Category: News

RISE, BAMASAABA: DEFEND OUR HERITAGE AGAINST IMPOSITION

By Bwayo Geoffrey Bulambuli

A storm is brewing over the cultural house of the Bamasaaba. It is not a storm of nature but one shaped by human ambition. At the center of it stands Jude Mike Mudoma, whose recent maneuvers have stirred deep unease about the future of the institution known as Inzu Ya Masaba.

The Genesis of Inzu Ya Masaba

When Inzu Ya Masaba was founded in 2000, it was conceived as the cultural home of the Bamasaaba people living along the slopes of Mount Elgon in both Uganda and Kenya.

Its constitution established a rotational leadership system among clans — a principle designed to guarantee unity, fairness, and respect for ancestral traditions. This safeguard ensured that no single clan or individual could dominate the institution indefinitely. It became the heartbeat of Bamasaaba identity and a symbol of shared cultural stewardship.

The Rise — and Turn — of Mudoma

Mudoma ascended to the throne as Umukuuka III after endorsement by clan leaders. At the beginning, his leadership carried hope and expectation.

But as his tenure neared its end, critics say ambition began to overshadow tradition. They accuse him of manipulating the constitution to abolish the sacred rotational system and instead entrench himself in power.

By altering the name of the institution while maintaining the same financial streams, they argue, Mudoma has effectively attempted to remain at the helm indefinitely — a move some elders describe as declaring the old institution defunct while quietly retaining its resources.

Courts, Government and the People

In 2025, the government issued a Gazette notice proposing the renaming of Inzu Ya Masaba to Umukuuka Wa Bugisu. However, several elders rejected the move as unilateral and illegal, vowing to challenge both Mudoma’s actions and what they see as state interference in cultural affairs.

For many elders, legitimacy does not come from gazettes or paperwork, but from the people themselves. And they believe the people understand that abandoning the covenant of clan rotation undermines the very unity that once bound the Bamasaaba together.

A Satirical Mirror

What has been presented as reform, critics say, resembles a coronation conducted in the shadows.

The constitution was never meant to be a ladder for one man’s climb; it was a shield to protect all clans. To abolish it, they argue, is to transform that shield into a crown — worn by one and denied to many.

In the eyes of these critics, this is less reform and more a cultural coup wrapped in traditional robes.

A Call to the Bamasaaba

Bamasaaba must now reflect deeply on the future of their cultural institution. The moment calls for courage, vigilance, and unity in defending heritage.

No leader, however powerful, can erase the wisdom of ancestors. Only by returning to the founding principles can Inzu Ya Masaba remain a true cultural home — one that belongs to all clans, all people, and all generations.

The message from concerned voices in the region is clear: Inzu Ya Masaba should never become the private throne of any individual or clan. It must remain the shared legacy of the Bamasaaba people.

The writer is a key opinion leader in the Elgon Zone

About Post Author

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has today returned to Uganda from Arusha, Tanzania, where he has gone to attend the 25th Ordinary Summit of the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government.

During the summit, President Museveni assumed chairmanship of the EAC, taking over from H.E William Ruto, the President of Kenya.

On arrival at Entebbe International Airport, the President was received by the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, UPDF Air Force Deputy Commander, Maj. Gen. David Isimbwa, Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons, Mr. Samuel Akena and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP), James Ochaya.

 

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In our institutional reverence to state ethos and the new transformation, we shall be casting light on President Museveni’s successful agenda in Alebtong as follows

1) His Excellency President Museveni, has induced job creation in Alebtong, by injecting 4.6 billion shillings so far in cooperative saving societies called Emyooga. Majority of our business strategists in welding, carpentry , boda bodas , tailoring belong to this categorical distinction.

2) His Excellency President Museveni, with an executive impulse of advancing scientific innovation, supports two internationally accredited institutions in Alebtong ( government sponsored) , which teach electronics ,mechanical engineering, agronomics genetic incubation etc. these are Amugu agro technical institute and abia war memorial technical institute.

3.His Excellency President Museveni is mindful of a glorious industrialisation, which is subsided within a monetary economy. This is why, by 8th march 2026, a total of 7, 686 women in Alebtong had benefited from the parish revolving fund of receiving 1 million shillings each, for crop and animal farming. As for the youths in Alebtong, a total of 5, 056 have entered the money economy thru the unction of parish model funds.

4)In harnessing the policy framework of human capital development, President Museveni fully supports universal primary education in Alebtong. By 1st March 2026, a total of 106, 000 pupils were attending government primary schools in the district, with consistent disbursement of capitation grants.

