The outlet, citing Global Citizen x FIFA, reported that Shakira, Justin Bieber, Burna Boy, Madonna, and BTS received no appearance fees for performing during the historic show.
Instead, FIFA and its partners covered the production and logistical costs of the performances.
The event followed a model similar to the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show, where artists perform without receiving a traditional appearance fee.
The performers took the stage in support of the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, an initiative that helps expand access to quality education and football for children around the world.
The fund also receives a $1 contribution from every ticket sold for FIFA tournaments.
Although the artists were not paid appearance fees, the halftime show gave them exposure before one of the largest television audiences in sports.
That kind of global visibility can lead to increased music streams, ticket sales and future commercial opportunities.
The halftime show took place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium before Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It marked the first time a FIFA World Cup final featured a halftime entertainment show.
Shakira and Burna Boy performed the tournament’s official anthem, “Dai Dai.”
Justin Bieber, Madonna and BTS also appeared during the landmark production.
The High Court in Entebbe has declined to grant Movit Products Limited an early judgment declaring it the lawful owner of about 32 acres of disputed land in Sazi Buwaya, Wakiso District, ruling that the ownership dispute must proceed to a full trial.
In a ruling delivered by Lady Justice Flavia Nabakooza, the court dismissed Movit’s application for judgment on admission, finding that the evidence presented did not amount to a clear and unconditional admission by the government that the company exclusively owns the land or that the Uganda Prisons Service is trespassing on it.
The application arose from Civil Suit No. 395 of 2024, in which Movit sued the Attorney General over land comprised in Busiro Block 536, Plot Numbers 1677, 1678 and 1679, measuring approximately 32 acres. The company had asked the court to enter judgment in its favour based on a report by the Ministry of Lands indicating that the three plots are registered in Movit’s name.
Movit also sought declarations that it is the lawful owner of the land, that the Uganda Prisons Service is trespassing on the property, an eviction order against the government agency, a permanent injunction restraining further occupation, and costs of the application. However, Justice Nabakooza held that the Ministry of Lands report only confirmed the registration status of the titles and did not amount to an admission that Movit was entitled to exclusive possession of the land.
She noted that a judgment on admission can only be entered where the admission is “plain, clear, unambiguous and unconditional,” leaving no issue for trial. Although the Registrar of Titles confirmed that the certificates of title for the three plots remain active and are registered in the names of Movit Products Uganda Limited, the judge found that the report did not resolve competing claims over the land.
“The fact that the Respondent, in its defence, claims that its agent has an interest in the said land adds to that,” Justice Nabakooza ruled, observing that the government’s defence raises issues that require evidence at a full hearing. The court also noted that the dispute is linked to another pending case, Civil Suit FD No. 019 of 2025 (formerly No. 415 of 2024), filed by Damulira Chibby against the Attorney General and 23 others.
According to the ruling, that case contains competing claims over the same property, including allegations regarding the distribution and transfer of the estate of the late Damulira Bulazi. Justice Nabakooza held that the existence of the related litigation meant there was no unequivocal admission of ownership or liability that would justify bypassing a full trial.
Movit had argued that investigations conducted by the Attorney General, including the Ministry of Lands report dated November 13, 2025, had conclusively established its ownership of the three plots and that allowing the matter to proceed to trial would unnecessarily delay justice. The Attorney General opposed the application, maintaining that the report merely reflected registration details and did not concede that Movit had exclusive ownership rights or that the Uganda Prisons Service was unlawfully occupying the land.
The court agreed with the government’s position, dismissed the application, and directed that costs would be determined in the main suit. The substantive case, now registered as Entebbe Civil Suit No. 0256 of 2025 arising from the original HCCS No. 395 of 2024, will return to court for mention on September 24, 2026. The wider dispute concerns approximately 202 acres of land in Sazi Buwaya, with Movit claiming ownership of several plots, including the 32 acres that were the subject of the unsuccessful application.
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Traders at Kiseka Market say a one-hour shooting spree by security operatives inside shops forced the business center to close as people scrambled to save their lives.
The traders in arcades on Aga-khan Road kept their shops closed for over two hours on Monday, after plain-clothed security operatives in a “drone” vehicle clashed with them at Original Kiseka Spare Parts Center Arcade. The confrontation started when traders resisted arrests.
A trader at the arcade, who asked not to be named, said security operatives in a drone minibus parked near the building. Three pistol-wielding officers went to the second floor of a spare parts shop and tried to arrest a trader, but he demanded their IDs and to know the charges against him.
