Government officials and the World Bank have initiated consultations on the next phase of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Programme (UGIFT 2.0), following the completion of the first phase in December 2025.

The discussions, which bring together a government technical team and representatives from the World Bank, are aimed at reviewing achievements and lessons from the initial phase while identifying priority interventions that will shape the successor programme.

Speaking at the close of the preliminary consultations held at Serena Hotel in Kigo, the Acting Director for Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Hannington Ashaba, urged ministries, departments and agencies implementing the programme to carefully select and justify the interventions they intend to propose.

His remarks were delivered by the Acting Commissioner for Budget Policy and Evaluation, John Muheirwoha.

“We must begin scoping realistic areas of intervention and move beyond broad wish lists,” Ashaba said.

Ashaba also emphasized the need for focused planning as the funding available for the next phase is expected to be smaller than that of the first programme.

He explained that in the coming weeks, government and the World Bank will agree on a set of priority actions that will form the basis for the programme’s implementation.

“These actions will be translated into disbursement linked indicators that are practical, measurable and implementable,” he noted.

Ashaba also expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its continued technical and financial support to Uganda’s public finance systems.

He said the partnership has played a key role in strengthening intergovernmental fiscal transfers and improving service delivery outcomes across local governments.

Officials from the World Bank, led by Barbara Magezi and Verena Fritz, commended the government team for what they described as open and constructive discussions during the consultations.

They noted that the views and proposals raised during the meetings will be consolidated to guide the development of disbursement linked indicators that will steer the implementation of the second phase of the programme.

The Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers Programme was designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fiscal transfers from the central government to local governments, particularly in sectors such as education, health, water, and infrastructure, to enhance service delivery at the grassroots level.

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Diplomats, government officials and business leaders have renewed calls for stronger collaboration with Rotary to address pressing community challenges and promote sustainable development.

The call was made during a diplomatic fellowship luncheon organised by the Rotary Club of Kampala at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel on March 5, 2026. 

The gathering brought together diplomats, Rotarians and development partners to explore how strategic partnerships can accelerate humanitarian work and strengthen peacebuilding efforts.

The District Governor, Rotary district 9213, Geoffrey Martin Kitakule urged diplomatic missions to integrate Rotary structures into their development strategies, saying the organisation’s deep community networks position it well to deliver tangible results on the ground.

“I am looking forward to walking with you to work together to make a difference in this society. Please integrate us within your community strategies so that we can actually improve lives within the communities,” Kitakule said.

Delivering the keynote address, the British High Commissioner to Uganda, Lisa Chesney, emphasised that lasting solutions to global and local challenges can only be achieved through partnerships built on shared values and cooperation.

“We put service at the heart of what we do. We engage in the global challenges around us, however difficult they are, and we seek to make things better for everybody,” Chesney said.

She noted that diplomats and Rotarians share a similar commitment to service and collaboration.

“We have got that in common, and we share a belief with Rotary that actually it’s relationships and collaboration that is where real change happens,”she added.

Chesney also highlighted how global crises are increasingly interconnected, pointing to conflict, migration and climate change as issues that demand coordinated action.

“Conflict drives migration, a climate shock in one place unsettles an economy,” she said.

He noted that partnerships across sectors are essential to addressing such complex challenges.

According to the president of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Jacqueline Ayuya Mukasa, Rotary’s longstanding community trust and professional volunteer base make it an effective partner for organisations seeking to implement development programmes at grassroots level.

“My call to action to all the diplomatic missions and international partners present is to look at the Rotary Club of Kampala not just as a charity but as a strategic implementing partner,”Mukasa said.

“We have the local networks, the historical trust of communities, and the volunteer professional expertise to ensure that development agendas reach the last mile. Let us move from parallel paths to a shared journey of impact,” she added.

Globally, Rotary remains one of the largest service organisations with more than 1.4 million members across over 180 countries, focusing on humanitarian work ranging from disease prevention to community development.

During a recent visit to Uganda, the president of Rotary International, Francesco Arezzo, praised the vibrancy of Rotary activities in the country and the organisation’s strong collaboration with local communities and partners.

“Rotary has helped immunise over three billion children against polio,”Arezzo said. 

He added that the Ugandan Rotary movement remains closely connected to community needs and local leadership.

Former permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Uganda, James Mugume, observed that Rotary’s areas of focus mirror the global development agenda and align closely with the Sustainable Development Goals.

“All the Sustainable Development Goals are encapsulated in the seven areas of Rotary,” Mugume said.

