City tycoon Sudhir Ruparelia and his family paid a condolence visit to the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, Dr. Lawrence Muganga, following the death of his mother, Mama Immaculate Kayonga, who passed away in December 2025.

Sudhir was accompanied by his wife Jyotsna Ruparelia, their daughter Sheena Ruparelia, and son-in-law Jay Sakaria. 

The family visited Dr. Muganga to personally convey their sympathies and stand with him during a deeply difficult moment of personal loss.

Speaking after the visit, Prof. Muganga praised Sudhir Ruparelia and his family for what he described as a rare show of compassion and humanity, saying their decision to personally reach out and share in his grief spoke volumes about their values. 

He noted that the visit went beyond formality and reflected genuine care and solidarity at a time when it mattered most.

Dr. Muganga said the presence of the Ruparelia family gave him strength and comfort, adding that such gestures of empathy remind leaders of the human bonds that transcend positions and institutions. 

He described the visit as deeply touching and one that he and his family will always remember.

Mama Immaculate Kayonga’s passing marked one of the most painful chapters in Prof. Muganga’s life. 

He has often described her as the pillar of his strength, his hero, and the guiding force behind his values of faith, compassion, and service. He has reflected on her life as one defined by generosity, deep spirituality, and love for humanity, principles he says continue to shape his leadership and service in education.

The condolence visit also highlighted the close relationship between the proprietors of Victoria University and its leadership, underscoring a culture of mutual respect and care within the institution. The gesture resonated within the university community, where staff and students continue to mourn alongside their Vice Chancellor.

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Dr. Flavian Zeija has been officially sworn in as Uganda’s Chief Justice in a ceremony held at President Yoweri Museveni’s country farm in Kisozi, marking a new chapter in the leadership of the Judiciary.

The swearing-in was presided over by President Museveni, who hosted the event at his private residence. Dr. Zeija takes over the country’s top judicial office following his appointment by the President, reinforcing continuity within Uganda’s justice system.

In his remarks after taking the oath of office, Dr. Zeija expressed gratitude to President Museveni for the confidence and continued trust placed in him. He noted that the Chief Justice appointment marks his fourth presidential appointment within the Judiciary, describing it as a significant milestone in his legal and public service career.
Dr. Zeija pledged commitment to upholding the rule of law, judicial independence, and professionalism within the courts, while working to strengthen public confidence in the administration of justice.
His appointment comes at a time when the Judiciary faces increasing public scrutiny, with expectations for efficiency, integrity, and impartiality in handling matters of national importance.
The ceremony was attended by senior government officials and members of the legal fraternity.

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Prisons are now full of young people fighting thieves instead of being full of thieves themselves. 

The revelation follows remarks by political commentator Comrade Robert Kabushenga via X(formerly Twitter), who questioned the direction of the country’s anti-corruption drive in light of current arrest patterns.

“We were told the prisons would be full of thieves stealing public funds. Instead, the prisons are full of young people fighting the thieves,”Kabushenga revealed.

He added that enforcement appears to have shifted away from corruption suspects toward citizens demanding accountability.

“We were told a war had been declared against corruption,” he said. 

He added that instead the guns are now turned on the young people waging the war against corruption.

According to the Uganda Prisons Service Annual Statistical Report covering January to December 2025, the national inmate population stood at about 79,600 as of December 2025, despite an approved capacity of just over 22,000 inmates.

The report shows that between January and November 2025, young people aged 18 to 30 consistently accounted for more than half of the prison population. By November 2025, they represented close to 60 percent of all inmates nationwide.

Prison data further indicates that as of October 2025, more than 36,000 prisoners were on remand, meaning they had not been convicted. Officials attribute this to prolonged investigations, court backlogs, and limited access to bail, factors that disproportionately affect young suspects.

Congestion remained a major challenge throughout the year. In its September 2025 mid-year performance update, the Uganda Prisons Service warned that most facilities were operating at more than three times their intended capacity, placing pressure on health services, sanitation and rehabilitation programmes.

