The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) has inaugurated a new Uganda National Mining Company board at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda House in Entebbe.

The nine-member board, chaired by James Mukasa Ssebugenyi, is tasked with overseeing the country’s equity interests in the mining sector. Eng. Irene Pauline Bateebe, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, emphasized the board’s critical role in achieving new targets to enhance mineral exploitation and value addition for economic transformation, industrialization, and job creation.

The Ministry’s strategic vision includes increasing exploration and quantification of at least 58 priority minerals and geothermal resources across the country. Additionally, the board aims to promote the adoption and use of affordable technologies throughout the supply chain.

James Mukasa Ssebugenyi, the board chair, highlighted mineral development as a key driver of revenue and government plans. He expressed confidence that the Uganda National Mining Company can play a transformative role in the economy.

Phiona Nyamutoro, Minister of State for Energy and Mineral Development, underscored the mineral sector’s importance as one of five critical areas the government has identified to achieve economic growth over the next decade.

The board members bring a diverse range of expertise, including law, accounting, geology, and economics. James Mukasa Ssebugenyi is a seasoned lawyer with experience in high-profile environmental and mineral resource cases.

James Byagaba is an experienced accountant and managing director of Gabas Investments Ltd.

Other members include Kevin Aanyu, a geologist and lecturer at Makerere University; Agnes Alaba, commissioner in the Department of Mines; Francis Twinamatsiko, assistant commissioner in the Tax Policy Department; Maria Kiwanuka Nabasirye Kiwana, special presidential advisor on finance; Dr. Alex Binego Zentaro Kwatampora, geoscience expert; Wilfred Kokas Aupal, senior lecturer and dean at Uganda Technology and Management University; and John Fisher Kanyemibwa, advocate with expertise in oil and gas law.

Historically, the mining sector contributed significantly to Uganda’s GDP, but its contribution has declined over the years. The National Development Plan aims to increase Uganda’s economic output, with the mining sector playing a crucial role in achieving this goal.

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Former Bank of Uganda official has been sentenced to three years in prison for abusing his position to steal old currency notes meant for destruction.

The Anti-Corruption Court in Nakasero sentenced Charles Kasede Ochieng, former Head of Verification at the Bank of Uganda (BoU), to three years in prison on October 31, 2024. Grade One Magistrate Esther Asiimwe convicted Ochieng of abuse of office but acquitted him on the embezzlement charge due to lack of evidence.

Magistrate Asiimwe clarified that although Ochieng was initially accused of stealing Shs474 million, this amount was later revised to Shs62 million. However, the prosecution failed to provide concrete evidence proving that BoU experienced a financial loss. Despite this, the court found sufficient proof of abuse of office, particularly through CCTV footage that showed Ochieng pocketing old currency notes intended for disposal.

The footage presented by the prosecution showed Ochieng carefully looking around before taking the notes. He was seen placing bundles of money into his pocket and discreetly walking away. The court determined that these actions violated his role, classifying it as an arbitrary abuse of his official position.

From November 2018 to August 2019, while working as Head of the Verification Unit at the BoU’s Mbale branch, Ochieng engaged in actions that led to his conviction. Magistrate Asiimwe stated that the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that Ochieng abused his office. “This court finds that the ingredient of the offence of abuse of office has been proved and hereby convicts the accused as charged,” Asiimwe declared.

State Attorney Nicholas Kawooya, representing the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), called for a sentence of three and a half years, citing a breach of trust by Ochieng. Kawooya emphasized the seriousness of the crime, noting that as a verification officer, Ochieng held a role of integrity in a crucial institution that upholds the country’s monetary system. Kawooya argued that Ochieng’s act of taking old notes designated for destruction demonstrated corrupt intent and damaged BoU’s trust in its employees.

According to Uganda’s sentencing guidelines, the offence of abuse of office carries a maximum penalty of seven years, with three and a half years as the starting point. Kawooya noted that a significant sentence was warranted to reflect the gravity of the offence.

Ochieng’s lawyer, Arthur Mwebesa, requested leniency, suggesting a non-custodial sentence. He argued that as the main provider for his family, a prison sentence would impose hardship on Ochieng’s dependents. However, Magistrate Asiimwe aligned with the prosecution’s position, underscoring the importance of deterring similar abuses of office through appropriate sentencing.

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Court has granted bail to three embattled former officials of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA); Dorothy Kisaka, David Luyimbazi, and Daniel Okello following charges linked to the August 10^, 2024, Kiteezi landfill disaster. The tragedy claimed 35 lives and left 21 others injured.

The court set cash bail of Shs5 million Ugandan for each of the accused, while their sureties are to execute a non-cash bond of 100 million shillings. Additionally, the former KCCA officials are required to surrender their original passports and are prohibited from leaving Uganda without prior court approval. The case has been adjourned until November 26.