He explained that the organisation’s work targets key priorities including peace and conflict prevention, fighting diseases, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies and protecting the environment.

The annual diplomatic fellowship, held under the theme Partnerships for Sustainable Impact: Bridging Diplomacy and Community Service, aimed to deepen cooperation between the diplomatic community and service organisations with participants expressing optimism that closer collaboration will strengthen humanitarian initiatives and deliver lasting benefits to communities across Uganda.

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The Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Michael Atingi-Ego has urged leaders and residents of Kamuli District to take greater advantage of formal financial services and government backed credit programmes to drive economic growth in the Busoga sub-region.

Speaking during a town hall meeting with district leaders and community members in Kamuli on Friday, Atingi-Ego said Uganda’s financial system must work for ordinary citizens, especially farmers, traders and small business owners in rural communities.

“I stand here not as a distant technocrat from Kampala, but as a fellow Ugandan who recognises that the work of the Bank of Uganda is only meaningful if it improves the life of a mother selling groundnuts in this market, a young man farming sugarcane on the banks of the Nile, a teacher managing a school budget, and an entrepreneur daring to dream of something bigger,” Atingi-Ego said.

The meeting was attended by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the area Woman Member of Parliament, as well as local leaders including Kamuli Municipality MP Baroda Watongola.

Atingi-Ego said the central bank had taken its outreach programme to Kamuli to engage communities directly on financial literacy, access to credit and the role of the banking sector in supporting economic transformation.

“Financial inclusion is not a privilege; it is a right. Economic transformation is only possible when every Ugandan whether a farmer, trader, fisherman or young entrepreneur has access to safe, affordable and reliable financial services,” he said.

The governor explained that the central bank’s mandate revolves around maintaining price stability, supervising financial institutions and ensuring that payment systems operate reliably across the country.

“I am pleased to report that inflation in Uganda is currently low and stable and that is good news for every household. When prices are stable, families can plan their budgets, farmers can assess the value of their harvest, and businesses can operate with confidence,” he said.

Atingi-Ego also moved to calm public anxiety over the restructuring of Finance Trust Bank, which operates a branch in Kamuli.

“I want to be unequivocal: Finance Trust Bank is not closing and it is not collapsing. It is transitioning from a Tier I commercial bank to a Tier II credit institution under the supervision of the Bank of Uganda,” he said.

“Your deposits remain safe and protected by the Deposit Protection Fund up to ten million shillings. Services will continue uninterrupted.”

He warned the public to remain vigilant against mobile money fraud, noting that the rapid expansion of digital financial services had also attracted cybercriminals.

“Never share your mobile money PIN with anyone not an agent, not someone claiming to be from the mobile company, and not even a trusted friend,” he cautioned.

The governor also introduced a new mobile based micro investment platform known as Okusevinga, designed to encourage savings among low income earners.

“Okusevinga allows any Ugandan to begin saving and investing from as little as Shs10,000. Financial inclusion does not start with a trillion shilling facility it starts with a single step,” he said.

Atingi-Ego further highlighted the role of agriculture financing in transforming rural economies, urging farmers to take advantage of the Agricultural Credit Facility, which provides loans at interest rates capped at 12 percent.

“Since 2009, the facility has channelled more than Shs1.2 trillion to over 7,600 beneficiaries across the country. The non performing loan rate is only 0.5 percent, which shows that farmers are responsible borrowers,” he said.

According to the central bank, Kamuli District has so far registered 164 beneficiaries under the programme with approved loans worth Shs2.4 billion, supporting at least 226 jobs in the agricultural value chain.

Atingi-Ego emphasised that farmers do not necessarily need land titles to access credit under the programme.

“You do not need a land title to qualify for ACF credit. What matters is your character, the quality of your business and your commitment to your enterprise,” he said.

However, he expressed concern over the low participation of women in the programme.

He noted,“Only 20 percent of ACF beneficiaries nationally are women. This is not acceptable. Structural barriers must be addressed so that women can access the same economic opportunities.”

The governor also pointed to the Small Business Fund, which has so far provided Shs72.4 billion to 3,640 enterprises across Uganda, helping small businesses recover and grow.

But he noted that Kamuli’s uptake remained low.

“Kamuli District accounts for just 17 businesses worth Shs346 million under this fund. In a district of this size, that figure represents a profound failure of outreach,” he said.

