Governance

Road carnage; what needs to be done to save lives on Ugandan roads?
Road carnage again recently grabbed media attention in Uganda, after separate crashes in Fort Portal and on Mbale-Tirinyi road left 28 people dead on the same day, on Wednesday 4th May 2022. Wizarts Foundation on Thursday 12th May 2022, assembled a panel that brought together government, bus drivers, civil society, media and the public to discuss steps being that should be taken to reduce accidents and improve first response to casualties of road accidents in Uganda. Reports in the media …
Governance

Does Uganda need a minimum wage to cope with rising cost of living today?
There is a steady but consistent rise in the cost of living in Uganda, fueled by the recent rise in prices that is making it unbearable for majority workers to have decent lives. On Thursday 19th May 2022, Wizarts Foundation hosted a Twitter space to discuss the strategic direction of the Government of Uganda, in protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of vulnerable workers. This discussion was intended to bring together government duty bearers, academic and former finance Minister …
Governance

Breaking the barrier to Women economic empowerment in Uganda
KAMPALA: Uganda has over the years, grappled with different socio-economic barriers impeding gender inclusion and Women economic participation in the country. Government in efforts to narrow this gender gap, through Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), launched in 2015, sought to improve the income and contribution of Women towards Uganda’s economic development. Though some strides are seen to be made towards empowering women economically through UWEP, a 2018 report by the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) found that the program, …
Governance

Media practice and the urge to curb Uganda’s growing inflation
On Tuesday 22nd March 2022, Hon. Matia Kasaija, the Minister for finance, planning and economic development issued a media statement on Uganda’s rising inflation, explaining that the current hike in commodity prices are due to forces external to the country, temporary and that government on its own, can do little to deal with the problem. Shocks in prices for essential goods and services in Uganda are currently being experienced for cooking oil, laundry bar soap, fuel, education services and transport …
Education

Navigating fees dilemma in the wake of schools reopening
The COVID-19 pandemic has battered the Ugandan economy, with lockdown measures instituted by government to mitigate community spread of the virus affecting access to basic social services like health and education. Although government of Uganda moved to reopen all sectors in January 2022 to reverse the downturn caused by the pandemic, the effects of COVID-19 are coming back to affect people’s livelihoods. In the education sector, the National Planning Authority projected that 30% of 15 million leaners in Uganda were …
Governance

UPDF in Congo, what do news consumers need to know?
In war, truth is the first causality and Uganda’s incursion into DR Congo (DRC) is no exception; given that until today, details of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) established between the two neighboring states to allow Ugandan troops cross into Eastern DRC in pursuit of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is yet to be made public by both governments, undermining need for timely, credible and transparent information to the public during situations of conflict. Geopolitical analysts have urged media consumers …
Education

Inside Plan by Ministry of Energy to Transform the Cooking Sector in Uganda
The primary sources of energy for cooking in Uganda are wood and charcoal; whereas these seem a cheap and easily accessible form of energy to over 46 million population, experts have warned about looming health and environmental risks for the country relating to the use of these unclean and unsustainable forms of energy, especially in accelerating the current climate crisis in the region.  This is already seen with the resounding rate at which Uganda loses her forest cover, where for …
Governance

Integrity Crisis undermining efforts to curb corruption in Uganda
“There’s an integrity crisis in the country and we as the Inspectorate of Government are now more interested in how as a country, we can build trust and raise a generation of people who have integrity and are determined to do the right thing.” Mr. George Bamugemereire. Efforts to curb rampant corruption in Uganda, within both public and private sector, has often fallen short of meeting success; one of the recurrent reasons, being general public lack of integrity; a key …
News

Demystify Courts To Encourage The Public Testify Against Corruption – IG
“People are very fast to come and report. They report to us, even call the radio stations, they give scenarios and names. But then when you (ant-corruption agencies) call them in person and say we need you to come and give the same testimony, you will hear someone say; you know I have five children, the oldest is two and the youngest is one. So, I’m not coming anywhere near your courts,” Acio revealed. Statistics from government show an increase …
Education

Mpuuga tasks government to develop comprehensive COVID-19 response strategy
Having found that UGX.10.574 bn (4%) in six (6) entities of government had been diverted and spent on items other than those for which the funds were disbursed, the Auditor General advised that Government puts in place measures to raise preparedness for the management of emergency situations. Hon. Mathias Mpuuga has tasked government of Uganda to hatch a comprehensive review of its current COVID-19 national response strategy, to extend the current plan to include key sectors of the country, rather …
Education

Uganda Private Teacher’s Union speaks out on Government closure of Schools
The Education sector in Uganda continues in a state of disarray for teachers, learners and parents, as government has not given sufficient guidance to inform a proper response strategy to mitigate challanges arising from the effects of COVID-19 and lockdown of schools in Uganda. Wizarts Foundation’s Journalist, John Okeya, meets with Mwamula Juma, the Secretary General of Uganda Private Teacher’s Union (UPTU) for a Q&A on the magnitude of the problem: What eventual impact are we likely to have on …