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The road to the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon gathered pace on Sunday morning as members of the Gutsy Bunch and Friends Running Club turned Naalya Metroplex into a sea of running shoes, stretching routines and infectious energy ahead of the race scheduled for August 22 in Kasese.

Before sunrise, runners steadily streamed into the venue, lacing up for either the 10-kilometre or 21-kilometre routes, while others opted for a leisurely walk. Whether chasing personal bests, building endurance or simply embracing a healthier lifestyle, everyone had a reason to be there.

As the different groups rolled out onto the roads around Naalya, the activation reflected what the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon has increasingly become, a community movement where elite runners, first-timers and casual fitness enthusiasts share the same starting line.

For some, Sunday’s run was another milestone in preparation for the challenging Kasese race. For others, it marked the beginning of a new fitness journey.

One of those celebrating a personal achievement was runner Emma Wasswa, who successfully completed a 10-kilometre run for the very first time.

“I left no dust behind this morning,” Wasswa later said.

The atmosphere remained lively throughout the morning. Music echoed across the venue before and after the run, while hydration stations offered much-needed refreshment, creating an experience that balanced fitness with fun, a signature of Tusker Lite’s running activations.

The Naalya run forms part of a series of activations designed to prepare runners and build excitement ahead of the fifth edition of the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon.

Speaking after the run, Tusker Lite Brand Manager, Sandra Againe said the growing turnout at the community activations demonstrates how Ugandans are embracing both fitness and experiential lifestyle events.

“Every activation brings together people with different goals, but they all leave having achieved something. Some are preparing for the marathon, others are completing distances they never thought possible, and many are simply discovering the joy of running. That’s exactly what the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon is about, challenging yourself while enjoying the journey.”

The Brand Manager urged those yet to secure their place to register before the race.

“We encourage everyone who hasn’t registered yet to do so. This year’s marathon promises to be our biggest yet, and we want as many Ugandans as possible to experience not just the race, but everything that Kasese has to offer.”

This year’s edition carries added significance after the Tusker Lite Mt Rwenzori Marathon earned Label Race status and secured inclusion on the World Athletics calendar, milestones that elevate the race’s international profile and further position Uganda as an emerging destination for sports tourism.

Equator Hikes Team Leader Amos Wekesa said the marathon continues to transform perceptions of Kasese by introducing thousands of visitors to one of Uganda’s most scenic regions.

“The marathon has done far more than create a sporting event. It has changed the image of Kasese by bringing people here to experience the mountains, the culture, the hospitality and the beauty of the region. Every year we see more visitors staying longer, exploring more attractions and contributing to the local economy. That impact continues to grow.”

As runners shared recovery conversations and celebrated another successful morning on the road, the excitement surrounding the August 22 race was unmistakable.

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Uganda needs stronger financing models and better-prepared energy projects to turn its ambitious power generation targets into widespread and affordable access to electricity, Absa Bank Uganda has said.

The call was made during the 2nd Energy Convention held on Friday, July 24, at Four Points by Sheraton, where policymakers, financial sector leaders and energy experts discussed how Uganda can move beyond increasing power generation to ensuring more households and businesses have reliable access to electricity.

Speaking during a ministerial plenary session attended by State Minister for Energy Sidronius Okaasai Opolot, Absa Bank Uganda Chief Financial Officer Michael Segwaya said the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy was ambitious but achievable if the public and private sectors worked together to mobilise long-term financing.

Segwaya pointed to the Shs2.07 trillion allocated to the Power and Renewables sector in the 2026/27 national budget as evidence of the government’s commitment to expanding the sector. He said financial institutions must work with government and other stakeholders to develop bankable projects capable of attracting the investment needed to transform Uganda’s energy plans into actual infrastructure.

“Uganda’s Tenfold Growth Strategy is an ambitious but achievable target,” Segwaya said. “As financial institutions, our role is to co-create long-term, bankable financial structures that turn ambitious masterplans into operational assets.”

Segwaya highlighted Absa’s involvement in financing projects across Uganda’s energy value chain, including the Bujagali Hydropower Project.

He also cited a $50 million five-year facility provided to the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) in December 2025 to support connections for more than 200,000 households.

He further pointed to a Shs11.085 billion concessional credit facility extended to the Uganda Energy Credit Capitalisation Company (UECCC) under the Electricity Access Scale-Up Project (EASP).

Uganda’s installed electricity generation capacity has reached 2,098 megawatts, but access remains a major challenge. Overall electrification stands at about 60%, while access in rural areas is estimated at 42.4%. More than 90% of rural households still rely on biomass fuels, according to figures presented at the convention.

