Category: News

Singer Pia Pounds may appear quiet on the streets — but she says the money is flowing where it matters most: online.

During an interview on a local television station, the “Tupaate” hitmaker revealed that she and her management made a strategic decision to shift focus from physical promotion to digital music sales.

And according to her, the move is paying off big time.

“I together with my management found how to earn through online music sells. We no longer vend our music around town, the focus is online,” Pia explained.

The singer said they stopped the traditional approach of pushing music physically across Kampala and instead concentrated on digital platforms where fans stream and buy music globally.

She added that the EP she released last year performed exceptionally well online, generating impressive revenue.

“Actually the EP which we released last year performed exceedingly well online,” she added.

Pia Pounds insists that while some artists focus on visibility in clubs and concerts, the real money is increasingly coming from digital platforms.

Despite having been in the music industry for more than five years, the singer has maintained a relatively low public profile recently, even after scoring a major breakthrough with her smash hit “Tupaate.”

The National Housing and Construction Company Ltd (NHCC), Uganda’s leading housing developer has commended Spiro for devotedly providing innovative, eco-friendly, affordable electric transportation solutions that transform urban mobility, reduce carbon emissions, and promote a cleaner environment.

Eng Kaijuka Kenneth, the Chief Executive for National Housing , officials expressed gratitude to Spiro for advancing sustainability and innovation, whose advanced battery-swapping technology ensures convenience and accessibility for all.

He commended Spiro for community empowerment, job creation, fostering local entrepreneurship, and supporting economic growth, which is paving the way for a greener, more prosperous future.

Kaijuka was flanked by Derrick Mutegyeki, the Chief Finance Officer at National Housing.

The Government of Uganda has allocated 20 hectares of land to Spiro Uganda in a move aimed at strengthening regional production of electric vehicles and positioning the country as a manufacturing hub.

The National Housing team was on guided tour on Wednesday at the Spiro bikes assembling plant in Namanve to assess the company’s progress.

Spiro has also acquired land at Bukerere, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, where construction of a state of the art manufacturing plant is expected to take place.

Bruce Mucunguzi, the Spiro Country Head – Uganda welcomed the land allocation, stating that the expanded space will enable the company to scale production beyond electric motorcycles to include three-wheelers, taxis, and buses. He said the expansion will enhance Uganda’s capacity to participate competitively in the growing electric mobility market across the region.

Spiro, a leader in African electric mobility, has increased strategies to bolster its electric motorcycle fleet and battery-swapping infrastructure across the country.

It should be noted that $100 million investment was invested in late 2025 to accelerate the deployment of clean energy transport solutions across the continent.

In Uganda, the transition to electric motorcycles is gaining momentum.Spiro currently operates more than 2,500 such stations across six countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, allowing riders to exchange depleted batteries for charged ones in seconds.

The company has already deployed more than 80,000 electric motorcycles and completed over 30 million battery swaps.

The expansion plan also includes upgrades to Spiro’s technology platform, specifically focusing on automated battery swaps, fast-charging capabilities and the integration of renewable energy sources.

Spiro’s efforts are creating a resilient, green energy ecosystem that supports economic development and climate goals.

For the Ugandan transport sector, the move toward electric bikes is seen as a way to reduce both urban air pollution and the daily operating costs for riders.

 

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As Uganda joins the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day, the spotlight at the National Theatre tonight will tilt firmly toward women whose craft of comedy will be celebrated.

The eighth edition of Arise Woman! Comedy Jam returns on Kampala’s entertainment calendar, continuing to gather, nurture and showcase female comedic talent. Since its inception in 2019, the show has deliberately created space for women in an industry where they have historically been underrepresented, despite the undeniable depth of their talent.

Comedy in Uganda, like in many parts of the world, has long been male-dominated. Lineups have frequently featured women as exceptions rather than equals. Yet the ability to turn daily struggles, relationships, work pressures and social expectations into laughter is not gendered.

Women have always possessed that wit, often sharpening it in private spaces. What Arise Woman! did was bring that humour into the public arena. Launched with the objective of highlighting the creativity of women, the show has since grown into a cultural marker around March 8.

Each year, it’s staged on or around International Women’s Day to align celebration with reflection. While Women’s Day conversations often centre on policy, empowerment and equality, Arise Woman! adds another dimension of joy.

It reminds audiences that laughter, too, is liberation. Eight editions in, the production has matured into more than a show. It has become a meeting ground, a reunion of sorts, where established performers, returning acts and rising stars converge.

This year’s lineup carries a powerful narrative of return and continuity. Agnes Akite, the founder and driving force behind the show, has convinced three artists to step back into the comedy spotlight after time away from the stage.

Their return feels symbolic in the context of Women’s Day. It speaks to the reality that many women step away from passions to pursue careers, build families or navigate life’s transitions, but their gifts do not disappear.

