A 2025 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) true-crime documentary that showcased Ugandan girls involved in sex slavery in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been selected for Plot Twist Picks Best African films on YouTube listicles. Death in Dubai is an investigative documentary film and podcast series by BBC Eye. It explores the tragic death of Monic Karungi (known online as Mona Kizz), a 23-year-old Ugandan influencer who fell from a high-rise building in Dubai. When her death goes viral, she becomes the face of the disturbing online trend #DubaiPortaPotty.
Karungi moved to Dubai from Uganda expecting a standard job, but ended up trapped, forced into sex work, and indebted to an alleged trafficker, Charles Mwesigwa aka The Untouchable, also a Ugandan, who formerly worked as a bus driver in London, UK.
Uganda’s entertainment industry has entered a new tax era, with artists, performers and the businesses that hire them facing a more clearly defined obligation under the Income Tax (Amendment) Act 2026.
President Museveni assented to the legislation on August 20. Among its changes is a statutory six percent withholding tax on payments made to public entertainers. Although presidential assent came in August, the law’s commencement date is July 1, placing the new measure within the 2026/27 financial year.
At first glance, six percent appears to be a relatively small deduction; yet, for Uganda’s increasingly commercial creative sector, the change could affect much more than the amount an artist takes home after a performance.
It touches on the way artists negotiate fees, how promoters budget concerts, how brands contract entertainers and how emerging creators manage increasingly commercial careers.
It also signals a broader shift: Uganda’s tax framework is beginning to recognise an entertainment economy that stretches beyond the traditional concert stage.
Isaac Ssegawa, popularly known as Izo Izhuru , has walked away from a 24-year music journey that never produced the breakthrough he had hoped for, saying blunt advice from Lugaflow heavyweight GNL Zamba helped him make the decision.
Ssegawa, who started singing seriously while in Senior Two at Kisozi High School, had long dreamed of becoming a bilingual star in the mould of Jose Chameleone.
Kisozi was then a sister school of Buddo Senior Secondary School, where fees were about Shs70,000. Inspired by Chameleone’s ability to move between Luganda and Kiswahili, Ssegawa taught himself Kiswahili so he could perform in both languages.
At school, he went by the name Isaac Banton while nursing a crush.
The years that followed brought a succession of stage names. He became Isaac Musanyusa while performing in a band, adopted Sweet Kati after releasing a song of the same title, and later became Doctor Grapher when he began studying land management.
In total, Ssegawa says he went through about six names during his musical journey.
The names changed, but the breakthrough never came.
“I was in music for 24 years but a hit never came,” he says.
The advice that eventually made him reconsider his future in music came from people he respected.
GNL Zamba advised him to concentrate on his studies and consider music later. He also told Ssegawa that he had “no chair in Lugaflow”, a remark that stayed with him.
Jacob Omutuuze offered similar counsel.
Ssegawa says he had never allowed members of his family to talk him out of pursuing music. But advice from the two industry figures made him reconsider the path he had followed for more than two decades.
Today, the former singer works as a land manager, having exchanged the stage and recording studio for a profession he says offers a more stable future.
His journey offers a glimpse into the less celebrated side of Uganda’s music industry the experience of artists who spend years pursuing a breakthrough that never comes, and the difficult moment when they must decide whether to keep chasing the dream or build a life outside it.
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For many Ugandans, Susan Busingye is a familiar face from TV screens, fashion campaigns and runways. But increasingly, the actress and commercial model is finding purpose far from film sets and catwalks, exploring some of Uganda’s lesser-known destinations and sharing their stories with a growing online audience. On any given weekend, Busingye could be hiking through the highlands of Kisoro, exploring an island on Lake Victoria or discovering a quiet corner of northern Uganda. It is a role she never deliberately set out to pursue, but one that has grown naturally from a lifelong passion for storytelling. “I was already passionate about storytelling, and travel influencing gave me a new way to share stories and experiences,” she says.
The transition from actor and model to travel influencer may appear unusual, but for Busingye, the connection is obvious. Both careers rely on observation, communication and the ability to capture people’s attention. Where acting allows her to bring characters to life, travel gives her an opportunity to tell the stories of places, communities and experiences that often go unnoticed…………….CONTINUE READING………………………
Once every month, at a dance studio in Kamwokya, a Kampala suburb the sound of drums fills the air as a group of men and women move in unison. There are no treadmills, weight racks or mirrored walls. Instead, participants follow rhythms rooted in African tradition, stepping, swaying and sweating their way through a workout that feels more like a cultural celebration than a fitness session.