Atingi-Ego said Uganda is pursuing an ambitious economic transformation agenda aimed at expanding the country’s economy tenfold to about 500 billion dollars by 2040 through agro industrialisation, tourism, mineral development and science and technology.

He stressed that districts like Kamuli and the wider Busoga region have a crucial role to play in achieving that goal.

“The financial system must be strong and accessible enough to channel capital to these opportunities so that economic growth transforms the lives of ordinary Ugandans,” he said.

The governor also urged communities to protect natural resources such as Lake Kyoga and the River Nile, warning that environmental degradation could undermine long term economic progress.

“Economic transformation and environmental sustainability must go hand in hand. The soil, forests and water bodies of Busoga are the productive base upon which the entire regional economy rests,” he said.

He also called on for collaboration between the central bank, financial institutions and local communities.

“If we want lasting prosperity, we must build it together patiently, consistently and sustainably,” Atingi-Ego said.

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The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among has pledged that Parliament will support tax incentives aimed at increasing the production and affordability of reusable sanitary pads for schoolgirls across Uganda.

Among committed during a special breakfast meeting hosted at the Parliament of Uganda to commemorate International Women’s Day 2026. The gathering brought together women Members of Parliament, women MPs-elect, female parliamentary staff, and senior leaders to reflect on the progress and challenges affecting women and girls in the country.

“We urge the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to consider tax incentives for local manufacturers of reusable sanitary pads in the tax proposals for the financial year 2026/2027. Once the proposals are presented, Parliament will approve accordingly to ensure mass production and affordability,” Among said.

She emphasized that improving menstrual hygiene is critical to ensuring that girls remain in school and are able to study with dignity.

“Over 1.2 million girls aged between 12 and 18 in Uganda still suffer limited access to sanitary products, water and private sanitation facilities. About 50 to 70 percent of schoolgirls resort to unhygienic materials such as rags, soil or banana fibres, which exposes them to infections and stigma,” she said.

Among said empowering women remains central to Uganda’s social and economic transformation, noting that women make up the majority of the country’s population but continue to face inequalities in several sectors.

“Women comprise at least 50.4 percent of Uganda’s population, yet they still lag behind in employment, financial inclusion, literacy, school completion rates and access to justice,” she said. “Empowering women therefore has a direct correlation with national development.”

The Speaker also used the occasion to commend the contribution of the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, for her role in advancing women’s empowerment and leadership in Uganda.

“As a devoted and prayerful national figure, she laid a strong foundation for mentoring women leaders into agents of social transformation and national unity,” Among said.

The breakfast meeting was attended by several senior members of the Judiciary, including Supreme Court Justice Catherine Bamugemereire and the Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo, whom the Speaker thanked for taking time from their busy schedules to support the women’s gathering.

Among urged women leaders preparing to serve in the 12th Parliament to prioritize gender responsive legislation and policies aimed at improving the welfare of women and the girl child.

“As women leaders we must remain united with a clear vision and purpose in pursuit of improving the plight of women and girls. When we work together, nothing can defeat us,” she said.

She also encouraged women leaders to participate in the national celebrations of International Women’s Day scheduled for March 8 at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.

“As women in leadership, walk with your heads high because you are the mothers of the nation and bear the responsibility to create a fair, equitable, and inclusive society that works for all,” Among said.

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Court bailiffs on Friday,6, forcibly evicted city lawyer Fred Muwema and his law firm, Muwema & Co Advocates, from a prime property owned by Downtown Investments Ltd in Kololo, enforcing a court order that declared the firm illegal tenants on the premises.

The eviction was carried out at the firm’s offices on Windsor Crescent Road in Kololo, an upscale suburb of Kampala, where court enforcement officers and Uganda Police supervised the removal of office property from the building as the landlord repossessed the premises.

The development follows a ruling by the High Court of Uganda ordering the law firm and its partners to vacate the property after failing to comply with the terms of a commercial lease agreement and remaining in occupation despite accumulating substantial rent arrears.

In the judgment delivered by Justice Patricia Mutesi, the court found that the defendants had breached the tenancy agreement and continued occupying the premises without legal justification.

“The evidence adduced by the plaintiff proved that the defendant has held onto the leased premises while committing several breaches of the lease agreement,” the judge ruled.

Court records show that the dispute began from a commercial lease agreement signed in December 2014 under which Muwema & Co Advocates occupied the Kololo property at a monthly rent of about USD 5,000 plus VAT, subject to periodic increments.

However, relations between the landlord and the tenants later deteriorated after the law firm allegedly accumulated significant rent arrears and remained on the premises even after the lease expired.