Eve Nabadda, better known to fans as E.V.E, had taken a break to focus on her law practice and married life. Courtrooms replaced comedy clubs, legal briefs replaced punchlines.

Yet performance never truly leaves a performer. Her comeback this year is more than a nostalgic return; it is a testament to balance and identity. A woman can be a lawyer, a wife and still command a stage with humour.

Leila Kachapizo, an actress and seasoned radio and television personality, had also stepped away from stand-up for a time. Media commitments and professional demands often leave little room for live performance.

Her return signals unfinished business with the stage and adds depth to this year’s ensemble. Komuntale, known in business circles as a landscape entrepreneur and PR guru, joins the show in a cameo.

Her inclusion reflects the diversity of women’s experiences. Behind corporate presentations and brand strategies lies a sense of humour shaped by navigating boardrooms and business deals.

Her appearance underscores the show’s core message that creativity does not confine itself to one profession. Titin Gladys also makes a return after stepping back to concentrate on her cake business, Titin Caked It, and motherhood.

Entrepreneurship and parenting demand stamina and sacrifice. Yet her reappearance on stage reinforces a reassuring truth that comedy is a talent that, once acquired, does not easily fade.

If the returning performers represent resilience, then Kaabu represents the future. At only 17 years old, she is Uganda’s youngest female comedian and has been performing at Arise Woman! since she was 13.

Her consistency offers hope and signals that women’s comedy in Uganda is not a passing phase but an evolving movement with younger voices stepping confidently forward.

Anchoring the show are the seasoned Fun Factory Ladies, who have been part of Arise Woman! since its launch in 2019. Their presence brings continuity and experience, grounding the production in a strong comedic tradition.

Over the years, they have helped shape the show’s identity, mentoring and inspiring emerging talent while maintaining high performance standards. Tonight’s celebration extends beyond stand-up and into afroetry, the unapologetic poet and spoken word artist, will grace the stage with selections from her published works, including Married to Society and Dry Parched Land.

Her poetry confronts societal expectations placed on women, making her voice particularly resonant during Women’s Day commemorations. Musician Aol 256 adds a musical dimension that enriches the evening’s rhythm.

Beyond the performance, the vision for Arise Woman! stretches further. Plans are underway to take the show on a countrywide tour, exposing audiences in other regions to female comedic talent.

There are also ambitions to invite international female comedians while exporting Ugandan talent abroad, positioning the annual fête as both a local celebration and a gateway to global stages.

To celebrate International Women’s Day approaches, Arise Woman! Comedy Jam stands as a tribute and affirms that women’s humour, sharp, observant, resilient, deserves not just applause, but a stage of its own.

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Legal professionals have urged government to scale up investment in legal aid services to bridge the access to justice gap in the country.

This call was made at Parliament on Friday, 06 March 2026 during the Parliamentary Women’s Day breakfast meeting in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day.

Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, the Judge of the Supreme Court, who was the keynote speaker at the meeting said it is pertinent that government invests in access to justice through provision of legal aid services.
“Access to justice is not just a loafy idea; we need the Legal Aid Act as soon as yesterday. We must urgently confront the complexities in our legal systems,” Justice Bamugemereire said.

She added that there are still rampant cases of women losing land due to limited access to legal services and therefore, the implementation of legal aid would come in handy to provide free or low-cost legal services for the marginalised and vulnerable people.

Justice Bamugemereire also urged all stakeholders to champion a shift towards gender equity through structural commitments, not polite gestures.
“We must demand a standard where merit is the only currency. Every Ugandan woman deserves to be in an environment that empowers her, where her character is her only strongest credential,” she said adding that, ’we need to build a nation where talent does not know gender boundaries, and stand as we advocate for a future defined by integrity, excellence, hard work and merit’.

Principal Judge, Justice Jane Frances Abodo, who was the guest speaker could not agree more with Bamugemereire on the urgency of legal aid services.

She said that the law is so distant and intimidating for many women and girls and can only be remedied through administration of free legal services.
“We need to scale up investment in state-supported legal aid by enacting the Legal Aid Act, champion paralegal programmes and community legal education,” Abodo said.

According to Justice Abodo, access to justice should not be reduced to mere existence of courts, but rather calls for a proactive approaches that require compelling governance and economic interventions.
“When women and girls cannot access justice, violence goes unreported, unpunished and this creates impunity,” she said.

AUDIO Justice Abodo

During the plenary sitting on 23 May 2023, the National Legal Aid Bill, 2022 was tabled for Second Reading but collapsed after the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in its report, recommended that it is stayed because it has a huge financial implication on the Consolidated Fund.

According to the committee report, government requires at least Shs47.6 billion annually to roll out legal aid services across the country. The bill was then returned to the committee for further scrutiny.

