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Makerere University Business School (MUBS) has commissioned a new three-storey classroom block at its Nakawa campus in Kampala, in a move aimed at addressing the institution’s long-standing shortage of learning space.

The facility was officially commissioned by Hon. Dr. John Chrysestom Muyingo, Minister of State for Higher Education, who commended MUBS for its continued investment in infrastructure, innovation and academic development.

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Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Muyingo said the new facility should not only provide additional classroom space but also contribute to improved learning outcomes and the development of graduates capable of solving Uganda’s socio-economic challenges.

He urged MUBS to leverage the facility to promote academic excellence, Competency-Based Education and Training (CBET), innovation, creativity and problem-solving.

“The true value of this facility will be measured by what happens within it,” Muyingo said.

The Minister further challenged the institution to use the expanded learning environment to equip students with practical skills and an entrepreneurial mindset that will enable them to create jobs rather than solely seek employment.

MUBS Addresses Classroom Shortage

MUBS Principal Prof. Moses Muhwezi said the institution has successfully addressed one of its persistent challenges — inadequate classroom space — which had been largely driven by the growing student population.

Prof. Muhwezi made the remarks while speaking at the commissioning of the new three-storey classroom block at the Nakawa campus.

He said the expansion will provide much-needed learning space as MUBS continues to accommodate an increasing number of students.

The new facility is expected to ease pressure on existing classrooms and create a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.

The development is part of MUBS’s broader efforts to strengthen its infrastructure while supporting its mandate of providing business and management education.

The institution continues to place emphasis on innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development as Uganda seeks to produce a workforce capable of contributing to national economic transformation.

The Unforgivable, shone at the 2026 Uganda Film Festival (UFF) Awards, with two of its team members, Michael Wawuyo Jr. and Simon Agola, taking home individual honours.

Wawuyo Jr. won Best Actor in a Feature Film, while Agola won Best Sound Design for his exceptional work on the production.

The two wins cap a strong showing for the film, which had already attracted significant attention after receiving six nominations at this year’s festival. Alongside the two wins, the film was nominated for Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Feature Film, Best Make-Up, and Best Post-Production/Editing.

Directed by Matovu Martin Eric, The Unforgivable tells the story of Salaama, a teacher whose seemingly stable life is shattered when her husband’s job loss leads him into alcohol abuse and violence. As her traumatic childhood resurfaces, Salaama is forced to confront cycles of abuse she thought she had escaped. The film explores intergenerational trauma, domestic violence, and the struggle between revenge and healing as she fights to protect her daughter while seeking emotional liberation.

Produced by Reach A Hand Africa’s Chief Executive Officer Humphrey Nabimanya, the film is one of three key productions under the organisation’s Men+ creative series – alongside Operation Salongo by Denis D Junior and Wuuzi by David Mukama. Together, these films explore different dimensions of men’s roles in maternal health, family planning, and household decision-making.

The broader Men+ Project uses creative storytelling as a tool to challenge harmful norms around masculinity, spark dialogue, shift perceptions, and promote shared responsibility in relationships and families.

“This recognition reflects the growing power of the creative arts in driving social change and advancing conversations around men’s involvement in family health,” said Nabimanya.

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Upasuaji International premiered its award-winning documentary A Man Like Sam at Century Cinema Acacia over the weekend, bringing to Kampala the inspiring story of Samuel Mugabi, a Ugandan man with Down Syndrome whose journey is challenging societal perceptions about intellectual disabilities.

The premiere was hosted by Upasuaji International Founder and executive director Lynsay Balumuka, who also served as the film’s executive producer.

‘A Man Like Sam’ follows Samuel’s journey towards independence, highlighting the power of family devotion, community support and persistent parental advocacy in helping people with intellectual disabilities overcome barriers and live with dignity.

Told partly in Sam’s own voice, and complemented by personal insights from his family, Balumuka and Diana Mutoni, the documentary offers an intimate look at resilience while examining the continued struggle for meaningful and systematic inclusion.

