On Saturday, a fun road trip from Kampala culminated in a memorable night of music, creativity, and campus culture at GKAT Resort as Club Pilsener brought Club Canvas On the Move to Mbarara.
Kampala trip winners joined content creators and members of the media aboard Club Canvas-branded buses early in the morning at Shell Lugogo, embarking on a smooth trip filled with music, games, and conversations.
The buses stopped in Nkozi to collect additional campus students, bringing new energy to the travelling group before another stop at the Equator, where students, content creators, and members of the media stepped off the buses for photographs at the landmark.
The moment became one of the journey’s most memorable visual highlights before the group continued towards Mbarara.
The convoy later grandly entered Mbarara, with the branded buses moving together through the city before heading to GKAT Resort. Their arrival added to an event that was already attracting students and other revellers from across the region.
Revellers from Mbarara and surrounding areas joined students from universities in Nkozi, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Bishop Stuart University and Kampala International University in Ishaka, at a venue to enjoy the music and a variety of creative experiences.
Club Canvas is an entertainment and cultural platform, bringing music together with art, fashion, technology and other expressions of contemporary culture. In Mbarara, that identity was reflected in an event that offered more than a succession of performances on the main stage.
Around the venue, attendees moved between virtual-reality experiences, gaming areas, live tattoo artistry and other interactive attractions. The range of activities gave people different ways to participate in the experience.
Mac DJ set the pace early before Riddim Seleckta and Lithan MC. DJ Trizzy Vybz later took over alongside Benjhi MC, bringing the versatility and crowd awareness for which the Galaxy FM DJ and producer has become known.
DJ Alza then stepped behind the decks alongside MC Dreadlock Dziz, who complemented the set with the stage command developed through his work as a professional MC and events host.
Lynda Ddane and Evelyn Mic also played a role in keeping the audience engaged as the event moved into its late-night stretch. Their presence added a familiar media and entertainment dimension to the stage before the final live performances of the night.
Rapper Fik Fameica, whose music draws from hip-hop, dancehall and Afro-pop, later rocked the stage, delivering the kind of high-energy performance suited to a crowd that had spent much of the day travelling, interacting and building towards the main event.
Fik Fameica’s stage presence and nationally recognised catalogue connected with an audience drawn from several university communities and different parts of Mbarara. His performance became one of the defining moments of the night, with the crowd responding through sustained dancing, singing and cheers.
Truth 256 followed as the final live performer, giving the event a fitting conclusion rooted in Mbarara. Born in the city, the rapper, singer and songwriter has developed an identity that blends contemporary hip-hop with his Ankole heritage, delivering music in Runyankore, Luganda and English.
After the final live performance, DJ Ali Breezy and Lithan MC carried the experience forward, keeping the audience engaged into the closing stretch of the night.
Former Kawempe South MP Bashir Kazibwe Mbaziira is back behind the microphone, six years after stepping away from broadcasting to pursue a career in politics.
Mbaziira announced his return to radio on Sunday, September 6, as he joined Beat FM to host a new current affairs programme, marking his return to the media spotlight after years in active politics.
His new show, Alipoota Olutagajjo, airs every Sunday from midday to 2pm and focuses on topical issues shaping the country.
The programme brings together panellists to discuss politics, the economy and other matters affecting Ugandans, giving Mbaziira a platform to once again engage audiences on the issues he has covered throughout much of his media career.
“Six years since putting the mic down, we are back bigger and better,” Mbaziira said as he announced his return.
Mbaziira is no stranger to the Ugandan media scene. He spent more than a decade working across radio and television, beginning his broadcasting career at stations including Voice of Africa Radio, Pearl FM, Suubi FM and Bukedde FM.
He later moved to television, where he became a familiar face on NBS Television through programmes such as One on One with Tamale Mirundi, Ensi n’Ebayo and The Eagle.
His programmes largely focused on politics, current affairs and issues affecting ordinary Ugandans, eventually establishing him as one of the prominent journalists covering the country’s political scene.
His influence within the profession also saw him elected president of the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) in September 2018, a position he held until 2020.
However, Mbaziira’s media career took a different turn in July 2020 when he left NBS Television to enter elective politics.