AUDIO Speaker Among

At the same event, as an intervention to tackle menstrual hygiene among girl children which leads to school absenteeism, Speaker Anita Among advocated that local companies are supported in the production and distribution of reusable sanitary pads across the country.
“As Parliament, we urge the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to consider some tax incentives for local manufacturers of reusable sanitary pads in the tax proposals for the financial year 2026/27. Once presented, we shall approve accordingly. This will ensure mass production and affordability,” she said.

Over 1.2 million girls aged 12–18 in Uganda have limited access to sanitary products, water, and private sanitation, leading to high school absenteeism.
Similarly, about 50-70 per cent of school girls use unhygienic materials like rags, soil, or banana fibres, causing infections and stigma.

Like other presenters, Speaker Among acknowledged that despite the milestones registered towards attaining women emancipation in Uganda, there are some of the underlying realities that women leaders must confront through appropriate legal, policy and institutional reforms, behaviour change and attitude reforms.

She noted that women still lag behind on parameters such as, employment, financial inclusion, literacy, school completion rates and access to justice among others.
“Addressing these realities requires responsive and servant leadership. Our gathering here today is part of the process of re-affirming and refocusing our energy as women leaders in improving the plight of women and the girl-child,” she said.

Uganda will celebrate the International Women’s Day on Sunday, 08 March 2026 at the Kololo Independence Grounds under the theme, “Scaling up investment to accelerate access to justice for all women and girls in Uganda”.

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Musician Dax Vibez has expressed doubt about the amendment of the copyright law bill, which has been pending in Parliament for more than two years.

While speaking during an interview on a local television station, the singer laughed off the possibility of the law being amended anytime soon, joking that it might only happen after the return of Jesus Christ.

“I don’t think the copyright law will come anytime soon. In fact, Jesus might return before musicians ever see it working,” he said.

The singer further claimed that even if the law is eventually amended, it may only benefit a few individuals due to political influence.

“If it is ever amended, musicians might first need to go to Rwakitura or even Gulu to affiliate with those in power before benefiting from it,” he added.

His comments come just days after musician and presidential advisor Eddy Kenzo once again promised that the amendment of the copyright law will be delivered this year.

MTN Uganda, through the MTN Foundation and in partnership with Alur Kingdom and leading corporate partners, has commissioned and handed over a newly constructed and fully furnished women and children’s ward at Alwi Health Centre III in Pakwach District.

The investment, valued at over UGX 156.6 million, was delivered through a collaborative effort involving Huawei, GDE, Rak, Enetworks, Soliton, Rontech, Quavatel, Fireside, Coolwave, MTN SACCO, Dynamo, Pavicon, Seagate and Nubly, with several partners contributing both financial and in-kind support.

The project was undertaken in response to a critical need identified during the 2025 21 Days of Y’ello Care initiative, when it emerged that men, women and children were sharing a single inpatient ward due to limited infrastructure. At the time, the facility had only six beds serving between 700 and 800 patients monthly, posing significant health and privacy risks, particularly for mothers and children.

The newly commissioned ward provides dedicated space for women and children and is fully equipped with 16 patient beds and mattresses, IV stands, bedside lockers, privacy screens, wheelchairs, stretchers, oxygen concentrators, suction machines, pulse oximeters, examination couches, refrigerators and other essential medical equipment. The investment significantly strengthens both the capacity and quality of inpatient care at the facility.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Thomas Motlepa, Chief Technology & Information Officer at MTN Uganda, reaffirmed the company’s long-term commitment to strengthening health systems in last-mile communities.

“This ward is about dignity, safety and quality of care,” he said. “When a mother is in labour or a child is admitted for treatment, they deserve an environment designed specifically for their needs. Our commitment as MTN Uganda goes beyond business. It is about enabling progress and investing in the foundations of human development.”

The expansion has already had a measurable impact. Alwi Health Centre III now serves between 2,000 and 2,500 patients per month, reflecting renewed community trust and improved service delivery. The separation of wards enhances infection control, privacy and patient outcomes, while modern equipment enables quicker diagnosis and more targeted treatment.

Given its strategic location along the Pakwach–Arua highway, the facility is now better positioned to stabilise accident victims before referral to higher-level health centres, strengthening emergency response capacity across the district.

The women and children’s ward builds on earlier interventions implemented during the 21 Days of Y’ello Care campaign. In 2025, MTN Uganda and its partners renovated the health centre’s kitchen and sanitation facilities, installed a water-harvesting system to improve access to clean water for expectant mothers, provided internet-connected computers to enhance patient record management, and deployed solar lighting to ensure uninterrupted services during power outages.

District leaders and health officials welcomed the investment, noting that the improvements have significantly enhanced service delivery and strengthened the facility’s relationship with the surrounding community.