5) Medical welfare being a sine qua non for NRM government, President Museveni has supported the upgrading of 6 health center 2s to now health center 3s with first class facilities in like manner of health center 4 medical institutions. these are well located in Adwir, Aloi, Abia, Akura , Awei and Angetta subcounties.

6) Pacification and security being self evident values of the NRA/ UPDF built by Generals Museveni and CDF Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Alebtong is calm, with succinct coordination of police, UPDF , Prisons and intelligence services both conventional and asymmetric ever on stand by.

I also thank the vice chairman NRM northern Uganda, Rt. Hon Hamson Obua, for his patriotic diligence in lobbying services from the NRM government

Sisi ni wazalendo wa kweli Afande, Jambo Sir……( LUTWAMA is Deputy Resident District Commissioner Alebtong, sms 0786672301)

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Mukono Police are investigating the disappearance of 25-year-old Tuwandike Nathan, a student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), who went missing earlier this week.

According to police, Nathan was last seen on February 25, 2026, in Mukono Town. He is a resident of Nsibambi A11 in Mukono District.

Authorities revealed that he left behind his phone and personal belongings at his hostel, raising concern among friends, family, and university officials.

Police have since launched inquiries into his whereabouts and are appealing to the public for any information that could assist in tracing him.

Anyone with relevant information is urged to report to the nearest police station or contact Mukono Police Station directly on 0783 748109.

Investigations are ongoing.

Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has been awarded the African Educationist of the Year Award at the 15th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year ceremony held in Accra, Ghana.

The prestigious award was presented by Lesotho’s Prime Minister, Sam Matekane, during a ceremony presided over by former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who chairs the African Leadership Magazine. The recognition followed a public vote conducted in December 2025.

The accolade celebrates Prof. Nawangwe’s contribution to higher education and his leadership in navigating Makerere University through complex development challenges facing African institutions. Under his stewardship, the university has pursued institutional reforms, strengthened research-driven innovation, and expanded international partnerships aimed at repositioning Makerere as a globally competitive university grounded in African solutions.

His recognition places him among notable African leaders previously honoured by the magazine, including Ghanaian Presidents John Mahama and John Kufuor. The award reflects a growing continental appreciation of education as a critical pillar in Africa’s socio-economic transformation.

Images from the high-profile event show Prof. Nawangwe walking the red carpet, receiving the award on stage, and posing with dignitaries including Kikwete. He also shared the milestone moment with his wife, Susan. The ceremony drew prominent leaders, policymakers, and influencers from across Africa.

The honour significantly elevates the visibility of Makerere University and Uganda within pan-African leadership circles. It reinforces Uganda’s longstanding reputation as a regional centre for academic excellence and intellectual leadership.

For many in the education sector, the award is not only a personal milestone for Prof. Nawangwe but also recognition of Makerere’s continued role in shaping Africa’s future through scholarship, innovation, and leadership.

A heartwarming story of resilience and determination unfolded at the recently concluded 76th graduation ceremony of Makerere University, as Kasekende Fulugensio, son of a boda boda rider graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB).

The graduate, whose achievement has since drawn widespread admiration on social media, marked a powerful milestone not only for himself but for his family and community.

Photos shared online show the newly qualified doctor proudly dressed in his graduation gown, standing beside his father in a busy roadside setting. In one image, his father sits on his boda boda motorcycle, the very symbol of the hard work that supported his son’s long academic journey. In another, the pair pose together, smiling with visible pride.

The moment captures a story many Ugandans relate to: a parent working tirelessly in the informal sector to educate their child, hoping for a better future.

“From dusty streets to hospital wards — this is God’s grace,” read a caption accompanying the images. A verse was also quoted: “So which of the favors of my Lord shall I deny?” reflecting gratitude for the achievement.

The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree is one of the most demanding academic programs at Makerere University, requiring years of intensive study, clinical rotations, and rigorous examinations. Completing it is widely regarded as a testament to discipline, endurance, and intellectual excellence.

For this graduate, the journey likely involved more than academic pressure. Medical school is financially and emotionally demanding. For a family dependent on boda boda earnings, the road to graduation would have required sacrifice, planning, and unwavering support.

The 76th graduation ceremony at Makerere University celebrated thousands of students across various disciplines. Yet stories like this stand out for their emotional weight and symbolism. They highlight the transformative power of education and the quiet heroism of parents who invest everything they have in their children’s dreams.

As Uganda continues to grapple with youth unemployment and economic challenges, such milestones offer hope. They remind communities that background does not define destiny.

From a boda boda stage to the wards of a hospital, this is more than a graduation. It is a generational victory.

The crowd at Makerere University’s 76th graduation ceremony saw hundreds of students walk across the stage. But when Fatuma Nabuulime — known the world over as Wonder Gal — received her degree in Social Work and Social Administration, something shifted in the air. This was not just a graduation. This was a resurrection. A declaration. A miracle dressed in academic regalia.