He went on to contest the Kawempe South parliamentary seat on the National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket in the 2021 general election, defeating then-incumbent MP Mubarak Munyagwa of the Forum for Democratic Change.
After serving his five-year parliamentary term, Mbaziira did not seek re-election in the 2026 general election.
As Ronald Rugumayo aka Mayo sunk his final putt, Uganda Golf Club went into a frenzy. Wild cheers filled the atmosphere. Uganda had finally ended the twelve year wait to lift the Johnnie Walker Uganda Open championship.
The golf clubs gave way to cocktails, the fairways gave way to a dancefloor, and Joshua Baraka took golfers on a musical journey, as Johnnie Walker brought its Afro Exchange experience to life- bringing together golf, music, food and African culture, providing a perfect climax to the 2026 Uganda Open.
Rugumayo set the perfect stage for a grand celebration, after he made history, becoming the first Ugandan to win the Johnnie Walker Professionals Open after 12 years. Deo Akope was the last Uganda to win the Open in 2014.
For Mayo, the victory carried a deeper personal meaning. The Tooro-born golfer dedicated his win to the late Omukama Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV and the people of Tooro, in this time of mourning.
“I don’t have much to say because today’s win is not my win alone. I dedicate this win to our late King- King Oyo, and all the people of Tooro. As we mourn our fallen King, God decided that we also get something to uplift our spirits, and see off the King with some victory,” Rugumayo said.
With a homegrown champion finally crowned, Johnnie Walker’s Afro Exchange 19th Hole Experience turned the traditional post-tournament celebration into something distinctly more cultural.
Built around a “Tale of Two Cities”, the experience connected Kampala and Lagos through food, music and décor. Guests were treated to the Johnnie Walker portfolio, with bespoke cocktails, personalised gifts and an atmosphere designed to blur the lines between sport and culture.
“This was a very special Uganda Open because we were not simply celebrating a champion; we were celebrating a moment that Ugandans had waited 12 years to experience. There was something fitting about celebrating that moment with Johnnie Walker Black Label, a whisky that is also aged for 12 years,” said Christine Kyokunda, Johnnie Walker Uganda Brand Manager
Rugumayo’s victory gave us a reason to celebrate, and Afro Exchange gave us the platform to make that celebration truly unforgettable. Tonight, we saw that spirit come alive, on the course, in the 19th hole and on the dance floor.”
When Joshua Baraka stepped on stage, he took the celebration to a whole different level.
The recently unveiled Johnnie Walker Icon Walker and face of the brand’s new Keep Walking campaign in Uganda, delivered a set that featured some of his biggest songs.
Baraka had the crowd sing along to jams like Dalila, Nana, This Time, Wrong Places and Yoyo, before delivering one of the night’s defining moments with his unreleased track, “ I Keep On Walking”.
The song, first sampled during his unveiling as Johnnie Walker’s Icon Walker, carries a message of persistence and moving forward, an especially fitting soundtrack for a night celebrating Rugumayo’s long-awaited breakthrough.
UBL Board Chairman and Chief Guest- Jimmy D. Mugerwa, an ardent golfer, thanked golfers, the Uganda Golf Union and the Uganda Golf Club, for organising a great tournament, that has uplifted the game of golf in Uganda and beyond.
“Tonight we celebrate Ronald Rugumayo, but we are also celebrating what the Uganda Open represents for our country; excellence, competition, opportunity and the ability to bring Africa together. It is a privilege to close this chapter and, at the same time, look forward to the next one. Lake Victoria Serena will have big shoes to fill, but we are ready to welcome the Uganda Open in 2027 and build on what has been achieved here at Uganda Golf Club,” Mugerwa said.
Uganda Golf Union president- Dr Jackson Were, described Rugumayo’s victory as a proud moment for Uganda and a reflection of the deliberate work being done to grow the game.
“For an Ugandan to win the Uganda Open after 12 years, is a very proud moment for the country and for everyone involved in golf. It shows what is possible when we deliberately invest in the development of the sport,” he said.
Dr Were highlighted the Union’s efforts to make golf more accessible, particularly to young people, through programmes that introduce the sport to universities and develop the next generation through junior golf.
