The United States Embassy in Uganda has announced new visa policy changes that will affect Ugandan travelers, including shorter visa validity and the introduction of a refundable visa bond for some applicants.

U.S. Ambassador William W. Popp said the changes are part of efforts to enforce U.S. immigration laws while maintaining lawful travel between the two countries. He emphasized the long-standing partnership between Uganda and the United States and the importance of people-to-people exchanges through tourism, business, study, and family visits.

The ambassador noted that most non-immigrant visas for Ugandan citizens, particularly B1 and B2 business and tourist visas, are now single-entry visas valid for three months. Travelers have three months from the date of issuance to enter the United States and may apply for admission only once during that period.

A nonimmigrant visa is a privilege, Ambassador Popp said. “Remaining longer than authorized, violating the terms of admission, or misusing a visa can have serious, lasting consequences,” he explained.

The U.S. government has also expanded the Visa Bond Pilot Program to include Uganda. Eligible applicants may now be required to post a refundable bond of up to $15,000 U.S before a B1 or B2 visa is issued. The bond is fully refunded if the traveler complies with all visa conditions, including leaving the United States on time and following U.S. law.

Consular Chief Tania Romanoff warned applicants not to pay the bond before their interview. “If the consular officer finds the applicant qualified for a B1 or B2 visa, they will explain how to pay the bond and the amount required,” she said.

The bond may be forfeited if a traveler overstays, violates U.S. law, remains unlawfully in the United States, or seeks to change status including applying for asylum.

The United States has also temporarily paused the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, including Uganda, effective January 21, 2026. Ambassador Popp said this pause is designed to ensure new immigrants are thoroughly vetted and will not rely on public assistance. He emphasized that this action applies only to immigrant visas. Non-immigrant visas such as tourist, student, and business visas are not affected.

Romanoff added that misuse of non-immigrant visas remains a concern. “If an individual uses a U.S. nonimmigrant visa incorrectly, they may be removed from the United States and become permanently ineligible for future travel,” she said.

She added that providing false information on a visa application or during an interview will lead to denial and may result in permanent ineligibility and criminal prosecution.

The embassy urged all travelers to check the authorized period of stay through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s I-94 website and to leave the country on time. Compliance is essential to maintain access to U.S. travel.

Ambassador Popp also noted the importance of lawful travel for sustaining the partnership between the two countries.

“By understanding and following U.S. visa rules, Ugandan travelers help strengthen the enduring relationship between our two countries,” he said.

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African trade proponents have applauded the decision by the United States Senate to prolong the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) until December 2026, saying the move restores much-needed predictability to trade relations between Africa and the United States.

The extension was sealed on Tuesday after President Donald Trump signed legislation reauthorising AGOA, with retroactive effect from September 30, 2025. The programme had lapsed, triggering months of uncertainty for African exporters as Washington reviewed the future of its flagship trade preference scheme in line with shifting US trade priorities.

In December 2025, Odrek Rwabwogo, Chairperson of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), said developments in Washington reflected sustained bipartisan support and a growing appreciation of AGOA’s shared benefits.

In a post on X dated February 2, Rwabwogo detailed a series of engagements held in Washington in mid-December aimed at reviving the programme. He said meetings were held with officials from Senator Chris Coons’ office, alongside Ambassador Kakonge, former US Assistant Trade Representative Rosa Whitaker, African diplomats, civil society actors and the Bennet Group team.

He added that further discussions were held with Congressman Jason Smith, Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, together with African ambassadors. According to Rwabwogo, the committee overwhelmingly approved the AGOA renewal bill by a 37–3 bipartisan vote, paving the way for the latest extension.

AGOA, which expired in September 2025 after two decades, facilitated more than US$103 billion in non-oil exports from Africa to the United States. Rwabwogo described it as the most consequential preferential trade arrangement between the US and the continent.

“Although AGOA is America’s key trade preference programme for Africa, it has always functioned as a two-way bridge, supporting businesses, workers and consumers in both regions,” he noted.

He also pointed to Uganda’s recent trade diplomacy efforts, particularly after the country was suspended from AGOA in January 2024. Rwabwogo said PACEID intensified engagement to safeguard Uganda’s export interests, opening new market opportunities in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta despite the setback.

“When Uganda was suspended, we fought to keep our case on the table and to maintain strong dialogue with our partners,” he said.

Rwabwogo thanked US lawmakers and advocates who backed the renewal, singling out Rosa Whitaker, Congressman Jonathan Jackson and members of the Congressional Black Caucus for their support.