The country aims to increase installed generation capacity to 15,420 megawatts by 2030 and 52,482 megawatts by 2040.

However, experts at the convention said achieving these targets will require more than simply building new power plants. They identified access, affordability and the ability to structure projects in ways that can attract financing as some of the biggest challenges facing the sector.

 Benard Kamatte, Absa Bank Uganda’s Head of Financial Institutions Group, said private investors were willing to finance energy projects, but many initiatives still lacked the level of preparation needed to attract commercial funding.

Speaking during a panel discussion on blended finance, green bonds and the capacity of local banks to assess energy projects, Kamatte said the main challenge was often the bankability of projects.

“Capital follows risk mitigation. If we don’t have a good understanding of the technology we’re supporting, it becomes very difficult to pull capital into that space,” he said.

He added that inadequate project preparation, including weak feasibility studies, environmental assessments and limited technical advisory, continues to delay investment in the sector.

Kamatte said Uganda’s commercial banks had already demonstrated their ability to finance major infrastructure projects, pointing to their participation in large-scale developments such as the $5.6 billion East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project.

He argued that similar financing models could help unlock investment in renewable energy, mini-grids and battery storage, but called on Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to provide early-stage support to reduce risks during the pre-construction phase and address gaps in technical information.

Kamatte cited Absa’s blended finance partnership with UECCC as an example of how concessional funding from government and development partners can help lower the cost of financing.

Under the arrangement, on-lending interest rates are capped at 15% per annum to support last-mile electricity connections, institutional solar projects and clean cooking technologies.

The convention also explored the potential of carbon credits and green bonds to attract more investment into Uganda’s energy sector.

Participants said closing project preparation gaps, expanding blended finance and strengthening local financial institutions’ ability to assess emerging energy technologies will be critical to mobilising the capital needed to expand electricity access and support Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions.

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The Industrial Court has ruled that Cavendish University was right to dismiss senior lecturer Dr Fredrick Kiwuwa Lugya after establishing that he held two full-time jobs at once, one at Cavendish and another at Makerere University.

Cavendish University, a private university based in Nsambya, Kampala, runs undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in law, business, health sciences, information technology and other fields.

Dr Lugya had worked at Cavendish since 2010 as a part-time lecturer before signing a new two-year full-time employment contract in 2016. Under clause 12 of that contract, he agreed to devote his time fully to the university and not take up any other full-time job during the contract period.

In court, Dr Lugya argued that Cavendish had always known he was also employed at Makerere and had never objected to the arrangement, and that university managers had assured staff the new clause would not be enforced.

In June 2017, Dr Lugya was appointed deputy project manager for Cavendish’s Electronic Distance Learning project, a role he said came with a promise of a separate contract and extra pay. He said the pay never came despite repeated demands, and when he told management he would stop working on the project by the end of September 2017 unless he was paid, the university instead issued him a notice to show cause over breach of the non-competition clause.

He was suspended, brought before a disciplinary committee and dismissed on November 3, 2017.

Dr Lugya’s Case In Court

Dr Lugya challenged the dismissal on several grounds. He argued the disciplinary committee was illegally constituted because it lacked the deputy vice chancellor and the university’s legal officer, as required by the Human Resource Manual. He also claimed the dismissal was retaliation for demanding payment on the distance learning project, and argued the clause barring another full-time job was too broad and an unreasonable restraint on his right to work.

Under cross-examination, however, Dr Lugya admitted that when he left Cavendish in November 2017, he was still a full-time Makerere employee. He also acknowledged running a pharmacy, agricultural enterprises and a consultancy business on the side.

Cavendish’s sole witness, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr Olive Sabiiti, told court that investigations showed Dr Lugya’s CV submitted during recruitment indicated he had left Makerere in 2012, yet he had remained employed there throughout his time at Cavendish. She said he admitted holding two full-time jobs during the disciplinary hearing.

She also confirmed that Cavendish had no deputy vice chancellor or legal officer in place when the disciplinary committee sat, saying the vacancies forced management to constitute the committee case by case, as the Human Resource Manual allowed.

What The Judge Ruled

Justice Anthony Wabwire Musana rejected Dr Lugya’s argument over the committee’s composition, ruling that the manual permitted the executive director to appoint members whenever vacancies existed, and that Dr Lugya had failed to prove he suffered any prejudice as a result. He ruled that the disciplinary hearing satisfied the requirements of procedural fairness under Section 65(1) of the Employment Act.