This is Bisoko Wellness African Dance Fitness, an initiative founded by dancer and wellness instructor Ephraim Walakira. At a time when Uganda is grappling with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, work-related stress and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases, the programme is offering an alternative approach to health and wellness, one that draws on African music, dance and community. For Walakira, the idea behind Bisoko Wellness emerged from a simple observation: many people struggle to maintain exercise routines because they view workouts as difficult, repetitive or disconnected from their everyday lives………..CONTINUE READING…………
KAMPALA — The leadership drama at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU) has taken another twist after Energy Minister Dr Monica Musenero said a substantive successor to outgoing Executive Director Ernest Rubondo has already been selected — but stopped short of revealing the name.
Instead, Musenero has appointed Otonga Michael Ochan, the Authority’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services, as Acting Executive Director, leaving the oil regulator in the unusual position of having an allegedly identified successor whose identity remains under wraps.
The big question now doing the rounds in petroleum and energy circles is simple: If the new boss has already been picked, why can’t Government name him or her?
The silence has fuelled fresh speculation that the battle over who should take over from Rubondo may not yet be completely over.
PAU Board Chairperson Lynda Biribonwa confirmed that the transition to a new Executive Director is underway but offered no name or date for the handover.
“The Honourable Minister and the Board of Directors are working to finalise the onboarding of the Executive Director-designate, whose details will be communicated in due course,” Biribonwa said.
But the carefully worded statement has only deepened the mystery.
The position was advertised way back in December 2025, giving Government roughly eight months to complete the recruitment process before Rubondo’s second and final term expired on August 31, 2026.
Yet Rubondo left office without his replacement being publicly announced.
And now, even after the Minister reportedly approved a successor, the identity remains a closely guarded secret.
Musenero has instead installed Ochan as acting boss effective September 1, pending the assumption of office by the Executive Director-designate.
But the temporary arrangement has done little to kill questions about the substantive appointment.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of earlier reports of competing interests over who should occupy one of the most powerful offices in Uganda’s petroleum industry.
Among names previously linked to the race is geologist and geoscientist Fred Kabanda, a former Assistant Commissioner for Oil and Gas Development and Production in the then Petroleum Exploration and Production Department.
Kabanda currently heads the Non-Renewable Natural Resources Division at the African Development Bank’s African Natural Resources Management and Investment Centre.
Reports have previously claimed that Kabanda’s name was forwarded to the appointing authority, President Yoweri Museveni, although this has not been independently verified.
It is also unclear whether he remains in contention.
Other reports have pointed to an internal contest involving senior officials within PAU, with several directors understood to possess the academic qualifications, technical expertise and sector experience required for the job.
What is clear is that the successor race has generated considerable interest because of the strategic importance of PAU.
Rubondo, PAU’s inaugural Executive Director, served for nearly a decade, overseeing the regulator during the transformation of Uganda’s petroleum sector from discovery and exploration to major oil development projects.
He exited as Uganda moves towards first oil, with the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline entering critical stages.
The incoming boss will therefore inherit a regulator sitting at the heart of Uganda’s transition into commercial petroleum production.
PAU regulates exploration, development, production and aspects of transportation and commercialisation of petroleum resources, as well as national content and technical standards across the industry.
Government says the Kingfisher Development Area is nearing completion, while preparations for first oil are also advancing.
Tilenga and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline are similarly progressing towards commercial operations.
This makes the prolonged uncertainty over PAU’s top office particularly sensitive.
The Ministry had earlier assured the public that the recruitment process was underway.
Permanent Secretary Irene Pauline Batebe also recently confirmed that the transition had started and that a substantive Executive Director would soon be announced.
But “soon” has now become the operative word.
With the Minister saying the successor has already been picked, attention has shifted from who will win the job to why Government is still refusing to say who has won it.
For now, Ochan remains behind the PAU steering wheel.
But the real power question — who will permanently occupy the Executive Director’s office — remains shrouded in silence.
