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For some of Kampala’s commuter taxis, the morning commute came to an abrupt end on Monday after traffic police launched a crackdown on vehicles whose mechanical condition appeared to be held together by little more than hope and prayer.

The operation, which started at about 6:00am, targeted dilapidated 14-seater taxis commonly known as “gganyegenya” operating across Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono.

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded as officers stopped taxis along major routes and removed those considered too dangerous to remain on the road.

Among the routes targeted were Gayaza Road, Jinja Road, the Northern Bypass at Busega, Namugongo, Kawempe and Hoima Road.

Some of the impounded taxis left many wondering how they had managed to survive daily trips, let alone carry passengers, without falling apart along the way.

For passengers who had been using some of the vehicles every day, the crackdown may have raised an uncomfortable question: how exactly did they endure those rides?

From worn-out bodywork to questionable mechanical conditions, the vehicles targeted in the operation were a reminder that some passengers have been taking their lives into their hands every time they board a taxi simply because they need to get to work, school or business.

The operation is part of intensified road-safety enforcement by the Ministry of Works and Transport and traffic police, aimed at removing dangerous vehicles from Uganda’s roads.

For the passengers left waiting by the roadside, however, the immediate concern was finding another way to reach their destinations.

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Veteran singer and radio personality Tendo Tabel, popularly known as Lady Titie, has revealed how her popular Ebbaluwa segment on Beat FM became a secret source of income after traditional healers began paying her to prioritise their fabricated letters on air.

For years, Ebbaluwa was one of the station’s popular programmes, with Lady Titie reading letters from anonymous listeners who shared personal challenges and sought advice from her and the wider audience.

The emotional stories turned the segment into a favourite among listeners, many of whom tuned in regularly to hear the problems being presented and the advice that followed.

However, in a recent church testimony, Titie revealed that behind some of the letters was a scheme involving traditional healers who had discovered a way to use the programme to promote their services.

She said she initially received many genuine letters from listeners seeking help, but gradually noticed that some traditional healers were submitting fabricated stories designed to advertise their abilities.

According to Titie, the healers would create stories about people who had supposedly suffered from different problems before claiming that they had been healed through their traditional remedies.

When she started identifying and rejecting such letters, the healers allegedly changed their strategy by approaching her directly with money.

“They became smarter and realised they could use me to promote themselves. They started paying me to prioritise their letters over the genuine ones. Honestly, the money was a lot. Each letter earned me Shs1 million, so I could make about Shs5 million a week,” Titie confessed.

The arrangement, she said, was kept away from the knowledge of the station’s management.

As demand for airtime increased, some of the healers allegedly began competing against one another, offering even more money to have their letters read before those of their rivals.

“They eventually started competing for the first slot. Some would even offer more money because they wanted their letters to be read ahead of the others,” she said.

Titie said she continued with the arrangement for some time, earning substantial amounts from the letters while listeners remained unaware that some of the stories they were hearing had been deliberately created for promotional purposes.

Her perspective, however, changed dramatically when her six-month-old daughter fell ill.

Concerned about the child, Titie turned to several of the traditional healers she had been dealing with and sought their help.

She said the healers made several attempts to treat the baby, offering herbs, bathing remedies and different explanations for the child’s condition.

“They all tried very hard because helping my daughter would have given them a free advertisement. They gave her herbs to bathe in and came up with different explanations, but none of their efforts worked,” she said.

Despite the various treatments, her daughter did not recover.

For Titie, the experience became a turning point. She said it was during this difficult period that she began seeking God more seriously and eventually became convinced that some of the healers she had previously promoted were not what they claimed to be.

“That is when I found God. As I got closer to Him, I started realising that these people were fake,” she said.

Her newfound faith also influenced how she interacted with people she had previously referred to the traditional healers.

Titie said she began reaching out to some of the people she had directed to the healers and encouraged them to turn to church instead.

The move, she admitted, did not sit well with the traditional healers, who had benefited financially from the clients she had helped direct their way.

“I started pulling out the people I had referred to these healers and leading them to church. This did not make the healers happy because they were making good money from those people,” she explained.

The change also created an internal conflict for Titie.

She found herself questioning whether she should completely abandon the Ebbaluwa arrangement now that she had embraced Christianity, particularly because the money she was receiving was tied to letters she no longer considered genuine.

