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After three days of tense competition, long walks across the fairways and the pressure of chasing the coveted 76th Johnnie Walker Uganda Ladies Open title, Saturday night belonged to music, fashion and celebration.

And Naava Grey made sure of that.

The singer’s soulful performance at the SheWalks-themed 19th Hole experience provided one of the standout moments of an evening dedicated to the women who had spent three demanding days battling for glory at Entebbe Golf Club.

When she performed her hit song So Kalami, the room turned into one giant chorus as golfers and guests sang along, temporarily forgetting the tension, heartbreak and drama that had unfolded on the course just hours earlier.

The golf shoes had come off, the glamorous outfits were on, and the queens of the course were finally ready to celebrate.

The lively evening capped a dramatic edition of the Uganda Ladies Open, which saw Tanzania’s Hawa Wanyeche finally capture the title after years of coming close.

Wanyeche won the three-round championship with a total score of 228 strokes, 12 over par, following rounds of 77, 77 and an impressive final round of 74. She edged Uganda’s Peace Kabasweka and Keisha Kagoro, who tied for second place on 229, just a stroke behind.

For the home fans, it was a painful near miss. For Wanyeche, it was long-awaited redemption.

“The game was not easy, but I kept fighting and I thank God for being with me,” Wanyeche said after her victory.

“I never gave up, even when I was behind from the first day. I came here to fight for the trophy because everyone comes to a tournament wanting to win.”

Having previously suffered heartbreak at Entebbe, including losing by a single stroke on the final hole in an earlier edition, Wanyeche finally had her moment.

“I’m very excited to finally win this championship,” she said. “The competition was very strong, but today it was my luck and my time.”

Once the trophies had been handed out and the final scorecards signed, attention shifted from the greens to the party as Johnnie Walker transformed the 19th Hole into a stylish celebration.

Guests enjoyed cocktails, a curated selection from the Johnnie Walker portfolio, fine dining, art, fashion and live entertainment in an atmosphere that blended sport with lifestyle.

Newly crowned Miss Universe Uganda Michelle Daka was among the guests, adding extra glamour to a night already rich in style and elegance.

An African-inspired dress code set the tone as golfers swapped their sporting attire for colourful outfits and stepped into another kind of competition.

This time, it was not about who had the best swing, but who had the best look.

Hosted by Deedan, the Best Dressed segment brought some of the golfers back into the spotlight, with Michelle Daka, model scout Joram Muzira and fashion designer Axarya Lincoln serving as judges.

The contest produced moments of excitement and laughter as some of the women who had impressed on the golf course discovered that success on the green did not necessarily translate into victory on the runway.

With the competition concluded, the pressure lifted and the final putts behind them, the golfers finally had a chance to unwind.

And with Naava Grey providing the soundtrack, the evening served as a reminder that after three days of chasing glory on the course, the women who walked the greens also deserved to own the night.

Parliament’s Committee on Natural Resources has questioned whether the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) was adequately prepared to take over the country’s electricity distribution network from Umeme.

The committee, chaired by Kazo County MP Dan Kimosho, cited low investment, rising distribution losses, and weaknesses in the utility’s governance during a meeting with UEDCL management, including Acting Managing Director Joselynne Rwakakooko, and Minister of State for Energy Sidronius Okaasai Opolot.

MPs questioned why UEDCL did not make sufficient investments before Umeme’s concession ended, despite the government having known for years that the transition was coming.

Figures presented to the committee showed that Umeme invested approximately 72 million US dollars in 2021, 34 million dollars in 2022, 23 million dollars in 2023, and close to 10 million dollars in 2024, bringing its investment during the final five years of the concession to about 132 million dollars, approximately 490 billion shillings.

By comparison, UEDCL was reported to have invested about 1.5 million US dollars, approximately five billion shillings, since taking over the network, including new connections.

The disparity prompted MPs to question whether UEDCL had been sufficiently prepared to absorb a distribution network that had benefited from substantially higher levels of investment under Umeme.

The committee chair questioned how UEDCL could be expected to deliver efficiency comparable to Umeme when it inherited a system that had received significantly higher levels of annual investment.