And until the name is finally announced, speculation over whether the appointment is genuinely complete or whether powerful interests are still fighting over the final choice is unlikely to disappear.
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The long arm of the law is coming for anyone who dipped their hands into money meant to lift poor Ugandans out of poverty, with the Director of Crime Intelligence, AIGP Major General Christopher Damulira, telling suspects to surrender to Police before detectives catch up with them.
Damulira issued the chilling warning during a week-long review of the Police-led Operation Rejesha Tumaini, the crackdown targeting individuals accused of stealing or mismanaging Parish Development Model (PDM) funds.
His message was blunt: if you touched PDM money illegally, your days are numbered.
“Report yourselves to Police before we come for you,” Damulira warned those involved in the alleged theft and abuse of the programme.
The General was speaking during PDM operation review meetings in Eastern Uganda attended by Resident City and District Commissioners, Internal Security Officers, Regional Police Commanders, prosecutors from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, LCV chairpersons, mayors and senior officers from CID and Crime Intelligence.
The meetings were held at the Civil Service College for the Busoga Region, Mt Elgon Hotel for the Bugisu and Sebei regions and Soroti University for the Teso and Karamoja regions.
The crackdown follows President Yoweri Museveni’s directive last month to Inspector General of Police Abbas Byakagaba to act on intelligence reports of widespread abuse of PDM funds.
The reports allegedly implicated government officials, including some Parish Chiefs, in schemes involving ghost beneficiaries, unlawful deductions and extortion, among other forms of fraud.
Following the directive, Byakagaba ordered Damulira and the Director of Criminal Investigations, AIGP Tom Magambo, to launch Operation Rejesha Tumaini and hunt down those suspected of stealing PDM money.
And the operation appears to be gathering momentum.
Police say more than 300 suspects have so far been arrested and taken to court by specialised teams from CID and Crime Intelligence headquarters working alongside the Internal Security Organisation, DPP and Resident District Commissioners.
Damulira spent the week touring Eastern Uganda to assess the operation and coordinate the different agencies involved in the crackdown.
He praised the security and justice agencies for what he described as excellent coordination, saying their cooperation had contributed to the arrests and prosecution of the suspects.
But the operation is far from over.
Damulira directed the teams to keep the hunt going until every person who illegally touched PDM money is identified, arrested and brought before court.
The warning is likely to send shivers down the spines of officials and programme managers who may have benefited from alleged manipulation of PDM funds.
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KAMULI — A simple seat dispute has turned into a chilling murder, after a young furniture dealer was allegedly beaten and shot dead by plainclothes bodyguards attached to the NRM boss of Kamuli Municipality.
The victim, identified only as Tenywa, was reportedly enjoying a local boxing event at Muzuri Guest House in Bunangwe Cell when what started as a disagreement over a seat allegedly ended with him lying in a pool of blood.
Eyewitnesses claim the drama erupted when the alleged bodyguards of Erick Mugabi, the NRM chairperson in Kamuli Municipality, reportedly ordered Tenywa to leave his seat to make way for their boss.
But Tenywa allegedly stood his ground.
What followed was a close to five-minute confrontation, according to witnesses, with the armed men allegedly turning on the young man and beating him before a gunshot rang out.
Tenywa was hit and collapsed.
The alleged assailants reportedly disappeared from the scene together with Mugabi, leaving shocked revelers scrambling to save the young man’s life.
Tenywa was rushed to Kamuli General Hospital, but the attempt to save him reportedly came too late.
He was pronounced dead on arrival.
His body was subsequently taken to the hospital mortuary pending postmortem.
Tenywa was a furniture shop owner based in Buwenge Mpya Cell, Kamuli Municipality, and his sudden death has left residents questioning how an argument over a seat could escalate into a fatal shooting.
The incident has also raised fresh concerns about the conduct of armed individuals operating as security personnel, particularly when allegedly involved in confrontations with civilians.
Mugabi and the operators of Muzuri Guest House had not issued a statement explaining their side of the events by press time.
However, Busoga North Police spokesperson Samson Lubega confirmed that police had received a report of a shooting at around midnight.
Lubega said investigations were underway and that police would provide a detailed report to the media.