“I had a conflict within me because I was no longer sure whether I should continue with the letters or drop them completely now that I was saved,” she said.

Seeking guidance, Titie approached a pastor and explained her dilemma.

According to her, the pastor advised her not necessarily to abandon the income but instead to use it for a different purpose, including giving a portion to the church and helping vulnerable people.

“I asked a pastor for advice and told him about the situation. He advised me to continue receiving the money, tithe from it and use what remained for good causes, such as helping orphans,” she said.

For Titie, the experience eventually became much bigger than the story behind a popular radio programme.

What began as a lucrative arrangement behind the scenes became intertwined with her daughter’s illness, her doubts about the people she had been promoting and, ultimately, a deeper spiritual journey.

The experience, she says, ultimately pushed her closer to God and changed how she viewed both the people she was promoting and the responsibility that came with having a platform capable of influencing thousands of listeners.

@faithfavour304Buli week nafuna nga million tano (5m)?mukusoma amabaluwa gwo bulimba

? original sound – faithfavour304

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From the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC), we are back, this time arguing that despite the large amounts of foreign aid pumped into Karamoja, vulnerability, hunger and poverty continue to pound the people of Karamoja.

The question we pose is: Could foreign aid be failing, or could it be creating dependency and weakening local capacity to solve local problems? And what if we placed greater emphasis on local solutions to address Karamoja’s challenges?

By foreign aid, we do not mean money alone. We mean all forms of external assistance coming into Karamoja, including food aid.

Victor Wang, writing about Karamoja in 2013, argued that if the people of Karamoja ever hoped to improve their livelihoods without constantly relying on foreign food aid, they would need to abandon their pastoral traditions and settle as agro-pastoral farmers. However, the KACC Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis disagrees. We argue that if the Karimojong are to develop sustainable livelihoods without excessive reliance on foreign aid, they must draw upon local solutions that combine their pastoral traditions with agro-pastoral farming.

The narrative surrounding Karamoja has long been dominated by a persistent theme: chronic vulnerability requiring continuous external intervention. Yet, despite billions of shillings in development assistance, the underlying cycles of seasonal hunger, climate vulnerability and socio-economic distress remain largely unbroken.

The fundamental question raised by researchers decades ago, “What to do about Karamoja?”, therefore demands a fresh answer. It is time to look beyond the paradigm of perpetual external aid and embrace solutions designed, led and implemented from within Karamoja itself.

Some readers may ask: What local solutions are you proposing?

Consider the recurring paradox of post-harvest grain sales in Karamoja. During seasons of favourable weather and abundant sorghum harvests, local markets are flooded with cheap grain. External traders buy large quantities at very low prices, taking advantage of households’ immediate cash needs. Months later, when dry spells or erratic weather strike, those same households find their granaries empty and must buy food back at inflated prices or depend on emergency rations.

This cycle demonstrates why Karamoja needs locally driven solutions that protect local food systems, strengthen household resilience and reduce unnecessary dependence on external assistance.

Ayub Mukisa, PhD, writes from the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC).

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“From farm to fork, youth have a critical role to play in shaping sustainable food systems.”

When we talk about Africa’s food systems, the conversation often focuses on farmers, markets, food prices and food security. Yet one of the most important groups in this conversation—the youth—is not always given the attention it deserves.

Youth participation in food systems goes far beyond working on farms. It stretches from production and processing to transportation, marketing, technology, research, policy, retail and consumption. According to the Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026, 47% of young people are employed in agriculture, while the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 44% of working youth in the Arab region are engaged across broader agrifood systems.

These figures tell us something important: young people are not simply the future of agriculture. They are already a major part of today’s food economy.

The real question is whether we are creating the opportunities, skills and systems that allow them to shape it.

From food production to food systems:

A food systems approach asks us to look beyond the farm. It considers how food is produced, processed, transported, marketed, sold and ultimately consumed—and how each stage affects people, economies and the environment.

At every point in this chain, there are opportunities for young people to make a difference.

Consider food loss and waste. Globally, about one-third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. In Africa, FAO estimates that roughly 37% to 40% of food production is lost annually. Behind these statistics are farmers losing income, families struggling with food prices, businesses losing revenue and resources such as water, land and energy being wasted.

This presents a practical question for young people: What can we do differently in our farms, businesses, communities and homes to reduce food loss and waste?