The trader added that the officers were in a hurry and were unwilling to be questioned. They tried to forcibly remove him from the shop as their colleagues waited in the busy arcade below. The confrontation intensified when they attempted to drag him downstairs, prompting fellow traders to shout and demand an explanation for the arrest.
A trader narrated thus: “People from other shops started shouting, ‘Who are you? Where are you taking him?’ Then six more men jumped out, took positions and started shooting in the air and at the sixth floor where mechanics were running and screaming. When they fired, people in the next arcade started throwing stones at them.”
The trader said the situation escalated as the men were overwhelmed by noise and projectiles. They abandoned the arrest, left in the van toward Nakivubo Police Station, made a U-turn, and returned to the market discharging bullets in the air before departing as the situation was brought to normal by military police that took over the street.
According to Joseph Akiiki, a motorcycle spare parts operator, the confrontation between the said security operatives and the public created panic. He said that shops were shut as shots were fired in the air, with the bulk of the gunfire targeting the upper floor of buildings where people were hiding.
He added that the operatives were in plain clothes and wielding guns, but he could not ascertain who was arrested, noting however that arrests may have been made on the day.
“We are left with many questions,” Akiiki said. “We shut our shops and fled to save our lives. We do not understand the reason for the indiscriminate gunfire. Had their intention been to arrest criminals, they would not have come in plain clothes, as the public tends to resist unknown persons. Furthermore, why was there shooting inside the buildings? Innocent people could have been killed.”
Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kituuma Rusoke, said the team was at Original Kiseka Spare Parts Centre in Kiseka Market to arrest suspected offenders. According to him, some individuals became violent and tried to block the lawful arrest.
Videos of the incident taken by members of the public have gone viral on at both international and national platforms, drawing criticism of security agencies’ conduct, particularly plain-clothed operatives seen pointing guns in crowded buildings and opening fire.
Kituuma, however, said the shots were fired to disperse an unruly crowd and restore order, and that the officers only fired warning shots in the air.
Some Ugandans have blamed the conduct of security agencies during arrests and poor respect for human rights for ongoing negative U.S. travel advisories on Uganda, which they say damage trade and tourism.
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A Kampala-based Lawyer has petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), demanding the immediate withdrawal of a directive requiring staff to join the institution’s Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO).
In his letter addressed to the Director of Public Prosecutions and copied to the Attorney General, Lawyer Steven Kalali contends that the mandatory recruitment of prosecutors and support staff into the ODPP Staff SACCO is unconstitutional because membership in any association must be voluntary.
The complaint follows an internal memo dated June 23, 2026, in which the DPP Lino Anguzu communicated a management decision directing all staff to join the staff SACCO as part of efforts to promote a savings culture and improve employees’ financial well-being.
According to the memo, staff contributions will be deducted beginning in July 2026, with monthly contributions varying according to rank.
Senior Prosecutors will contribute up to 500,000 shillings per month, while officers in lower salary scales like drivers would contribute between 50,000 and 200,000.
According to the Memo, the DPP himself, Lino Anguzu, is to contribute one million shillings, the Permanent Secretary 600,000 shillings, while the rest of the staff, both technical and lawyers in that office, pay between fifty thousand and five hundred thousand shillings.
“To promote savings, ODPP Top Management has taken a decision recommending all staff to mandatorily join the SACCO and the following rates/contributions will accordingly apply,”. reads the memo. The Human Resource Office was directed to coordinate with the Accounts Section to effect deductions from allowances of non-legal staff, while prosecutors would remit their contributions directly to the SACCO.
The memo states that the SACCO was established to encourage savings, provide members with affordable loans at lower interest rates than commercial banks, and enable members to earn dividends through share ownership.
It further indicates that accounts had already been opened for all prosecutors and non-prosecutor staff.
However, Kalali argues that although establishing a staff SACCO is a commendable initiative, compelling employees to become members infringes Article 29(1)(e) of the Constitution, which guarantees every Ugandan the freedom to join or decline to join an association.
He maintains that freedom of association includes the freedom not to associate and that mandatory enrollment deprives employees of the right to make an independent choice regarding membership.
The lawyer cites several judicial decisions to support his position. Among them is the European Court of Human Rights decision in Chassagnou and Others versus France, which held that compelling individuals to join an association against their wishes violates the right to freedom of association.
He also refers to another case in Europe where the European Court ruled that freedom of association includes the right not to be compelled into membership of an association or trade union.
Kalali further relies on Article 22(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which prohibit compelling individuals to join associations.
The advocate also cites his recent own case against the Attorney General and Exodus Co-operative Savings and Credit Society Ltd (Police SACCO), Miscellaneous Cause No. 28 of 2025.