Prominent media analyst Andrew Mwenda has criticized the arrests, suggesting that they serve more as a placatory measure than a genuine effort to address underlying issues.

Mwenda contends that the real cause of the disaster lies in the government’s persistent underfunding of waste management and its neglect of Kampala’s infrastructure.

According to KCCA, the Kiteezi landfill had long exceeded its capacity. Despite repeated requests from the authority for funds to decommission the site, no action was taken, leaving the landfill in a critical state.

However, a report by the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) implicated two Kampala ministers and the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury (PSST), Ramathan Ggoobi, in the Kiteezi Landfill disaster. The report attributed part of the blame to the ministers, citing lapses in oversight and poor management of the waste disposal crisis at Kiteezi, which has put residents’ health and safety at risk.

The COSASE report specifically highlights the ministers’ failure to address the longstanding waste management issues at Kiteezi, allowing the situation to escalate into a disaster. Furthermore, PSST Ggoobi is held accountable for withholding funds necessary for decommissioning the Kiteezi Landfill, a critical step in resolving the waste management problems. Despite repeated calls for intervention, the funds were allegedly withheld, causing delays in closing the site and exacerbating the hazardous conditions.

The Kiteezi Landfill disaster has been a ticking time bomb, with the site reaching its capacity as far back as 2015. The tragedy has claimed dozens of lives and highlighted the grave shortcomings of the government’s waste management and governance.

The former KCCA officials have since been arrested, charged, and remanded to Luzura prison until November 4, 2024. They face allegations of mismanagement, corruption, and environmental regulation violations contributing to the disaster.

The COSASE report’s findings sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for greater accountability and urgent reforms in Uganda’s waste management sector. As the investigation continues, the nation awaits justice for the lives lost and affected by the Kiteezi landfill disaster.

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The Minister of State for Animal Industry  Bright Rwamirama has today  launched the state-of-the-art heavy-duty animal feed production, harvesting and manufacturing machinery at NAGRC&DB’s Entebbe-based livestock experimental station (LES ).

The machines include heavy-duty agriculture tractors, tipper trailers(10-tonne) capacity, heavy-duty primary disc harrows, heavy-duty secondary disc harrows, heavy-duty precision low planters, long-range boom sprayers, forage harvesters, poultry haulage trucks, animal feed distribution trucks, and animal haulage trucks among others. 

Uganda currently faces a growing high demand for quality pasture and value-added animal feed. This demand is fueled by a growing population that majorly depends on livestock as a source of food and income. 

The new machinery comes as a stitch in time when the agency is implementing the presidential directive on  Food and animal feed security. In 2022, the cabinet tasked NAGRC&DB with boosting the production of maize and soybeans using 30,000 acres of land that makes up a fraction of the agency’s land.

However according to the agency’s management, , among the key challenges they have been previously grappling with is hiring expensive machinery to use in  bush clearing which has always been costly especially during rainy seasons. 

Government through its various programs such as the Parish Development Model, envisions having a competitive, productive, and sustainable agriculture sector through agricultural commercialization. 

NAGRC&DB management hopes that with the help of the launched modern machinery, the agency will be able to leverage modern agricultural technologies over traditional means that will assist it in value addition and boosting production of animal feed benefiting not only the agency’s farms and ranches but also the neighboring communities. 

Through consistent and sustainable agriculture innovation and mechanization, the government will be making agriculture more attractive to youth that  make up the majority of Uganda’s population making them key players under the Parish Development Model.

As a government agency charged with livestock development and breeding activities, NAGRC operates fifteen regionally distributed center farms and ranches, including Rubona Stock Farm in Bunyangabu, Maruzi Ranch in Apac, Aswa Ranch in Pader and Lamwo, Got Apwoyo Ranch in Nwoya, Kasolwe Stock Farm in Kamuli, Njeru Stock Farm in Buikwe, Lusenke Stock Farm in Kayunga, Bulago Stock Farm in Bulambuli, the Livestock Experimentation Station, and the National Bull Stud in Entebbe, Ruhengyere Ranch in Kiruhura, the National Poultry and Piggery Development Centre in Wakiso, Nshaara Ranch in Kiruhura, and Sanga Stock Farm in Kiruhura. Each of these facilities has specific livestock production and breeding objectives aimed at producing superior breeding stock accessible to farming communities at subsidized rates. 

The above facilities have been instrumental in the progress of the NRM manifesto as they facilitate the use of AI and other assistant reproductive technologies for better breeding outcomes in communities. 

Since genetic improvement can not succeed without animal nutrition, nagrc&db is heavily producing animal feeds (silage, hay and compounded animal feeds) for subsidized access by farmers across the country. To ensure effective adoption of Technologies, Innovations and Management Practices (TIMPs), all the 15 animal breeding centers serve as skilling and training centers designed to equip  farmers with all the know-how needed to succeed at whichever livestock enterprise they choose. 

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