As detectives piece together the events leading to the fatal shooting, questions remain over who fired the gun, why Tenywa was allegedly shot and whether the suspected bodyguards were legally authorised to carry firearms.
For now, the young man’s family is left mourning while police hunt for answers.
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Princess Elizabeth Bagaya has described the death of Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV as a painful loss to a kingdom that was beginning to see the late king emerge as a pillar of development.
Bagaya who is currently 90 years is a paternal aunt to Omukama Oyo and was the Batebe (Chief Princess) during the reign of her brother Omukama Patrick Mathew David Olimi III.
While speaking to Journalists at Karuzika Palace on Saturday, Bagaya said Oyo had many plans for Tooro and died at a time when he was still optimistic about what he could achieve for his people.
Bagaya said she would have preferred that God took the older members instead of the young king.
“Oyo died when he had just started,” she said. “He loved his people so much and had high hopes of the things he was going to do for his people, but God has taken him.”
Bagaya, a lawyer and former Uganda Foreign Affairs Minister said she was grateful to God for her long life but questioned why the young king who still had a future ahead of him had been taken.
She however urged Batooro to accept the loss and trust in God’s plan for the kingdom saying the focus at the moment should remain on mourning the late king.
She appealed to the people of Tooro to remain calm pray for the soul of the late king and avoid rushing into other matters before the mourning period is complete.
Bagaya also thanked the people of Tooro for loving and standing by their king, asking them to continue praying for his soul to be granted eternal rest.
Her remarks came as mourners continued to arrive at Karuzika Palace to view Oyo’s body and pay their final respects. Omukama Oyo died on August 27 and will be laid to rest on September 12, a day the kingdom would have celebrated his 31st coronaration anniversary.
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PARLIAMENT — Kyaka Central MP Tom Bright Amooti has paid tribute to the late Omukama Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, describing his 31-year reign as a remarkable chapter in the history of the Tooro Kingdom.
Amooti told Parliament that despite ascending the throne at just three years old, the late King grew into a unifying figure whose influence extended beyond the royal palace into education, youth empowerment, environmental conservation, tourism and cultural promotion.
Oyo ascended the Tooro throne in 1995, becoming the youngest reigning monarch in the world at the time.
He went on to reign for 31 years before his death, leaving behind a legacy that Amooti said would continue to inspire generations of Batooro and other Ugandans.
The MP singled out the King Oyo Scholarship Fund, saying it opened doors of education for thousands of needy Batooro and gave young people an opportunity to pursue their dreams.
Amooti also praised the late monarch for championing campaigns against HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy and stigma among young people, saying he used his position to speak to issues affecting the younger generation.
On environmental conservation, Amooti said Oyo played an important role in promoting the protection of the Rwenzori Mountains and the wider Tooro ecosystem, including through tree-planting and conservation initiatives.
The late King also promoted Tooro’s tourism and cultural heritage while advocating for unity among his subjects.
Amooti said Oyo helped project Tooro as a kingdom associated with peace, culture and development, adding that his contribution would remain part of the kingdom’s history.
But as Parliament mourned the fallen monarch, Amooti reserved special praise for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, whom he credited with playing a fatherly role in the life of the young King.
The MP said Museveni stood by Oyo from childhood, helping him navigate the enormous responsibility of being a monarch while still growing up.
“President Museveni stood with the King as a father,” Amooti said.
He credited the President with mentoring, educating and supporting Oyo as he transitioned from a three-year-old monarch into an adult King who carried the responsibilities of leading one of Uganda’s oldest cultural institutions.
Amooti also commended the Government of Uganda for its continued support to the Tooro Kingdom during Oyo’s reign and throughout the difficult period following his death and burial arrangements.
The MP extended his condolences to Omugo Best Kemigisa Akiiki, the Royal Family, Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister Owek Calvin Rwomiire Akiiki, the Supreme Council and the entire Batooro community.
He said Oyo’s legacy would live beyond the 31 years he spent on the throne, particularly through the young people he inspired, the education opportunities created through his initiatives and his advocacy for culture and environmental conservation.
For many Batooro, Amooti said, the late King was not merely a monarch but a symbol of their identity and unity.
As Parliament continued paying tribute to the fallen King, Amooti ended his message with a traditional farewell:
“Omukama Atulize. Enkuba Etutire. May His Soul Rest in Peace.”
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