Despite welcoming the extension, he cautioned that the legislative process is not yet complete, noting that the bill must still clear all stages of Congress to fully take effect.

AGOA grants eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the US market for more than 1,800 products, in addition to over 5,000 items covered under the Generalised System of Preferences.

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The disappearance of 34 Primary Leaving Examination Integrated Science scripts from Bamure Primary School in Koboko District is not a clerical mishap. It is a serious institutional failure that exposes deep negligence at the Uganda National Examinations Board and places the responsibility squarely on the desk of UNEB Secretary, Dan Odongo.

National examinations are among the most sensitive public processes in the country. They determine the academic future of children and shape public confidence in the education system. For 34 candidates to have their scripts go missing within a supposedly secure system is a damning indictment of leadership and oversight at UNEB.

Although the Board has later announced that the scripts have been recovered, the explanation only deepens concerns about incompetence. In a press statement issued on February 3 2026, UNEB said the anomaly was discovered during internal quality control checks prior to the release of results.

“The Uganda National Examinations Board would like to assure the public that the missing PLE scripts of Integrated Science for learners of Bamure Primary School Koboko District have been recovered and examiners invited for marking and subsequent grading of the candidates,” said UNEB Principal Public Relations Officer Jennifer Kalule Musamba.

She explained that the affected learners were temporarily awarded X as investigations were conducted. “It is this investigation that yielded the discovery of the sealed script envelope which was found intact in the lockable box for UNEB materials in the office of the Headmaster,” she said.

“For avoidance of doubt the envelope was first handed over to Koboko Central Police Station who confirmed that it had not been tampered with. The scripts have now been passed on to UNEB for marking,” Kalule Musamba added.

This account raises a more troubling question than the one UNEB seeks to settle. How do national examination scripts remain unaccounted for until the final stages of result processing? How does an entire Board chaired by experienced professionals fail to notice that scripts for 34 candidates are sitting in a head teacher’s office while results are being released nationwide?

As Secretary and chief executive officer of UNEB, Dan Odongo is directly responsible for the custody, tracking, and integrity of examination materials. The failure to account for scripts until the eleventh hour points to systemic weakness under his leadership. It also demonstrates a lack of effective supervision, internal checks, and operational discipline.

This is not an isolated administrative oversight. It comes against the backdrop of unease over the 2025 PLE results. Only one school Seeta Junior School Mukono owned by State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo emerged as the only school in the country to produce the most aggregate fours. Fifty six pupils out of 140 candidates scored first grade.

That outcome has disturbed many in the education sector. How does a single school tower above long-established institutions such as Kampala Parents School, Greenhill Academy Buwaate, Kampala Quality Primary School, Hillside Naalya, and Kabojja International? Were marking standards applied uniformly across all centres? Were scripts from different regions subjected to the same level of scrutiny and fairness?

Beyond elite schools lies a far more disturbing statistic. More than 77,000 pupils failed PLE. These are children largely from ordinary families and rural schools whose only chance at social mobility rests on the integrity of national examinations. When scripts can go missing in Koboko, the question is unavoidable. What assurance exists that scripts from remote village schools were properly handled, marked, and graded?

The crisis at UNEB is therefore not about public relations. It is about leadership. Dan Odongo has presided over a system that allowed scripts to disappear and only be discovered after results were nearly finalised. Such a lapse would be unacceptable in any serious examination body anywhere in the world.

Education Minister Janet Kataha Museveni now faces a moment of decision. Protecting the credibility of national examinations must take precedence over institutional comfort. The public needs assurance that negligence at the top carries consequences.

Restoring confidence in UNEB requires more than statements and explanations. It requires accountability. The continued stay of Dan Odongo as Secretary sends the wrong signal to parents, learners and the nation. For the integrity of Uganda’s education system,, the Minister should act decisively and relieve him of office.

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Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Officer Jenifer Bamuturaki is set to exit the national carrier following months of mounting scrutiny over governance failures, financial management and persistent operational disruptions that eroded confidence in her leadership.

Multiple government and airline sources confirm that the Uganda Airlines Board is preparing to advertise the position of Chief Executive Officer, effectively bringing to an end a tenure that has come under intense pressure from State House and law enforcement agencies.

In an internal communication circulated to staff this week, Bamuturaki informed employees that the board would soon open the position to applicants.

“The Board will advertise the position of Chief Executive Officer shortly, and you are all encouraged to apply if you meet the required qualifications,” she wrote in a memo seen by Eagle Online.

