirates’ attacking wave. Bwambale completed an outstanding first-half performance by scoring his second try of the match, while another successful conversion saw Pirates head...

A new global energy report warns that 655 million people worldwide still lack electricity, with Sub-Saharan Africa remaining the region most affected. For Uganda, the findings highlight the urgent need to make electricity more affordable, expand rural electrification, and accelerate the adoption of clean cooking solutions. The report says stronger investment in renewable energy, innovative financing, and targeted government support will be critical if Uganda and other African countries are to achieve universal access to sustainable energy by 2030. Despite significant investments in electricity generation over the past decade, Uganda still faces major challenges in extending affordable and reliable electricity to millions of households, reflecting a wider crisis across Sub-Saharan Africa highlighted in a new global energy report. The latest Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report, which monitors global progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 on affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, estimates that 655 million people...

A few hours from now, the current financial year will come to an end, and the implementation of the new National Budget will commence. The National Budget 2026/2027 followed a number of amendments to several laws and will also introduce several tax administration measures. The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Henry Musasizi, said the tax policy proposals in the bills would bring in an additional 1.74 trillion shillings in the financial year 2026/27, and he expected 3.16 trillion from URA administration measures. These would then contribute to the projected revenue effort of 15.5 percent of GDP, representing a growth of 0.6 percentage points. One area affected by the reforms is the Excise Duty, an indirect tax levied on specific, targeted goods and services at the time of manufacture, import, or consumption rather than on their final retail sale. However, this tax is usually transferred by the manufacturer or seller...

13-year-old’s fruit-picking robot beats the world’s best as two more Ugandan innovators earn global honours Uganda has won a Gold Medal at the 2026 International Greenwich Olympiad (IGO), an international platform for student-led research and interdisciplinary competition, spanning both scientific and creative disciplines, held in London, United Kingdom. Roshan Aitham Karoobi, a Senior One student at Light Academy Secondary School in Entebbe, topped the STEM Lesson Presentation category for his project, Physics in Action: How a Fruit-Picking Robot Uses Newton’s Laws of Motion. Two other young Ugandan innovators, Luke Oz Governor Mukulembeze (12, Grade 7) and Israel Mbonye (14, Grade 7), both of Shekinah International School in Entebbe, also did the country proud in London, earning an Honourable Mention for their joint Engineering project, Implementing and Designing a Low-Cost Sustainable Farming Solution for Uganda. All three students competed under the African School of Innovations Science and Technology (ASIST) Ltd, through...

BY A CONCERNED CITIZEN There are stories that pass quietly through the courts and disappear into legal archives without ever touching the public consciousness. Then there are cases that reveal something deeper—not merely about an individual, but about the health of the systems ordinary citizens rely upon every single day. In Uganda, a certificate of title is not just a legal document; it is also a source of psychological comfort. That is why the conviction of lawyer Ernest Rukundo of Web Advocates & Solicitors, in Criminal Case No. 0149 of 2018, for obtaining money by false pretence should concern every Ugandan who owns land, intends to buy land, has land pledged to a bank, or hopes one day to pass property on to their children. This case contains a detail so unsettling that many people may not yet fully appreciate its implications. According to the findings of the Chief Magistrate’s...