The court consequently ordered the firm and its partners to pay $372,300 (approximately Shs1.3–1.4 billion) in outstanding rent and mesne profits. The court also awarded Shs50 million in general damages to the landlord for losses suffered as a result of the prolonged occupation of the property.

Justice Mutesi dismissed the defendants’ argument that they had exercised an option to purchase the property, ruling that no binding sale agreement had been concluded between the parties.

“It is simply false and misleading to insinuate that anything became of their offer when it was not accepted,” the judge held.

The judge emphasized that an unaccepted purchase offer does not cancel a tenant’s obligation to continue paying rent.

The court further directed the defendants to hand over vacant possession of the premises to Downtown Investments Ltd and allowed the landlord to enforce eviction through court bailiffs should the tenants fail to vacate voluntarily.

Friday’s eviction, therefore, is the final enforcement of the court order, effectively ending the law firm’s more than decade-long occupation of the Kololo property and restoring possession to the registered owner.

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A total of 43 Ugandan students who had been studying in Iran have safely returned home following a government-led evacuation triggered by renewed conflict in the Middle Eastern country.

The students arrived in Uganda on Thursday after a coordinated rescue operation organised by the government through diplomatic and security agencies. They were received on arrival by the Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, who commended the authorities for ensuring the students’ safe return.

“As you are aware, there is a war happening in Iran, and these young people were studying at one of the universities there. Most of them are pursuing programmes in information technology and other science disciplines, while a few are studying business,” Barugahara said.

He explained that the evacuation process began after Uganda’s Ambassador to Iran, Twaha Matata, notified the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Uganda) when the situation in Iran deteriorated. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni later approved the evacuation of students who wished to return to Uganda.

Barugahara also acknowledged the role played by the Chief of Defence Forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, along with the Director General of the External Security Organisation and Uganda’s Military Attaché in Turkey, Bob Ogiki, in coordinating the evacuation exercise.

According to the minister, about 51 Ugandan students were studying at one of the universities in Iran at the time the conflict erupted. However, only 43 opted to return to Uganda while others chose to remain.

“The government was willing to bring all of them back, but some decided to stay behind willingly,” he said, adding that authorities remain ready to support any other Ugandan students in Iran who may later wish to return home.

Barugahara further assured the students that government institutions would work with families and relevant agencies to ensure their education continues despite the disruption.

“These are scientists and the President has been investing heavily in science education. The government cannot abandon them. We shall engage different government institutions to determine the best way forward so that they can complete their studies,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Uganda), Mr Evans Aryabaha praised the swift response by government officials and diplomatic missions that helped facilitate the evacuation.

“We did not expect this situation to happen, but when it did, the government acted quickly so that you could return safely. We appreciate everyone who participated in this process and we are happy to receive you home,” Aryabaha said.

He encouraged the students to remain vigilant during times of crisis and expressed hope that they would eventually complete their studies once circumstances allow.

“We hope you will finish your studies when conditions permit. Whenever such situations arise, it is important to act with diligence and vigilance so that you remain safe and able to continue contributing productively,” he added.

Some of the students narrated the tense journey that led to their evacuation. Isaac Niwamanya and Sarah Mayanja, both pursuing Architectural Engineering, said the situation in Iran became alarming after fighting broke out on February 28, prompting them to seek immediate evacuation.

“With guidance from our ambassador, H.E. Twaha Matata, a bus was organised and it transported us from Tehran to the Bazargan border with Turkey. The journey took about 14 hours,” they explained.

The students said they later waited for clearance to cross into Turkey before travelling another 15 hours to Istanbul, where they were received and accommodated with support from Uganda’s embassy officials and the military attaché.

“Today we finally travelled from Turkey back to Uganda. Above all, we thank God for protecting us and we are grateful to the Government of Uganda, the President, the Chief of Defence Forces, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all the embassy officials who helped ensure our safe evacuation,” the students said.

Another student, Oscar Nyegyema, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, appealed to government authorities to support them in continuing their education.

“Many of us were able to study there because we could not afford education elsewhere. Given the uncertainty of the situation, we humbly request the Ministry of Education and other authorities to explore ways of helping us continue our studies, possibly by integrating us into universities in Uganda,” he said.

Most of the students had been studying in Iran on scholarships and fear their academic programmes may be disrupted by the ongoing conflict. Despite the uncertainty, they expressed hope that the situation will stabilise soon so they can resume and complete their studies.

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