According to the complaint, the Civil Division Judge Isaac Bonny Teko, on July 15th 2026, in that case, found that mandatory membership in a SACCO violated the constitutional guarantee of freedom of association and held that such membership must remain voluntary.
The court further directed the Registrar of Co-operatives to audit Exodus SACCO’s membership records and accounts relating to police officers recruited from the 2015 intake onwards and submit a report to the High Court within nine months.
The Attorney General was also ordered to issue guidance to the Uganda Police Force and Exodus SACCO to ensure that no police officer is enrolled into the cooperative or subjected to salary deductions without documented, free and informed consent. Costs of the application were awarded to Kalali.
Now to avoid such orders against the state, Kalali argues that mandatory monthly deductions could offend Article 158(1) of the Constitution, which protects public servants from alterations to their salary or allowances to their disadvantage.
He has asked the Director of Public Prosecutions to immediately suspend or withdraw the June 23 memo before salary deductions commence, warning that implementation of the directive could expose the institution to legal action.
“The only lawful approach,” the lawyer argues, “is to allow staff who wish to join the SACCO to do so voluntarily after adequate consultation and engagement.”
He further states that public authorities have a constitutional obligation under Article 20(2) to respect, uphold and protect fundamental rights and freedoms.
The June 23 internal memo, signed by DPP Lino Anguzu, presents the mandatory enrollment as a management decision intended to strengthen the staff SACCO and encourage financial discipline among employees.
The Deputy Spokesperson’s office of the DPP, Irene Nakimbugwe, has confirmed receiving Kalali’s complaint, adding that management will review it and respond accordingly.
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Azawi has shared her thoughts on modern dating, saying she does not expect to find a serious relationship through TikTok.
The Swangz Avenue artist made the remarks during a TikTok Live session, where she addressed questions about her love life and ongoing relationship speculation.
She revealed that while she has several admirers, she is still waiting for the right person and has not entered a relationship.
If you have not seen any soft launch from me, then there is nothing. Prospects are there, but we are still studying them.
Azawi added that she believes genuine relationships are more likely to begin through real-life interactions than on social media.
I cannot get a man from TikTok. There are so many babies here. A man that loves you finds you where you are, physically, in person.
The net is tightening around Uganda’s biggest road scandal as former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) Executive Director Allen Kagina has recorded a statement before investigators probing the ballooning cost of the Busega-Mpigi Expressway, a project whose price tag has exploded from Shs547.5 billion to over Shs2 trillion.
RedPepper has established that Kagina appeared before investigators from the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) after several engineers reportedly mentioned her name during the ongoing investigations into what has become one of Uganda’s biggest infrastructure corruption probes.
Sources close to the investigation say detectives are examining allegations that decisions made during Kagina’s tenure at UNRA contributed to the massive escalation of the project’s costs.
Among the issues under scrutiny are claims that compensation paid to some Project Affected Persons (PAPs) was reduced before the road alignment was allegedly shifted into a wetland, a move investigators believe significantly increased compensation costs and altered the scope of the project.
The allegations remain under investigation and no findings of wrongdoing have been made against Kagina.
Also recording a statement is Mary Kamuli Kuteesa, the current Mwenge South Member of Parliament.
Before joining elective politics, Kuteesa spent nearly a decade as Director of Legal Services at UNRA, where she worked closely with Allen Kagina after the latter moved from the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to head the roads agency.
Investigators are understood to be examining legal approvals, contractual processes and decisions made during the period when UNRA still managed the multibillion-shilling expressway project.
RedPepper has further established that investigators have developed interest in Kuteesa’s husband, whose law firm, Arcodco & Co. Advocates, reportedly represented some of the contractors involved on the expressway project, including China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC).
Sources say investigators are examining whether there were any conflicts of interest or other issues requiring further inquiry.
No wrongdoing has been established against the law firm or any individual connected to it.
The probe is also widening to include some of the Chinese contractors working on the expressway.
Highly placed sources told RedPepper that investigators intend to question officials from the construction companies following allegations concerning project costs, contract variations and implementation of works.
The firms are expected to explain how the project’s budget kept rising through successive design revisions.
FROM UNRA TO WORKS MINISTRY
The investigation has now stretched back to the period when the now-defunct Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) was still in charge of the project before it was absorbed into the Ministry of Works and Transport under the government’s rationalisation programme.
Investigators from the Inspectorate’s Directorate of Projects, which examines government projects for transparency and value for money, have already interrogated several engineers who worked on the project’s design and procurement.
Senior officials at the Ministry of Works have also been summoned to record statements.
UNRA designed the expressway, handled procurement and supervised the consultant before handing over the project to the ministry.