On the core question of moonlighting, Justice Musana noted that while Ugandan employment law does not expressly regulate holding multiple jobs, employees owe their employers duties of loyalty, fidelity and good faith. He said even if Cavendish had known about Dr Lugya’s Makerere job, that knowledge did not make his conduct lawful after he voluntarily signed a contract expressly barring other full-time employment.

He also weighed in on Dr Lugya’s reliance on international recommendations that encourage academics to take on outside professional work, ruling that such recommendations only apply where the outside work does not interfere with an employee’s primary job.

Justice Musana found that Dr Lugya breached his duties of fidelity and good faith by maintaining full-time employment at Makerere while bound by an exclusivity clause at Cavendish, and dismissed his discrimination claim for lack of evidence that he was treated differently over any protected characteristic.

The court ultimately ruled that Cavendish acted within its legal rights and followed due process, dismissing Dr Lugya’s claim in its entirety with no damages awarded.

The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has captured and relocated a Nile crocodile believed to have been behind several fatal attacks on residents and fishermen along the shores of Lake George in Kitagwenda District.

The crocodile was captured during an overnight operation at Mahyoro Landing Site in Mahyoro Town Council before being safely translocated to the River Nile within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area.

UWA said the operation is part of its efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict while protecting Uganda’s wildlife.

Residents in fishing communities around Mahyoro have lived in fear for years following repeated crocodile attacks that claimed several lives and threatened the livelihoods of people who depend on the lake.

Locals said the captured crocodile had become notorious for attacking fishermen and other people carrying out their daily activities along the lakeshore.

The successful operation has been welcomed by residents and local leaders, who said removing the dangerous reptile from the area will help restore safety and confidence in the community.

Human-wildlife conflict remains a major challenge for communities living near Uganda’s national parks and other wildlife habitats. Residents have lost loved ones and property to attacks by wild animals, including elephants, lions and crocodiles.

Under government policy, people affected by such incidents are eligible for compensation. However, reports indicate that inadequate funding for the Uganda Wildlife Compensation Scheme has left many victims without the financial assistance they are entitled to receive.

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Twenty-four Ugandan students have graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from various Russian universities, with several recording outstanding achievements in fields like medicine, aeronautics, robotics, mathematics, computer science and electrical engineering.

Uganda’s embassy in Russia organised a celebratory luncheon in Moscow to honour the 24 graduates, who form part of a growing number of Ugandans choosing to study in Russia.

Derrick Sembambo received a first class degree in mechatronics and robots, while James Kiwanuka Ssembatya graduated with a first-class master’s in mathematics and computer science.

Ssembatya said studying in Russia teaches students to stop giving excuses and put in the work. He added that beyond the harsh weather and the challenge of learning Russian, one has to stay motivated to see the goal through, noting that he made it work even on a low budget, at times relying on a stipend from home.

Since 2022, the Russian government has increased the number of scholarships available to Ugandans from 16 to 50, with most of them tied to science-related courses.

The embassy said it will advertise 100 scholarship slots for next year’s intake come October. These are on top of self-financed students, who make up the majority of Ugandans in Russia, largely because Russian education tends to be cheaper compared to other countries, with an affordable cost of living.

According to the embassy, most Ugandan students in Russia are enrolled in science programmes including human medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, civil engineering, electrical engineering, nuclear energy, oil and gas sciences, aerospace science and aeronautical engineering. Others are pursuing management, financial management and diplomatic studies.

Uganda’s ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, said the education ministries of both countries will soon sign a memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the upcoming third Russia-Africa Summit, a move expected to make it easier to equate academic qualifications between the two countries and strengthen cooperation between universities on both sides.

Kizige also urged Ugandans eyeing studies in Russia not to fear coming to study there, insisting the country remains safe for students despite the Special Military Operations inside Ukraine.

For other graduates, the experience went beyond books. Ezekiel Bunjo, who studied medicine specialising in endocrinology, said his time in Russia sharpened his independence, confidence and ability to build new relationships while immersing himself in new cultures, an experience he said expanded his understanding of the world beyond his home country. Bunjo, who has served as president of the Uganda Students Association in the Russian Federation, said he hopes to help bring diabetes care up to date using clinical guidelines drawn from expertise gained in Russia.

Sonia Aigi, who graduated in medicine after seven years of study, said she pushed through exam failures, COVID-19 lockdowns and Russia’s harsh weather to complete her degree. She said the embassy became a home away from home during her stay, crediting her time in Russia with building her resilience, friendships and ability to grasp complex subjects in a foreign language. Aigi said she picked Russia because of its affordable opportunities, adding that she wanted to step out of her comfort zone and grow.