Through initiatives such as this, MTN Uganda continues to support the country’s health sector by addressing critical infrastructure and equipment gaps, particularly in underserved communities. Past interventions include the construction of Lela Obaro II Health Centre II in Gulu, alongside material and financial support to health facilities such as Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Kampala, Aroi Health Centre III in Arua, Amach Health Centre IV in Lira, Naboa Health Centre III in Budaka, Kigorobya Health Centre III in Hoima District, Kijura Health Centre III in Kabarole District, and Kamukira Health Centre IV in Kabale, all aimed at strengthening access to quality care.

As part of its corporate responsibility agenda, MTN Uganda remains committed to partnering with the government, development partners, and local communities to deliver sustainable impact and improve livelihoods countrywide.

The MTN Uganda Foundation is a not-for-profit legal entity that was inaugurated in July 2007 as a vehicle through which MTN Uganda implements its corporate social investments (CSI). The Foundation strives to improve the quality of life in communities where MTN Uganda operates in a sustainable way. Its purpose is to bring about meaningful, measurable, and sustainable change that helps disadvantaged and rural communities to become self-sufficient.

With a focus on innovative technology, we aim to uplift communities towards independence in this bold new digital world. The Foundation invests resources for social redress, thus economic empowerment, education, health, and humanitarian response. The Foundation implements projects that are highly enabled by ICT solutions.

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When Ugandan singer songwriter Joshua Baraka stepped into the studio in 2024 to record a new track, he had no idea that a last minute title suggestion would later feel almost prophetic.

The song was finished. The vibe was right. But it had no title.

According to Baraka, the recording session had stretched late into the night and everyone was ready to call it a day. As the team prepared to leave the studio and get some sleep, producer Axon casually suggested they simply name the track “Morocco,” even though the word appears only once in the entire song.

“We made Morocco in 2024. In the whole song I only say ‘Morocco’ once. When we were closing the project to go sleep, Axon suggested we call it Morocco since we were stuck on the title,” Baraka explained.

At the time, the choice felt random, just a quick decision to wrap up the session and move on.

Months later, however, it was announced that the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations would be hosted in Morocco, turning what seemed like a simple studio moment into an eerie coincidence.

For Baraka, the unexpected connection made the story of the song even more memorable. What began as a spontaneous title suggestion suddenly felt like fate.

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A series of daring night operations across the Kampala Metropolitan area has led to the arrest of 90 suspects suspected of robbery, theft, narcotics trafficking, and other criminal activities, sending shockwaves through the city’s crime underworld.

SP Kawala Racheal, Police spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP), said the operations were intelligence-driven and strategically coordinated across multiple hotspots in the city and surrounding districts.

In Mukono District, residents of Bajjo can now breathe a little easier after police swooped in on an unfinished house at around 3:00 a.m. on 5th March 2026. The operation targeted a gang allegedly attacking locals both day and night. Police recovered six motorcycles believed to have been used in recent robberies and arrested nine suspects, including six who were found hiding inside the house.

“The residents had reported repeated attacks, and intelligence revealed the gang was hiding in an abandoned building. Our team acted swiftly to prevent further crimes,” SP Kawala said.

Meanwhile, in Kira Division, officers swooped on suspected narcotics dealers in Mbalwa, Namugongo. Three suspects were caught red-handed while processing opium into sticks, allegedly preparing the narcotics for sale to criminal elements.

In Katwe Division, along Salama Road and the Kisangani slums, police operations netted 64 suspects. The crackdown targeted areas notorious for robberies, thefts, and other criminal activity. SP Kawala noted that the operations focused on deterring repeat offenders and disrupting organized criminal networks.

On 4th March, officers faced heavy rains and traffic congestion but remained undeterred while patrolling Mukwano Roundabout and the Punjani stretch. The deployment aimed at catching thieves who exploit traffic jams to snatch phones, bags, and car parts from motorists and pedestrians.

Operations in Nakawuka, Entebbe, added another 14 suspects to the growing list of apprehensions.

In total, 90 suspects were arrested in these coordinated night raids. All are in police custody pending prosecution, as authorities continue investigations into their involvement in criminal networks.

SP Kawala Racheal said the importance of community cooperation in the success of these operations.

“These arrests are a clear message to criminals: we are watching, and we will act decisively. The public’s intelligence has been key in helping us locate these offenders and recover stolen property,” she said.

Police are now urging residents to remain vigilant, report suspicious activity, and support ongoing security efforts, assuring that proactive policing will continue to safeguard communities across Kampala and its neighboring districts.

“The operations show that Kampala Metropolitan Police is committed to fighting crime head-on. We will continue to pursue criminals relentlessly to ensure that our city is safe for all residents,” SP Kawala added.