She was born in Kisekka Village, Lwengo District, without hands or legs — into a family of subsistence farmers barely scraping by. Her father would later walk away, leaving her mother alone with children and a world that felt impossibly heavy. Food was not a given. Tomorrow was not guaranteed.

“The situation was horrible. Even getting what to eat was another hustle on its own,” Nabuulime recalls, her voice carrying no trace of self-pity — only the quiet authority of someone who has already survived the worst.

A Child Sold to the Streets

She was five years old when a distant relative arrived from Kampala with a promise that must have sounded like salvation to a desperate mother: take the girl, enrol her in school, give her a future. Instead, the day after arriving in the city, little Fatuma was taken to the streets to beg.

“That was my first time coming to Kampala. Upon reaching, the following day, I was taken to the streets to start begging,” she recalls. She was five. Five years old, limbless, sitting on pavements from 7am until late evening, collecting money that fed a household of more than five people — none of whom were her.

She moved across Kampala’s busy corridors — Nakivubo, Mukwano Arcade, Wandegeya, Lugogo, the Shoprite area on Ben Kiwanuka Street — a small girl with no limbs and an enormous smile that, as she puts it, made people generous. The relative eventually bought a car.

“That was my money because people liked me so much for being a jolly girl,” she says with a laugh that is more heartbreak than humour.

When she was taken back to visit her mother in the village, she discovered something that must have broken a piece of her childhood forever: her mother knew. She had always known. She had even instructed the relative to send part of the money home to build a house.

The Girl Who Would Not Stop Fighting for a Desk

After four years on the streets, she was finally enrolled in school in Kalerwe — but the begging did not stop. She would beg in the mornings before class and again in the evenings after. Weekends were full days on the pavement. School was a stolen gift, squeezed between shifts.

Her mother eventually reclaimed her, realising the relative was pocketing all the earnings. But nearby schools in the village refused to admit a child with Nabuulime’s disability. Those willing to take her were too far away and too expensive. She missed two full terms.

She returned to Kampala’s streets. But this time, something had changed inside her. She carried books. She told anyone who asked that she was raising money for school fees. It was no longer just begging — it was a strategy.

“We changed the trick. I would go with books to the streets, and if people asked, I would tell them I was looking for school fees,” she explains. Even exploitation, it seems, could be redirected.

In 2011, fate placed Mr Garrett Parison and Pastor Grace Kintu of NGO US2UG4LYF in her path. They offered to sponsor her education on one condition: she had to leave the streets. She did not hesitate for a second.

The Making of Wonder Gal

She resumed at Jireh Children’s Centre in Masaka as the only learner with a disability. She was isolated. She grew thin from hunger. Her mother, on seeing her frail frame during holidays, urged her to quit school — arguing that even without education, she could survive.

She stayed anyway. She always stayed.

She sat her Primary Leaving Examinations in 2014, scoring Aggregate 21. She progressed through O-Level and A-Level in Kalungu District, in schools never designed for someone like her. There were stairs with no ramps. Classrooms she could not reach alone. One night in Senior Five, she dozed off while revising. The bell rang. Everyone returned to the dorms. No one woke her up. It was the school gatekeeper — switching off classroom lights — who found her asleep, alone in the dark.

“I felt like quitting, but since I had no option apart from studying, I played it cool and kept pushing,” she says.

It was at Hope Comprehensive High School in Kalungu that a school director, watching her navigate a world not built for her with effortless grace, gave her the name that would follow her across the internet. He called her Wonder Gal. The school’s annual magazine gave her a full-page feature. A star was named before anyone knew it.

In 2021 — among the Covid-19 cohort assessed using 2020 examinations — she sat her Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education and obtained three principal passes. She was admitted to Makerere University under the government scholarship scheme for students with disabilities.

810,000 Followers and a Dream Bigger Than Fame

At Makerere, she could not stay in Mary Stuart Hall like other students with disabilities — her personal hygiene needs required a self-contained room. She lived in hostels in Kikoni throughout her university years, supported by donors and government allowances. Midway through her course, she began selling earrings to fellow students.

Then came TikTok.

In 2024, Nabuulime began live streaming — first just talking to viewers, then peeling matooke during sessions to stay active and keep people watching. Her streams run up to six hours. She reads comments while she peels. The food she prepares is cooked and distributed to people living in slums in Kampala and Wakiso. A girl who once begged for others’ survival now feeds communities with her earnings.

Today, Wonder Gal has over 810,000 followers on TikTok and more than three million likes.