He also pointed to the growing international significance of the Uganda Open, noting that the tournament is part of the Sunshine Tour and that the top two finishers will earn qualification opportunities for the Magical Kenya Open early next year.
As is the norm, Dr Were officially passed the tournament baton on to Jimmy Mugerwa, who is also the Captain of the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa, the official host of the Johnnie Walker Uganda Open 2027.
When Baraka left the stage, a line up of DJ’s kept the energy going, with golfers, fans and guests taking to the dancefloor and carrying the celebration deeper into the night.
After 12 years, Uganda had its champion. And there was no better way to celebrate than to Keep Walking.
For Johnnie Walker, the finale was a reflection of what Afro Exchange is designed to represent: creating spaces where different expressions of African culture can meet, connect and move forward together.
Aroma Music has defended her fashion choices, insisting that she has never crossed the line when it comes to how she dresses despite criticism from some people who consider her outfits revealing.
Speaking during an interview on NRG Ignition, Aroma dismissed suggestions that she has embraced overly provocative dressing, arguing that she remains true to the image she had when she first joined the music industry.
I am still innocent as I came in the industry. Honestly, I don’t think I have done anything extra. I’m sorry, but I’m always fully dressed.
During the interview, presenter Henrie showed Aroma one of her music videos that he considered naughty, but the singer disagreed with his assessment.
She maintained that there was nothing excessive about the visuals, pointing out that she was still wearing a top in the video.
Aroma also clarified that nudity is not part of her brand and revealed that her mother follows her activities on social media. She said she is conscious of how her public image could affect her family and career.
My mum does, but like I said, I haven’t gone extra. Even with all the sagas about indecent dressing and nudes that happen in Uganda, you don’t find me. I have never been in those things, so that means I really care about my brand.
Socialite Prima Kadarshi has opened up about a difficult chapter in her business journey, revealing how desperation for a breakthrough led her to seek help from a traditional healer.
Speaking during a TikTok Live, Prima said she was advised to visit a witch doctor after her business began struggling. She was reportedly directed to the healer in Bududa, Eastern Uganda, and travelled there hoping the visit would help turn her fortunes around.
However, Prima said the experience took an unexpected and frightening turn, claiming that her situation became worse after the visit.
“They directed me and took me but it became worse. I started getting hallucinations and things would scare me at night, I had to go church,” she said.
The businesswoman said the experiences left her frightened and ultimately pushed her to seek refuge in church.
Looking back, Prima said she had been willing to travel long distances and take risks because she was desperate to find a solution for her struggling business. However, the experience changed her perspective on seeking blessings through a witch doctor.
She warned that people can easily be persuaded to pursue such solutions when they are going through difficult times, only to end up disappointed or worse off.
“Satan can make you move. Someone will advise you to visit a witch doctor to get blessings for your business and you move many miles and risk your life but nothing works with Satan,” Prima said.
Enock Mugabi aka iWitness is a Journalist, Seasoned Writer and Music Analyst with a passion for sports. Connect with him on social media using the links below in bio.
Aroma Music has opened up about her painful upbringing and the experiences that have shaped her into a stronger person who, she says, is no longer easily hurt by life’s disappointments.
Speaking on NRG Ignition with Mr Henrie, Aroma revealed that she is now the only child in her family after losing her two older siblings and, more recently, her father in 2025.
She said the losses have left her with only her mother, making her current family situation feel particularly lonely.
It is going not so good, it feels too lonely, the loneliness is too loud. It’s from families that you get people who hold you when you’re down but I’m too stuck in my emotions nowadays and whenever people announce deaths of their beloved ones, I don’t know how to feel anymore.
Aroma said years of loss and disappointment have made her accustomed to people leaving her life.
Rather than escaping the pain, she has learned to live with it, developing what she describes as a strong heart that makes it difficult for things to hurt her the way they once did.
Despite everything she has experienced, Aroma believes music has given her something to hold on to. She explained that having music to wake up to and work on has helped her cope with life’s challenges, suggesting that without it, things could have been much worse.