For Balumuka, bringing the film home was an opportunity to celebrate Sam while using his story to spark a wider conversation about inclusion.

“Sam’s story demonstrates the vital role of parental advocacy and community support, and we are thrilled to bring this film home to Kampala to celebrate Sam and the ongoing push for inclusion,” she said.

The premiere was also a learning experience for musician and filmmaker Maurice Kirya, who admitted that working on the documentary challenged his own understanding of Down Syndrome.

“This documentary means a lot to me. I learnt a lot through this. So many people don’t know about Down Syndrome and I kept referring to it as autism,” Kirya said who is also the director of this film said.

He described the project as one of the most impactful he has worked on, acknowledging that he had previously been ignorant about the condition.

“I was ignorant. People need to see that people with Down Syndrome have a voice,” he added.

Sam himself used the occasion to challenge misconceptions surrounding the condition.

“Down Syndrome is not a disease. They need more support because of the challenges they get,” he said.

The documentary is the latest instalment of Upasuaji International’s ‘Advocacy on Screen’ initiative, a storytelling campaign aimed at breaking cultural stigma, correcting medical misconceptions and championing dignity and inclusion for people with Down Syndrome across East Africa.

Beyond its social impact, ‘A Man Like Sam’ has also made an impression on the international film festival circuit.

The documentary film won Best Short Documentary at the Alpine International Film Festival in Switzerland and Best International Film at the Brittany International Film Festival in France.

It was also named a semi-finalist at Cannes Indie Shorts in France and received a nomination at the New York Shorts International Film Festival.

While Maurice Kirya has secured multiple Best Director honours for the film, including wins at the Hollywood International Indie Film Festival and Cinema Royal Paris. The documentary also received an honourable mention at Scotland’s Scarlett International Film Festival.

Its festival journey continues with a nomination at the prestigious ‘I Will Tell’ International Film Festival in London, scheduled for September 2026.

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BUHUKA, KIKUUBE DISTRICT — Uganda will today unveil the name of its crude oil, giving the grade a commercial identity ahead of its planned entry into the global market, at a ceremony at the Kingfisher production facility on the shores of Lake Albert.

President Yoweri Museveni will do the honours during a visit to inspect progress in Uganda’s oil and gas journey. Kingfisher, on the Buhuka flat in Kikuube District, is where CNOOC Uganda Limited operates one of the country’s two upstream developments.

Energy Minister Monica Musenero toured the field on Tuesday ahead of the President’s arrival, visiting the central processing facility, an active drilling site at Pad 2 and a waste-management facility, where officials briefed her on commissioning, national content and community-development programmes.

The small step of naming the oil is a giant leap in turning almost 20 years of discovery into a product the world’s refiners can identify, price and buy. Crude is bought and sold by grade, and every grade carries a name and published identifiers setting out its density, sulphur content and refining yield. Brent comes from the North Sea, Ghana’s crude is Jubilee, named for the field that began producing in 2010, and Senegal’s Sangomar came onstream in 2024.

Until a grade is named, it cannot be quoted on a trading screen, marketed to refineries or written onto a cargo manifest. The Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) has trailed the announcement through a countdown campaign it calls “The Crude Truth,” saying a blend needs a name to identify its specific quality and composition.

Uganda’s crude is waxy and low in sulphur, heavy enough that its export route must be heated along its full length. It will travel through the 1,443-kilometre East African Crude Oil Pipeline to Tanga on the Tanzanian coast — billed by its developers as the world’s longest heated crude line.

The Lake Albert basin holds an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of oil in place, of which between 1.4 and 1.7 billion are considered recoverable, according to UNOC. The Tilenga project, operated by TotalEnergies, and Kingfisher, operated by CNOOC, are together expected to produce about 230,000 barrels a day at peak. Kingfisher’s central processing facility is built to handle 40,000 barrels a day.