That makes decisions taken under UNRA central to understanding how a project initially contracted at Shs547.5 billion has grown into one now estimated to cost over Shs2 trillion.
Long before corruption allegations emerged, the Auditor General had already raised serious concerns.
In the 2024 audit report, the Auditor General found that the project’s cost had risen to approximately Shs1.35 trillion by March 2023.
The report attributed much of the increase to one critical decision—the contract had been signed before detailed engineering designs were completed.
That decision triggered four rounds of design reviews, multiple route changes, fresh compensation claims and years of delays.
Construction began in May 2020, with completion initially scheduled for 2023.
The expressway is now expected to be completed in December 2028.
KAGINA’S ‘NO OBJECTION’ LETTER
Another document now attracting investigators’ attention is a “No Objection” letter signed by Allen Kagina during her tenure as UNRA Executive Director.
The letter approved the consultant’s final design review after earlier concerns had been addressed.
ENGINEERS IN TROUBLE
The investigation was initially triggered after the Inspector General of Government Justice Aisha Nalule Batala ordered the suspension of engineers Dickens Ahimbisibwe and Edwin Raymond Kiyaga.
A third engineer, Patrick Muleme, was also named in the presidential directive.
The officials were ordered to surrender government property, stay away from office and cooperate with investigators.
None has been charged with any offence, and all remain presumed innocent.
The investigation gathered momentum after President Yoweri Museveni, in a June 26 letter, accused officials of abandoning an already compensated road corridor and allegedly diverting the road through land in which individuals had personal interests.
According to the President, the diversion triggered fresh compensation claims despite government having already borrowed approximately Shs600 billion for the project.
In the strongly-worded directive, Museveni declared:
“These thieves must be destroyed.”
THE BIG QUESTIONS
As the IGG, Parliament and the Auditor General continue digging, several critical questions remain unanswered.
Who authorised the project before detailed designs were completed?
Who approved the four costly design revisions?
Who benefited from the alleged route changes?
Who owns the controversial land titles in the wetland corridor?
And perhaps most importantly—how did a Shs547.5 billion expressway morph into a project now estimated to cost more than Shs2 trillion?
With former UNRA bosses, serving politicians, engineers and contractors now recording statements, Uganda’s biggest road scandal appears to be entering its most explosive phase yet.
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A simple question from Sir Aludah turned into a collection of hilarious stories from Ugandan DJs.
The DJ took to X and asked his colleagues to share the weirdest thing that had ever happened to them while working in the DJ booth.
To get the conversation started, he shared an incident from a recent night at Taboo.
A woman approached him to request Rwandan music.
When he told her he did not have any, she slapped the back of his head.
Djs…
Whats the most weird thing thats happened to you while in that DJ booth??
I’ll go 1st:
Last week while at Taboo, this girl came to request for Rwandan music, told her I didn’t have it.. She slapped the back of my head.🤣 I couldn’t believe..I started laughing 😂😂
DJ Roja also joined the discussion with a story involving an artist who wanted his song played immediately.
After Roja asked him to wait, the artist slapped him so hard that, as Roja put it, his forehead greeted the mixer before he did.
A few years back, an artist told me to play his song. I told him to wait. He slapped the back of my head so hard my forehead greeted the mixer before I did.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Uganda is staring at one of the biggest legal and reputational crises in its history after a long-serving corporate client dragged the bank to the High Court over the mysterious disappearance of nearly Shs1 billion from its account, RedPepper can exclusively report.
The explosive case, which is now before the High Court in Kampala under Civil Suit No. HCT-00-CV-CS-0136-2024, has raised uncomfortable questions about the bank’s internal controls, accountability and ability to safeguard customers’ money.
The plaintiff, EPA Carriers and Logistics Limited, is demanding legal redress after alleging that close to Shs1 billion disappeared from its account held with UBA Uganda.
The hearing of the case kicked off last week (July 13, 2026), with court expected to determine what exactly happened to the money and whether the bank bears any legal responsibility.
The case has already sent shockwaves through Uganda’s banking industry, with financial sector observers warning that its outcome could have far-reaching consequences not only for UBA Uganda but also for public confidence in the country’s banking system.
CLIENT DEMANDED REFUND—BANK KEPT QUIET
RedPepper understands that after discovering the disappearance of the funds, EPA Carriers and Logistics Limited pursued several legal avenues demanding the immediate restoration of the missing money.
However, according to the company’s claim, those efforts yielded no satisfactory response, forcing it to seek justice before the High Court.
Instead of publicly acknowledging the dispute, the bank reportedly maintained a tight lid on the matter.
In September 2024, UBA Uganda issued a public statement dismissing reports about the alleged missing funds.