And still, she wants more — not for herself. She hopes to start an organisation that provides shelter, food, and access to education for people living with disabilities. The girl the streets tried to swallow wants to make sure no one else falls in.

Fatuma Nabuulime was born without hands or legs. She was given none of the advantages the world considers essential. And yet here she stands — a Makerere graduate, a TikTok sensation, a community feeder, an inspiration encoded in a name the whole country now knows.

She is Wonder Gal. And she is just getting started.

Uganda’s military has evacuated 43 Ugandan students from Iran following a sharp escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, as Kampala moves to safeguard its nationals caught up in the unfolding crisis.

The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) confirmed on Monday that the students, who had been stranded in Tehran, were successfully evacuated through Turkey.

“The UPDF, through our Defence Advisor in Turkey, Major General Bob Ogiki, has successfully evacuated 43 Ugandan students who were stranded in Tehran (Iran),” a defence official said. “They are now safe in Turkey waiting to return home.”

Authorities said efforts are ongoing to identify and support other Ugandan nationals who may still be in Iran. The government has not disclosed the exact number of citizens remaining in the country but indicated that coordination continues through diplomatic and defence channels.

The evacuation follows a dramatic escalation in the region after large-scale strikes targeted Iranian sites over the weekend, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks across parts of the Gulf. The exchange has heightened security alerts and raised fears of a broader regional conflict involving Tehran, the United States, and Israel.

In a security notice dated February 28, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire Waiswa, said Uganda was monitoring developments “with grave concern.”

“The Government of Uganda calls on all parties to exercise restraint, prioritize dialogue, and refrain from any further escalation,” Bagiire stated.

He advised Ugandan citizens in Iran who are able to leave to take serious precautions and depart through any available means. He also revealed that Kampala had withdrawn non-essential staff from its embassy in Tehran and that consular services were now severely limited.

“Due to the extremely fluid situation that is affecting international travel, all Ugandan citizens are strongly advised to suspend travel to the Middle East until further notice,” he added.

Evacuation efforts have been complicated by airspace restrictions and tightened border controls in parts of the region. Several airlines have suspended or rerouted flights as governments conduct security assessments.

Uganda has previously carried out similar evacuation missions during international crises, including the conflict in Sudan and unrest in Libya, often combining diplomatic engagement with military logistics to extract citizens from high-risk areas.

Officials have not yet confirmed when the evacuated students will return to Kampala, though arrangements are said to be underway.

The situation in the Middle East remains volatile, with global powers urging restraint to prevent further escalation that could disrupt transport routes, energy markets, and trade corridors linking Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Makerere University has announced the opening of applications for diploma and degree holders seeking admission under the private sponsorship scheme for the 2026/2027 academic year.

In a notice issued by the Academic Registrar, the university invited applications from Ugandan, East African, and international candidates interested in pursuing undergraduate programmes.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

Diploma Holders

Must possess at least a Second Class or Credit Diploma (or equivalent classification) from a recognised chartered institution.

The diploma must be relevant to the programme applied for.

Degree Holders

Must be graduates from a recognised chartered university.

Applicants are required to submit certified copies of academic transcripts and certificates from the awarding institutions, along with one passport-size photograph, to Office 315, Level 3, Senate Building after completing the online application.

The university emphasized that photocopies of certified copies will not be accepted.

In addition, admitted applicants will be responsible for verifying their academic documents with the awarding institutions.

Important Restrictions

Makerere warned that diploma holders with Class Three or Pass Diplomas are not eligible to apply, except where specifically stated in the diploma holders’ programme requirements.

The university also advised that candidates with grades X, Y, Z, 7, or 9 in ‘O’ Level results are not eligible for admission.

Application Process

All applications must be submitted online through the Admissions and Records Management Information System (ACMIS) available at:
https://apply.mak.ac.ug

Applicants are required to:

Sign up using their full name, email, and mobile number.

Ensure their names match those on their academic documents.

Complete the online application form.

Obtain a Pay Reference Number (PRN) after submission.

Pay the application fee before submitting supporting documents.

Applicants who have changed their names must present a deed poll and gazette at Office 611, Senate Building for verification.

Application Fees

A non-refundable application fee of:

UGX 55,000 for Ugandan and East African applicants

USD 76.5 (about UGX 286,250) for international applicants

must be paid through banks used by the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA).

Applicants can also pay via mobile money by dialing 2726# on MTN or Airtel and following the admission payment prompts.

Deadline

The university announced that the deadline for submitting applications has been extended to Friday, March 13, 2026.

Additional information can be obtained from the Undergraduate Admissions Office, Level 3, Senate Building, or through the Makerere University website.

The call for applications offers diploma and degree holders an opportunity to advance their academic qualifications at Uganda’s oldest and most prestigious university.