Commercial quantities were confirmed in the Albertine Graben in 2006, and the sector moved from exploration to development after the 2022 Final Investment Decision unlocked roughly $15 billion in investment. The production timetable has slipped more than once since. Officials say the pipeline is now more than 90% ready, and the Petroleum Authority of Uganda has said first oil remains targeted for later this year.

The naming ceremony is seen as the first step in the last mile to Uganda becoming a commercial oil producer.

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Kampala – Hon. Hope Nankunda has formally declared her candidacy for the position of Secretary for Finance of the National Women’s Council (NWC) of Uganda, pledging transparent financial stewardship that will turn Council resources into real economic opportunities for women across the country.

In a statement released on 27 August and addressed to women, leadership delegates, and supporters nationwide, Nankunda said her decision was rooted in extensive travel through sub-counties and rural communities.

“Having traveled to every corner of Uganda—from the bustling sub-counties to our vibrant rural communities—I have listened closely to your voices, shared in your challenges, and witnessed the immense, untapped potential of our women,” she stated. “Today, grounded in those conversations and inspired by our shared vision, I humbly announce my official candidacy for Secretary for Finance of the National Women Council of Uganda.”

She stressed that progress depends on strong, accountable management of collective funds. “I am stepping forward to ensure our collective funds are managed with integrity, efficiency, and direct accountability to the grassroots. Together, let us build a financially empowered, resilient, and thriving future for all Ugandan women.”

In a separate message to fellow chairpersons, Nankunda described the announcement as her formal declaration and appealed for their support.

Nankunda brings proven local leadership experience to the national race. She previously ran unopposed for Chairperson of the Women’s Council in Kassanda District, a clear demonstration of the trust and confidence she commands at the grassroots. That uncontested victory underscored her ability to unite women leaders and deliver results without division.

A teacher, adolescent counsellor, and long-time advocate for girls’ and women’s rights, Nankunda has nearly two decades of experience working with students, parents, and communities. She is the founder and Executive Director of Raising Teenagers Uganda, an organisation that creates safe spaces for young people, prioritises menstrual hygiene management for vulnerable girls, and provides guidance and counselling services that help girls stay in or return to school.

She also serves as Central Region coordinator for Girls Not Brides Uganda, an alliance of civil society organisations working to end child marriage. Nankunda co-founded Health Promotion Rights agency, is a mentor through the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, and has been recognised as an Esther Ambassador for Uganda. She is a Rotarian, mother, mentor, trainer, and human rights activist whose work focuses on Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality).

Her personal story informs her advocacy. Orphaned young and raised across different homes, she later supported her sister—who had become a teenage mother—to return to school and complete her education. That experience fuels her conviction that education and second chances can transform lives.

Supporters highlight several strengths that position her well for the finance portfolio. Her unopposed election as Kassanda District Women’s Council Chairperson gave her direct experience managing local structures and resources. She brings deep grassroots credibility from years of work at village and district levels. Through her organisations she has successfully mobilised partnerships with government, civil society, and the private sector—experience relevant to managing NWC funds effectively. Her programmes emphasise economic empowerment, skills training, and educational inclusion, aligning with the need to convert financial resources into tangible opportunities for women. She is known for an integrity-driven approach and maintains national networks that support regional balance.

Nankunda’s broader campaign message centres on uniting and empowering women so that no woman and no region is left behind. Key priorities include grassroots-driven economic empowerment, equitable resource distribution, protection of health and safety, strengthening leadership capacity at lower levels, and digital and educational inclusion for young women.

The National Women’s Council elections are scheduled for 2 September 2026.

She concludes her appeal simply: she asks for the vote, the trust, and the support of Ugandan women to deliver accountable financial leadership that serves the grassroots.

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Across the scenic Murchison Landscape of Western Uganda, the northern Albertine Rift is celebrated for its outstanding biodiversity richness. The region harbors an astounding ecological community, accounting for 52% of Africa’s bird species, 39% of its mammal species, 19% of its amphibian species, 14% of its reptile species, and 14% of its plant species.