The statement, signed by the bank’s Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Hoziana Niyonsaba, described the allegations circulating in the public as “spurious, false and unfounded.”
Hoziana Niyonsaba
Yet despite those public assurances, the dispute ultimately found its way to court, where both parties are now expected to present evidence before a judge.
BANK OF UGANDA GOT WIND OF THE MATTER
Sources familiar with the dispute say the matter eventually attracted the attention of the Bank of Uganda, prompting efforts by UBA Uganda’s management to engage the client.
However, by then, the dispute had already advanced into formal court proceedings.
According to sources, legal advisers are said to have recommended an out-of-court settlement before an independent mediator to minimize reputational damage and avoid prolonged litigation.
Those efforts reportedly failed, leaving the parties to battle it out before the High Court.
REPUTATION ON THE LINE
The lawsuit has now placed UBA Uganda’s public image under intense scrutiny.
The bank has consistently marketed itself as a secure and trusted financial institution with strong governance and customer protection systems.
However, the ongoing litigation has inevitably triggered fresh questions from sections of the public about banking safeguards whenever large sums of money are involved.
The court will ultimately determine the facts and any liability arising from the dispute.
Legal analysts say that if the court were to find the bank liable, the financial implications could be significant, while the reputational impact could extend beyond Uganda.
TOP BOSSES UNDER PRESSURE
Industry observers say the case could also pile pressure on the bank’s senior management.
One banking expert, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said multinational banking groups closely monitor litigation that may expose operational weaknesses.
“Any institution with an international footprint treats customer confidence as its biggest asset. Major court findings can trigger serious internal reviews and accountability processes,” the expert said.
While there is no official indication that any executive faces disciplinary action, observers note that the outcome of the case could influence future management decisions.
A HISTORY OF LEADERSHIP CHANGES
The controversy has also revived memories of events that followed the emergence of the dispute in 2024.
Shortly after the matter became public, the then UBA Uganda Managing Director, Chioma A. Mang, was recalled to the bank’s headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
Her controversial exit was not different from her predecessor John Agoreyo.
Her departure came after the bank had publicly dismissed allegations surrounding the disputed funds.
She was eventually replaced by Kenneth Kisambira, who assumed leadership of the Ugandan subsidiary.
Neither the bank nor its parent company publicly linked the leadership changes to the ongoing dispute.
Kenneth Kisambira
A BANK WITH A GLOBAL NAME
UBA describes itself as one of Africa’s leading financial institutions, operating in 20 African countries and maintaining banking operations in New York, London, Paris and Dubai.
The banking giant has built its brand around trust, innovation and secure financial services.
It is precisely that reputation that is now under close public scrutiny as the High Court proceedings unfold.
ALL EYES ON THE HIGH COURT
As witnesses begin taking the stand, the High Court is expected to hear evidence from both EPA Carriers and Logistics Limited and UBA Uganda before determining whether the bank bears responsibility for the disputed funds.
The court proceedings are likely to be closely watched by customers, regulators and players in Uganda’s financial sector.
For now, one question hangs heavily over the case:
How did nearly Shs1 billion allegedly disappear from a corporate client’s account—and who, if anyone, will ultimately be held accountable?
More details to come…
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KAMPALA — The Uganda Police Force has clarified circumstances surrounding a viral video showing armed security officers firing shots into the air, saying the incident occurred during an operation to arrest suspected offenders at Kiseka Market in Kampala.
According to a police statement issued on Wednesday, the incident happened on Monday, July 20, 2026, at about 6:00 p.m. in Nakivubo Cell, Nakasero III Ward, Kampala Central Business District (CBD).
Police said a team of security officers had been deployed to Original Kiseka Spare Centre in Kiseka Market to apprehend individuals suspected of engaging in criminal activities.
However, during the operation, a group of people allegedly turned violent and attempted to prevent the officers from carrying out the lawful arrests.
To contain the situation and disperse the unruly crowd, the officers fired warning shots into the air before restoring order.
“The incident occurred on Monday, 20 July 2026, at about 6:00 p.m. in Nakivubo Cell, Nakasero III Ward, Kampala Central Business District. A team of security officers had gone to Original Kiseka Spare Centre in Kiseka Market to arrest suspected offenders,” the police statement reads.
“During the operation, a group of individuals turned violent and attempted to obstruct the lawful arrest of the suspects. In order to disperse the unruly crowd and restore order, the officers fired warning shots into the air.”
Police confirmed that the situation was subsequently brought under control and that two suspects were successfully arrested during the operation.
The force urged the public to remain calm and rely on official communication regarding security operations, as investigations and law enforcement efforts continue.
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