I think if I wasn’t singing and have nothing to look up at every morning… it’d be worse. Whenever you’re there and a writer sends you a song and you go and do it. If I wasn’t doing music maybe it’d have been worse.
KAMPALA — Uganda’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturer, Dei BioPharma Ltd, founded by scientist and innovator Dr. Matthias Magoola, has been formally onboarded as a registered supplier under the African Pooled Procurement Mechanism (APPM), a continental procurement platform coordinated by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
In an August 28 notification, Dr. Mariatou Tala Jallow, Director of the APPM at Africa CDC, indicated that Dei BioPharma had met the technical requirements for participation as a supplier under the pooled procurement arrangement.
The development gives Uganda a position within a continental effort intended to reshape how African countries procure essential health products by aggregating demand, improving purchasing power, strengthening supply security and creating more predictable markets for manufacturers on the continent.
For Dei BioPharma, the significance of the development extends beyond access to a procurement platform. It comes as the company moves from establishing manufacturing infrastructure to building a growing portfolio of regulated products capable of serving markets beyond Uganda.
From manufacturing capacity to product innovation
Dei BioPharma has submitted 65 product applications to Uganda’s National Drug Authority (NDA). Of these, 40 have been approved for manufacture and 14 have received approval for sale.
Dr. Magoola making a presentation at the International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Durban, South Africa, last year. He said Dei BioPharma was ready to supply biological medicines to African countries at affordable rates.
The figures provide an indication of the progression of the company’s pharmaceutical development activities from manufacturing infrastructure into product development and regulatory execution. Pharmaceutical innovation requires more than production facilities; products must undergo formulation development, analytical assessment, stability evaluation, quality-system controls, regulatory dossier preparation and other requirements before they can be authorised for manufacture or sale.
The expanding portfolio is therefore important in understanding the company’s APPM qualification. It demonstrates an emerging pipeline of products that can potentially respond to different health needs while providing a foundation for participation in regional and continental markets.
It also reflects a wider shift taking place in Africa’s pharmaceutical sector, where the strategic objective is increasingly moving from dependence on imported finished products towards building domestic capabilities to develop, manufacture and supply medicines and other health technologies.
The African Union has set a target of meeting at least 60% of Africa’s health-product needs through African manufacturing by 2040. Achieving that ambition will require not only factories, but also viable product pipelines, regulatory capacity, quality systems, skilled human capital, investment and markets capable of sustaining manufacturers.
APPM is intended to address one of those critical market constraints.
Creating a market for African production
African pharmaceutical manufacturers have historically faced highly fragmented markets, with procurement largely organised through individual national systems. This can make it difficult for manufacturers to achieve the scale and demand predictability required to justify continued investment in product development and production capacity.
Pooled procurement offers a different model by aggregating demand across participating countries.
The potential of this approach was demonstrated in Africa CDC’s first APPM tender for essential reproductive, maternal and newborn health medicines. Africa CDC reported that the procurement process achieved prices 30% to 90% below participating Member State benchmarks, while establishing framework arrangements intended to improve supply security.
For African manufacturers, the significance is not limited to price. Larger and more predictable demand can create greater incentives to invest in regulatory approvals, technology, manufacturing capacity and product development.
Dei BioPharma’s entry into this system therefore comes at a point when its product portfolio is expanding and when the company is positioning itself for markets beyond Uganda.
Innovation measured by relevance, not simply volume
The value of Dei BioPharma’s growing portfolio is ultimately linked to the health needs it can help address.
Two products within the company’s portfolio, HYXUREA and TRENMIC, illustrate the broader principle without reducing the company’s continental ambition to individual medicines.
HYXUREA, a hydroxyurea 500 mg tablet, sits within the wider effort to improve access to medicines for sickle-cell disease — a condition that places a particularly heavy burden on sub-Saharan Africa.
The World Health Organization estimates that 7.74 million people globally were living with sickle-cell disease in 2021, with approximately 515,000 babies born with the condition that year. Nearly 80% of the global burden occurs in sub-Saharan Africa.
WHO’s African Region has estimated that approximately 240,000 children are born with sickle-cell disease in Africa each year. In some settings, mortality before the age of five can reach 80%, particularly where diagnosis and appropriate care are unavailable.