UEDCL’s Chief Finance Officer, Jacqueline Kiwanuka, told the committee that government had planned to provide resources to the utility ahead of the transition, but the funds did not materialise as initially expected.

She said UEDCL subsequently sought permission to borrow and eventually obtained financing after the transition.

The committee, however, questioned the circumstances surrounding funds that could have been used to prepare UEDCL for the takeover.

MPs sought explanations from the Ministry of Energy and the regulator over decisions concerning funds accumulated through the electricity tariff and whether UEDCL had been prevented from using them for investment before the takeover.

The committee said documents indicated that some funds had been available shortly before the takeover and that instructions had allegedly been issued for the money to be fixed in a bank account and earn interest rather than being immediately deployed into network infrastructure.

The committee said it would investigate the matter further and summon former UEDCL Managing Director Paul Mwesigwa and the regulator to provide explanations.

The concerns over UEDCL’s preparedness come against a backdrop of rising electricity distribution losses. UEDCL officials told the committee that energy losses had increased to about 18.5 percent, compared with approximately 15 percent at the time of the handover from Umeme.

Acting Managing Director Rwakakooko told MPs that, as a rule of thumb, each percentage point of annualised energy losses represents about seven million US dollars, equivalent to about 25 billion shillings.

The legislators also raised concern about UEDCL’s leadership and governance. It emerged that most of the top managers at the power distributor are in acting capacities.

Of the 13 management positions, six, including that of Managing Director, are currently occupied in an acting capacity.

The committee also raised concern that the chairperson of the UEDCL board was serving in an acting capacity.

Masindi Municipality MP Rogers Byamukama said prolonged acting appointments could weaken accountability and make it difficult to track the utility’s performance.

The committee demanded that the Ministry of Energy provide a clear plan and timetable for regularising the appointments.

Minister of State for Energy Okaasai acknowledged the concern and committed to having a fully constituted UEDCL board by the middle of September. He said the board would subsequently be expected to fill most of the acting positions with substantive appointments.

The committee also scrutinized UEDCL’s electricity vending system, which officials said went live on December 4, 2024, after receiving STS certification before deployment.

The system was supplied by Spanish company Indra. MPs raised concerns over recurring breakdowns around the end of the month, saying system failures could expose the utility to financial losses and inconvenience customers.

They ordered UEDCL officials to provide documentation on the procurement, specifications, certification, supplier, and cost of the system.

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‎University students have demonstrated that decent and sustainable housing can be designed for as little as Shs13.2 million, challenging conventional estimates of what constitutes affordable housing in Uganda. ‎

‎The innovation by Kyambogo University students impressed State Minister for Housing Persis Namuganza, who said their designs had forced her to question figures previously presented to her by officials in the housing sector.
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‎Namuganza said she had been told that a house costing about Shs100 million could be considered affordable, only to see students produce an attractive design at a fraction of that cost.

‎“These young people have demonstrated the house of 30 million is very beautiful. Let us appreciate them,” Namuganza said. She was speaking on Thursday at Hotel Africana in Kampala during the University Students Affordable Housing Design Competition awards ceremony organised by Habitat for Humanity Uganda with support from Citi Foundation.

‎Rodney Talemwa Mubiru, speaking on behalf of the Kyambogo University students whose design won the group category, said the team deliberately set itself a strict budget ceiling before developing the proposal.

‎“We started with a budget ceiling. We wanted not to cross the mark of 14 million,” Mubiru said. The students then worked backwards, examining every component of the proposed house and asking what could be removed or adjusted without compromising the design.

‎Mubiru said the students were trying to address a dilemma faced by many Ugandans who have to choose between what they can afford and what is sustainable. “For the local people, the choice is always between what they can afford and something that is sustainable,” he said.

‎Rather than forcing families to spend decades saving before they can construct a house, Mubiru said the students wanted to demonstrate that a durable home could be made available within a realistic budget. “Rather than waiting 30 years of hard work to build a house, we give them one that lasts for 30 years at our local standards,” he said.

