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A police dog has helped lead investigators to three suspects accused of breaking into a house in Nsumbi and stealing property worth hundreds of thousands of shillings.

The burglary was reported on September 8 in Nsumbi Zone, Kyebando Parish, Wakiso District, after unknown people allegedly broke into a residence and made off with clothes, shoes and a 43-inch Global Star television valued at about Shs760,000.

Police launched an investigation and brought in a sniffer dog to track down the suspects. The operation led to the arrest of Lubega Rayan, Ssembusi Musa and Katamba Faizo.

During a subsequent search, police recovered a pair of desert police shoes, a cape resembling UPDF attire and a bag.

The items have been taken into police custody and will be examined as investigators try to establish how they are connected to the burglary and whether the suspects could be linked to other crimes.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Public Relations Officer ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said investigators have also established that one of the suspects was recently released from prison after serving a sentence for robbery.

The three suspects remain in custody as police continue questioning them and gathering evidence.

They will be taken to court once investigations are completed.

MBALE — The state minister for lands, Harriet Ntabazi, has intensified her campaign against officials she accuses of running a fraudulent land-titling racket, using a regional workshop in Mbale to warn government workers that action will be taken against those who grab or encroach on public land.

Ntabazi was speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on the development of a comprehensive government land inventory at Mbale Resort Hotel, part of a national rollout, launched in July and organised by the Uganda Land Commission and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, to identify, survey and digitally register all state-owned land.

She told officials from the Bugisu, Teso and Bukedi sub-regions to stop treating public land as their own and to acquire land through legitimate means instead.

“Some government officials have made it a habit to grab or encroach on government land in areas where they work, including schools, hospitals and government headquarters,” Ntabazi said.

Her Mbale warning follows a blunter set of accusations she levelled weeks earlier at a parallel workshop in Kigezi, where she said the government was closing in on lands officers who issue fraudulent and multiple titles over public property. On that occasion she accused some staff in the ministry’s zonal offices of knowingly issuing fresh titles over land already registered to rightful owners — in some cases producing several competing titles for a single parcel — and warned that the practice would be stopped.

According to government figures cited at the programme’s July launch, public land accounts for about 23% of Uganda’s total land area, but only a small share has been formally titled, leaving large portions exposed to encroachment and fraudulent transactions. Ntabazi has said government land records remain scattered across the Uganda Land Commission, the ministry, local governments and other agencies, making an accurate national inventory difficult to compile — a gap officials say the fake-title trade has exploited.

At the Mbale meeting, which brought together Resident District Commissioners, LC5 chairpersons, Chief Administrative Officers and officials from the Uganda Land Commission and the ministry, Ntabazi urged local leaders to strengthen cooperation with the two institutions in the fight against land grabbing, bribery and corruption.

Local leaders used the engagement to raise specific disputes. Natubu Geoffrey Wafukhulu, the Bududa District LC5 chairperson, welcomed the engagement but flagged a road passing through the staff quarters of Bulucheke Health Centre IV, saying a proposed alternative route had triggered disagreements with the community and ended up in court.

Emma Bwayo, the Namisindwa District LC5 chairperson, said communities in his district continued to face numerous land-related challenges, and urged the ministry to spend more time in the field rather than in boardrooms.

“The ministry should move beyond boardrooms and increase its presence in the field to better understand and address the realities faced by communities,” Bwayo said.

He also called for stronger support for District Land Boards, saying better-facilitated land management structures would improve dispute resolution and service delivery.

In response, Ntabazi said she would follow up on the Bulucheke Health Centre IV road dispute to ensure the matter is properly handled.

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The National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to accelerate agricultural transformation, enhance climate resilience and harness emerging technologies for the benefit of farmers in Uganda and beyond.

The commitment was made today when the CABI Chief Executive Officer, Dr Daniel Elger, paid a courtesy visit to NARO top management at the Organisation’s headquarters in Entebbe.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the two organisations to review their longstanding partnership and explore new areas of collaboration, particularly in climate change adaptation, agricultural digitisation, artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, pest and disease management, and joint resource mobilisation.

Dr Elger described NARO as a crucial partner within the CABI family of member countries, noting that the two organisations have built an extensive collaboration over many years.

“NARO is a crucial part for us. NARO represents Uganda in the CABI family of member countries, and we came to discuss some of the most urgent priorities that NARO is envisaging for the future,” Dr Elger said.

He noted that the discussions were aimed at building on existing areas of cooperation while identifying opportunities to deploy additional expertise and resources in areas of strategic importance to Uganda’s agricultural sector.