The answers can be found in innovation—from better storage and packaging to digital marketplaces that connect farmers directly to consumers, improved transportation systems and technologies that help predict demand and reduce post-harvest losses.

Young people bring qualities that are essential to transforming food systems: creativity, adaptability, digital skills and a willingness to experiment with new ideas.

Instead of seeing agriculture as traditional, low-income work, we should begin to see it as a modern and diverse economic sector with opportunities in technology, science, manufacturing, logistics, finance and entrepreneurship.

The opportunities are enormous.

Young innovators can develop AgTech solutions that help farmers access information, markets and financial services. Others can champion climate-smart and regenerative agriculture, agroecology and urban farming. Young entrepreneurs can invest in food processing, packaging, cold-chain systems, e-commerce and logistics. Researchers can develop new farming techniques and technologies, while young advocates can influence policies around food security, climate action and sustainable development.

This shift is particularly important at a time when youth unemployment and underemployment remain major challenges across Africa.

The answer is not simply to encourage every young person to become a farmer. It is to create a food economy in which young people can build careers and businesses across the entire value chain—from the seed to the supermarket, and from the farm to the consumer.

The potential is clear, but so are the challenges.

Climate change is disrupting agricultural production. Soil degradation is reducing productivity. Water and other natural resources are under pressure. Biodiversity is declining. Conflicts and fragile supply chains disrupt access to food and markets, while rapid population growth is increasing demand.

These challenges require more than individual effort.

Governments must create supportive policies and invest in infrastructure. Educational institutions should integrate modern food systems, climate innovation, entrepreneurship and agricultural technology into their curricula. Financial institutions should develop affordable financing tailored to young entrepreneurs, who often struggle to access conventional credit. The private sector can provide markets, technology and investment, while researchers can develop solutions suited to local realities.

The media, too, has a role to play by changing the narrative around agriculture and food systems. Young people should not only be portrayed as unemployed job seekers. They should also be recognised as innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, farmers, policymakers and investors capable of building solutions.

Regional cooperation is equally important. Africa and the Arab world share many food-system challenges, but they also have opportunities to learn from one another, exchange technology, develop markets and build youth-led partnerships.

From consumers to change-makers:

Perhaps the most important shift is to stop viewing young people merely as beneficiaries of food-security programmes.

Young people must be recognised as partners and decision-makers.

They should have a meaningful voice in the policies and investments that shape the food systems they will inherit. Their lived experiences, ideas and innovations should inform national and regional strategies.

A sustainable food system is not only about producing enough food. It is about producing food in ways that protect the environment, create decent livelihoods, reduce waste, promote healthy diets and ensure that future generations can also meet their needs.

The youth are uniquely positioned to drive this transformation.

With access to skills, finance, technology, markets and supportive policies, young people can turn food systems from a challenge into one of the continent’s greatest engines of employment, enterprise and sustainable development.

The future of food security will not be secured by young people alone—but it cannot be secured without them.

The task before us is therefore not simply to prepare youth for the future of food. It is to give them the opportunity to build that future today.

The author is the Manager, Research and Development, at the Afro-Arab Youth Council.

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Gloria Bugie is still searching for a venue for her first major concert, and even Namboole is not available for now.

Earlier this year, the singer said she wanted to stage the concert in 2025 but pushed the plans because of the campaign season.

As she searched for a new date and venue, she ran into another problem after finding that many venues had no available dates left.

While considering her options, Bugie playfully pointed to Mandela National Stadium, Namboole as a possible choice, saying she wanted a venue with enough space for her fans.

But Namboole has also presented a problem.

Speaking during her latest interview on NRG, Bugie stressed that she is ready to stage the concert and that her fans have continued to demand it. The issue, she said, is finding an available venue.

I am more than ready for a concert. My fans have been demanding one, and I am ready to give them that. The only issue is that the venues are not yet available. I was told Namboole is still booked for AFCON, so maybe after that.

With AFCON running from June 19 to July 17, 2027, Bugie would have to wait until after the competition if she eventually chooses Namboole for the concert.

Still, when asked whether she felt ready for a venue as big as Namboole, Bugie did not sound concerned about the size of the stadium.

Instead, she playfully turned the question around, saying that her bigger concern was finding enough space for all the fans she expects to attend.

I have many fans from all over the world, so I want a venue with enough space. I do not want any of my fans to remain outside the gates.

The concert venue remains undecided, but Bugie insists that she is ready whenever the right space opens up.