This tropical haven supports several iconic primate species, including blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys, black-and-white colobus monkeys, olive baboons, and the flagship endangered Eastern Chimpanzee.

However, this rich natural landscape faces severe environmental pressure. Rapid agricultural expansion and new oil developments have heavily fragmented what was once a continuous forest belt into isolated patches across community and private land. The core protected reserves of Bugoma and Budongo have lost the natural connecting vegetation essential for wildlife to move freely.

The scale of this habitat destruction across both Central Forest Reserves and private or communal forests is staggering. Between 1986 and 2002 alone, an estimated 110 square kilometers of forest was cleared within 15 kilometers of Bugoma Forest Reserve, while approximately 90 square kilometers were lost within 15 kilometers of Budongo Forest Reserve.

Historically, the central challenge facing conservation initiatives in this landscape has been the absence of sustainable, long-term financing mechanisms capable of sustaining restoration efforts beyond initial donor seed funding.

Uganda’s remaining population of approximately 5,000 eastern chimpanzees, primarily confined to these northern Albertine Rift forests, bears the brunt of this isolation. While resilient chimpanzee troops continue to traverse agricultural lands between forest patches, re-establishing continuous habitat pathways between Bugoma and Budongo is critical to prevent genetic isolation and ensure the long-term survival of the species.

To tackle fragmentation on a landscape scale, the Environmental Conservation Trust of Uganda (ECOTRUST) and its partners are executing a comprehensive corridor restoration program across the Budongo-Bugoma landscape. The initiative aims to conserve over 50,000 hectares of natural forest by securing and restoring critical ecological linkages across Kikuube, Hoima, and Masindi districts.

Under ECOTRUST’s leadership, the Northern Albertine Rift Conservation Group (NARC-G) developed an overarching investment plan targeting key forest blocks necessary for corridor functionality. Initially launched via the Corridor Restoration Fund (CRF) in 2020 with foundational support from the World Land Trust, ECOTRUST mobilized additional resources in 2022 from IUCN Netherlands and Total Energies to implement the plan.

Forest restoration on the ground combines communal tree planting via Communal Land Associations and Community Wetland Associations with smallholder farm re-afforestation. On the critical Bugoma, Wambabya Bugambe linkage alone, over 2,000 local farmers and forest owners have actively planted 60 hectares of native forest patches.

To guarantee permanent corridor continuity, more than 100 households voluntarily offered portions of their private land along the Kasoma Kanwyaborongo river system. Formal trust deeds are currently being negotiated to hold this land in trust for the community, safeguarding tenure security and securing additional land under trusteeship backed by expansion funding from IUCN Netherlands.

Beyond safeguarding animal migration, restoring connectivity protects Western Uganda’s nature-based economy. Budongo Forest Reserve remains an international tourist destination famed for habituated chimpanzee tracking in the Kaniyo-Pabidi sector, birding, and eco-tourism. Protecting this contiguous forest network ensures that eco-tourism revenue continues to flow back into local communities.

To secure long-term financial sustainability and move beyond traditional short-term grants, ECOTRUST supported by the Darwin Initiative and in partnership with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has pioneered an innovative bio credits-based incentive mechanism.

This community-designed, owned, and led initiative creates a direct, long-term income stream to reward local conservation action. Operating under the Plan Vivo Biodiversity Standard (PV Nature), biodiversity certificates generate payments tied directly to verified restoration outcomes, where a single certificate represents a 1% verified increase in biodiversity per hectare per year.

Performance is measured through rigorous field monitoring of core bio-indicators, specifically birds, primates, and plant diversity, alongside human threat metrics. Issued certificates are owned directly by the community and participating landholders, including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs).

By pairing structured land trusteeships with direct biodiversity credit returns, ECOTRUST and its NARC-G partners are establishing a self-sustaining model for tropical landscape management, guaranteeing that Uganda’s eastern chimpanzees can move safely through a flourishing, connected ecosystem for generations to come.

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