Among the priority areas identified were climate change and adaptation, digitalisation, data and data governance, as well as joint efforts to mobilise resources to support agricultural research and innovation.

Dr Elger highlighted climate change as a growing threat to agricultural productivity, particularly because of its influence on the distribution and behaviour of pests and diseases.

He observed that changing climatic conditions are contributing to changes in pest and disease patterns globally, including the emergence of invasive species in new locations and changes in the timing and geographical distribution of agricultural pests.

CABI, he said, brings particular expertise in addressing these threats through approaches such as early warning systems and sustainable, nature-based solutions.

“Climate change is an absolute key priority. We work with our member countries on ways to make agriculture more resilient in the face of some of these pressures, particularly for smallholder farmers, and to help ensure food security,” he said.

Dr Elger emphasised that protecting food production goes beyond controlling pests and diseases. It also requires ensuring that farmers receive timely and appropriate information and technologies that enable them to maintain productive, profitable and sustainable farming systems despite emerging challenges.

The discussions also placed significant emphasis on the growing importance of data and artificial intelligence in agricultural research and service delivery.

Dr Elger noted that national agricultural research systems such as NARO not only generate technologies and provide advice to farmers but also collect valuable data and evidence on what works in different farming environments.

He said there was an opportunity for NARO and CABI to strengthen the management, governance and utilisation of such data to inform policy, research and investment decisions.

“How do we make the most of that data? How do we harness that data? How do we ensure that that data is managed in a respectful way from the perspective of the people who’ve generated that data and put to the best possible use?” he asked.

For NARO, the discussions come at a time when the Organisation is exploring ways of harnessing artificial intelligence to improve agricultural research and service delivery.

NARO Director General, Dr Yona Baguma, welcomed the CABI delegation and said the Organisation was looking forward to deepening the longstanding partnership.

“We are happy to host you. NARO and CABI have been partners for many years,” Dr Baguma said.

He said NARO was in the process of establishing a team to spearhead the Organisation’s work on artificial intelligence and expressed interest in working with CABI to develop an institutional framework for harnessing AI for the benefit of humanity.

“Working with the team from CABI, we will look forward to developing an institutional framework to harness AI for service of humanity,” Dr Baguma said.

Dr Baguma further identified climate change transformation, digitisation of research processes and data sharing as key areas where NARO and CABI could expand their collaboration.

He said the two organisations could work together on climate change transformative activities and digitise research processes to enable NARO to deliver its services at scale.

He also proposed collaboration on shared data platforms to strengthen evidence-based investment and decision-making in agriculture.

“We want NARO to be a champion in establishing a governance framework for AI in Uganda,” Dr Baguma said.

The proposed collaboration is expected to contribute to NARO’s broader mandate of generating and disseminating agricultural research, technologies and innovations that respond to the evolving needs of farmers, value-chain actors and policymakers.

The two organisations also expressed interest in strengthening joint resource mobilisation to support agricultural research and innovation in Uganda and the wider region.

Dr Baguma said NARO looked forward to working with CABI to mobilise additional resources for agricultural research, noting that stronger partnerships would be critical in addressing emerging challenges facing agriculture.

The engagement reinforced the strategic importance of partnerships between national agricultural research institutions and international scientific organisations in developing solutions to challenges such as climate change, emerging pests and diseases, food insecurity and the need for more efficient agricultural information systems.

The meeting was attended by the NARO Deputy Director General, Dr Sadik Kassim; Director of Audit, Denis Owor; Director of Finance, Julius Tegiike, alongside other senior officials from NARO and CABI.

Kapeke is already commanding serious money for his performances, but the Ugandan hip-hop artist is in no hurry to put his name on a concert poster.

Kapeke has revealed that Shs14 million is the highest amount he has ever received for a single performance, with the lucrative booking coming in Arua.

He shared the figure while speaking on Galaxy FM and used the moment to highlight the demand he continues to enjoy from music lovers.

I am a small body, big engine

For Kapeke, his size does not define his value. The bookings do.

Still, he knows there is a difference between securing individual performance slots and carrying an entire concert. That is why he is choosing to build his music catalogue before taking that step.

Kapeke wants to release more songs so that when he finally stages his own show, he can give fans a full experience rather than rely on a limited catalogue.

I want to perform for my people when I am confident that I can give them song after song.

So while the Shs14 million Arua booking shows that Kapeke can already attract a lucrative performance fee, he is thinking beyond the next booking.

For now, the focus remains on making more music and reaching the point where his own concert feels like the right move.