Although no official exit date has been announced, insiders say the decision was sealed during a tense State House meeting in September 2025 when President Yoweri Museveni summoned Uganda Airlines’ top leadership over concerns surrounding aircraft procurement, financial performance and unresolved audit queries.

Sources familiar with the meeting say the President was unimpressed by explanations offered by management and abruptly ordered Bamuturaki out of the session, signalling a sharp loss of confidence in her leadership. From that point, scrutiny of the airline intensified, with Museveni later directing that her contract should not be extended and instead ordering the board to advertise the position.

The leadership transition has unfolded quietly but now coincides with an escalating criminal investigation into Uganda Airlines’ financial operations.

In a letter dated January 7, 2026, the Criminal Investigations Directorate, working jointly with the State House Anti Corruption Unit, demanded extensive documentation relating to alleged abuse of office, embezzlement of funds and false accounting involving airline officials.

“The Criminal Investigations Directorate, in liaison with the State House Anti Corruption Unit, is currently investigating a case of abuse of office, embezzlement of funds and false accounting against officials of Uganda Airlines relating to financial transactions,” the letter reads.

Investigators have requested certified copies of the national airline business and implementation plan, the 2024 2025 budget, contracts committee minutes approving aircraft purchases, procurement files for fuel suppliers, aircraft leasing firms and ticketing agents, as well as revenue accounting, banking and cash receipt records. CID has also demanded internal audit reports and expenditure details linked to the launch of the airline’s London route.

The investigations come against a backdrop of worsening operational performance that has steadily damaged the airline’s public image. Over the past year, Uganda Airlines has faced repeated flight cancellations and delays at Entebbe International Airport, leaving passengers stranded with limited communication from airline staff. The disruptions sparked widespread criticism on social media and renewed questions about the carrier’s operational capacity.

In December, the airline acknowledged the disruptions, attributing them to technical challenges affecting parts of its fleet and capacity constraints linked to its limited number of aircraft. Bamuturaki apologised to passengers, arguing that airlines with small fleets are particularly vulnerable to disruptions when even a single aircraft is grounded for maintenance.

Despite the explanations, public dissatisfaction continued to grow, with critics describing the airline’s performance as a sharp decline from earlier expectations following its revival in 2019. Questions have also persisted over disputed procurement decisions, rising operational costs and repeated audit warnings that insiders say were never fully addressed.

As the board prepares to advertise for a new chief executive, Uganda Airlines now faces one of the most difficult moments in its short history. The airline must stabilise operations, cooperate with ongoing investigations, and reassure passengers, staff, and regulators that accountability reforms are finally taking root as it attempts to restore confidence in the national carrier.

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Police have arrested at least 111 suspects in a series of coordinated operations across Kampala Metropolitan Area and Mukono District as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks linked to drug abuse, robbery, and theft.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said the operations are part of sustained disruptive actions aimed at restoring law and order in areas identified as crime hotspots.

“In a bid to dismantle criminal networks involved in drug abuse, robbery, theft, and other unlawful activities within the Kampala Metropolitan Area, Police have continued to conduct disruptive operations aimed at combating criminality,” Kawala said.

She revealed that the latest operation was conducted on February 1, 2026, at around 11:00pm in Kigombya, Mukono Central Division, Mukono District.

“On 01st February 2026 at about 2300hrs, a joint operation was carried out in Kigombya, Mukono Central Division, Mukono District,” Kawala said, adding that the area had been mapped out as a black spot known for criminal activity.

During the operation, 11 suspects were arrested from what police described as a haven for criminals involved in smoking marijuana, waylaying, and robbing unsuspecting members of the public. The suspects are currently being held in police custody as investigations continue ahead of prosecution.

In a separate operation conducted earlier, police working together with local leaders carried out a large-scale crackdown in the heart of Kampala.

“On 30th January 2026 at about 1800hrs, Kampala Central Police Station, in conjunction with local leaders, conducted a disruptive operation codenamed ‘FUKUZA MAFISADI’,” Kawala stated.

The operation covered several areas including Nakasero, Entebbe Road, Nasser Road, behind Church House, Railway Grounds, Punjani, the Electoral Commission area, and Mukwano.

According to police, the operation specifically targeted youth suspected of lying in wait at known black spots before engaging in crimes such as snatching mobile phones and bags, as well as stealing vehicle parts from motorists stuck in traffic jams.

“A total of 100 suspects were arrested during the operation and are expected to appear in court today, 02nd February 2026,” Kawala said.

Police say the operations will continue across the Kampala Metropolitan Area as part of broader efforts to deter criminal activity and improve public safety.

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