‎Mubiru said the award represented more than recognition for the team, describing it as an important first step towards applying their engineering knowledge to real housing challenges. “On behalf of my teammates, this award is more than just an award. It’s small, but starting small… when you think that we’ve started, we’re even far from it. But it’s a good step to take,” he said.

He thanked Habitat for Humanity Uganda for creating the opportunity and believing in the students’ ability to contribute to the housing debate. Mubiru also urged fellow engineering students to approach their work with commitment and attention to detail.

“I usually tell my engineering friends, when they give you something to do, you do it with all of your heart,” he said. The students’ approach particularly impressed Namuganza, who said she initially did not understand what to expect when she was invited to the competition.

‎“For me, you have raised a very important question. When I was invited to this activity, I was like, what activity is this? What have they done? But just what I have seen here, let us applaud and appreciate them,” she said. Namuganza said the students had demonstrated the value of involving universities in government programmes, particularly as Uganda struggles with rapid population growth, urbanisation and a growing housing deficit.

‎“When we see the university standing up, embracing this idea of affordable housing, then for me as a minister in charge of this sector, I know that this time around it is not going to be business as usual,” she said. She said a benchmarking visit to Morocco had reinforced the importance of involving universities in policymaking.

‎According to Namuganza, ministers she interacted with advised her that universities possess up-to-date knowledge and can challenge governments to adopt more innovative approaches. “When you do it alone, they will challenge you. When you do it alone, they will say you are not innovative and you are outdated,” she said.

‎Namuganza pledged government support for the initiative and said her ministry would work with universities to demonstrate affordable housing solutions that could be adopted across Uganda. ‎She said Uganda’s housing challenge was becoming increasingly urgent as the population grows and urbanisation expands, while many people struggle to find decent places to live.

‎She also raised concern about homelessness, saying some people were sleeping on verandas, in churches and mosques because they could no longer afford decent accommodation. The minister, however, challenged the students to go beyond affordability by incorporating green energy, climate adaptation and disaster resilience into future designs.

‎“We need to see that innovation comes up here because the World Bank as well, they are promoting green housing,” she said. She said Uganda must prepare its housing sector for emerging challenges, including climate change and possible earthquake risks.

‎Habitat for Humanity Uganda National Director Paul Okiring said the competition was more than an awards ceremony, describing it as a celebration of ideas capable of addressing real-world challenges. He congratulated the participating students and urged them to continue developing their ideas beyond the competition.

‎“Your idea could become someone’s home tomorrow,” Okiring told the students. He said rising construction costs, rapid urbanisation and population growth were putting decent housing beyond the reach of many Ugandan families.

‎Okiring said addressing the challenge required innovation, collaboration and fresh thinking involving government, academia, industry and communities.

Habitat for Humanity Uganda Board Chair Robert Waggwa Zzimula said Uganda’s housing deficit was estimated at between 2.5 million and three million units, while the country’s young and rapidly growing population continues to increase demand.

‎He said the students’ innovations demonstrated the potential to move ideas from classrooms into practical solutions. Zzimula said Habitat for Humanity’s approach goes beyond constructing physical structures to include water, sanitation, hygiene and the economic wellbeing of families.

‎He identified construction cost as one of the biggest barriers to accessing decent housing, alongside land ownership and poverty. ‎Citi Uganda Chief Executive Officer Sarah Arapta said the competition demonstrated the potential of young people to contribute to solving Uganda’s housing crisis.

‎She said inadequate housing affects families’ security, children’s education, productivity and the wider economy.

Arapta said the Citi Foundation had committed between $25 million and $50 million globally to support pioneering organisations developing scalable solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity.
‎In Uganda, Habitat for Humanity Uganda received a $500,000 grant under the initiative to support a market-driven approach to addressing housing challenges. Arapta said the programme was also equipping young people with practical skills in climate-smart and affordable construction technologies, including interlocking stabilised soil blocks and other sustainable building solutions.

‎Kyambogo University won the group design category, followed by the International University of East Africa and Makerere University. Uganda Martyrs University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology were also among the participating institutions.

‎The organisers said the next challenge is to move the students’ innovations beyond the competition and explore how they can contribute to practical, affordable and sustainable housing solutions for Ugandans.

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