Health assessments conducted between July and November 2025 linked overcrowding to elevated risks of communicable diseases within detention facilities, a concern repeatedly flagged in internal prison reports.

The young people arrested during demonstrations and public order operations form a share of new remand admissions.

Although government maintains that measures such as plea bargaining, community service and decongestion exercises were intensified in the last quarter of 2025 the arrests have continued to outpace reforms.

Kabushenga maintains that Uganda’s prisons are increasingly holding young people challenging corruption, rather than those accused of stealing public funds.

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The National Lotteries and Gaming  Regulatory Board is projected to record unprecedented growth, with more than Shs14.1 trillion expected to be staked in the 2025/26 financial year.

The projection was revealed by Bernard Winyi, the Senior Manager for Finance and Administration at the National Lotteries and Gaming Board, while appearing before Parliament’s Finance Committee on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, to present the Board’s 2026/27 National Budget Framework Paper.

Winyi told legislators that the electronic monitoring system has significantly improved visibility in an industry that was previously dependent on self-declarations by operators.

“So now, through the National Central Electronic Monitoring System, we have more visibility of the operators and the activity in the gaming industry,” Winyi said.

He explained that before the system was introduced, the government had limited insight into the actual volume of gambling activity across the country.

“In 2022/23, the level of money that people were gambling, that we were seeing, was Shs2.4 trillion. That was the money that was being declared by the operators,” he noted.

According to Winyi, the figures rose sharply once the monitoring system became operational.

“When we operationalised the system in 2023/24, those stakes grew to Shs4.3 trillion. In 2024/25, because of that visibility, it grew to Shs8.3 trillion,” he said.

He added that the Board is now projecting a dramatic increase in the current financial year.

He noted, “This financial year 2025/26, we are projecting that the amount of money that people will spend on gambling is Shs14.1 trillion. So the system has enabled us to get visibility and, by doing so, improve the tax collections.”

Winyi was responding to concerns raised by Amos Kankunda, the Rwampara County MP, who asked the Board to account for the effectiveness of the Shs6.833 billion National Central Electronic Monitoring System approved by Parliament.

“The new system that we approved, we have not talked about it. How is it working? Would it be responsible for the revenue leakages, or has it helped to improve?” Kankunda asked.

In response, the Board reported strong growth in revenue collections from the sector. Winyi disclosed that between July and December 2025, the government collected Shs176 billion from sports betting and casino gambling.

“In 2024/25, we realised Shs323 billion. In 2025/26, at half-year, we had collected Shs176 billion and we project to collect Shs391 billion by the end of the financial year,” Winyi said.

He further revealed that the Board plans to use its 2026/27 budget to boost gambling and gaming revenue by 15 per cent, targeting Shs450 billion in the next financial year.

“Our 2026/27 budget will be utilised to support increasing revenue by 15 per cent from the projected Shs391 billion this year to Shs450 billion in the financial year 2026/27,” he added.

However, Winyi warned that illegal gambling remains a major challenge, blaming weak penalties under the Lotteries and Gaming Act, 2016 for the persistence of unlicensed operations.

“Our law is weak in terms of curbing illegal operations; the law is not deterrent enough,” Winyi told the committee.

He cited Section 67 of the Act, which provides a fine of 48 currency points (about Shs960,000) or imprisonment not exceeding two years for operating an illegal gambling business.

“People plead guilty, go back to do the same thing, and pay Shs960,000. So we are already working on an amendment so that this can be more deterrent,” he said.

The proposed amendments come amid growing concern from legislators that enforcement costs often outweigh the penalties imposed. Dickson Kateshumbwa, the Sheema Municipality MP, urged the Board to work more closely with local governments to curb illegal gambling.

“I have a feeling that you are spending more money on enforcement than you are actually collecting,” Kateshumbwa said. “The fuel and cost of operations are probably higher than the yield.”

He further advised the Board to collaborate with Uganda Revenue Authority to stop illegal machines from entering the country.

“We don’t manufacture these devices here in Uganda. They are definitely imported. How do you collaborate to curtail these illegal machines from coming in at importation instead of running around the country to look for them?” Kateshumbwa noted.

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