The challenge is therefore not only the existence of effective interventions, but whether those interventions are consistently available to the populations that need them. WHO Africa has previously reported hydroxyurea availability in only 11 countries in the region, illustrating the gap between disease burden and access.
In this context, the emergence of African manufacturing capacity capable of contributing to the availability of such medicines is part of a much broader public-health objective: ensuring that products addressing diseases with a substantial African burden can be sourced closer to the populations they are intended to serve.
The same principle applies to TRENMIC, Dei BioPharma’s tranexamic acid 500 mg tablet, within the wider challenge of access to medicines used in the management of serious bleeding.
Maternal mortality illustrates the scale of that challenge. In 2023, approximately 260,000 women died from pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes globally, with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for about 182,000 deaths, or roughly 70% of the global total.
WHO identifies obstetric haemorrhage as a major contributor to maternal deaths globally. The challenge is especially significant in health systems where access to essential medicines, timely diagnosis, skilled health personnel and emergency care remains constrained.
The significance of products such as these is therefore less about individual commercial brands and more about the capacity to ensure that quality-assured medicines relevant to Africa’s major health challenges are available through reliable supply systems.
Building beyond conventional medicines
The strategic significance of Dei BioPharma’s development extends beyond the current portfolio.
Africa’s health-product needs span a wide range of technologies. Alongside conventional pharmaceutical products, the continent requires stronger capacity in vaccines, diagnostics, oncology medicines, hormones, biological products and biosimilars.
These areas are increasingly important as African health systems confront both persistent infectious diseases and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
The company’s manufacturing and development ambitions encompass several of these platforms, including conventional medicines, injectables, oncology products, biological products, biosimilars, diagnostics and vaccines.
This diversification is important because Africa’s pharmaceutical security cannot be achieved through one category of products or a single manufacturing model. The continent needs the capability to develop and produce health technologies across different levels of technological complexity.
For Dei BioPharma, the long-term objective has similarly been broader than the manufacture of conventional medicines.
“Our ambition is global and deliberately long-term: to develop and make biological drugs available to more than 90% of the populations of the world which currently cannot access them,” Dr. Magoola has said.
The challenge ahead is to translate that ambition into sustainable product development, regulatory approvals, manufacturing performance and market access across Africa and, ultimately, other underserved markets.
From Uganda’s regulatory system to continental markets
Dei BioPharma was established in 2014 and operates a pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing complex at Matugga in Wakiso District. The facility forms the physical foundation of the company’s manufacturing ambitions, but the company’s regulatory pipeline increasingly provides a measure of the activity taking place beyond infrastructure development.
The 65 product submissions, 40 approvals to manufacture and 14 approvals for sale show an expanding product-development pathway within Uganda’s regulatory framework.
The APPM qualification now creates a potential bridge between that domestic regulatory and manufacturing base and a wider continental market.
It does not, by itself, guarantee that every Dei product will be procured through APPM. Individual products must still meet applicable regulatory, technical, quality and procurement requirements. But participation provides an important platform from which eligible products can compete for aggregated African demand as the company’s portfolio develops.
This distinction is important. The objective is not simply to increase the number of products manufactured in Uganda. It is to develop products that can meet African health needs, satisfy regulatory and quality requirements and compete effectively in markets beyond the country’s borders.
A broader test for Africa’s pharmaceutical future
Dei BioPharma’s APPM qualification comes against a wider continental challenge.
Africa has spent decades relying heavily on external sources for medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other health technologies. That dependence has exposed countries to international supply disruptions, foreign-exchange pressures and limited control over critical health-product supply chains.
The COVID-19 pandemic made those vulnerabilities particularly visible and accelerated the case for strengthening African manufacturing capacity.
But building factories alone will not resolve the problem.
A sustainable African pharmaceutical industry requires an ecosystem linking scientific innovation, product development, regulatory systems, quality manufacturing, skilled human capital, financing, procurement and predictable markets.
APPM is one component of that ecosystem because it addresses the demand side of the equation.
When procurement creates predictable demand, manufacturers have greater incentive to invest. When manufacturing capacity grows, product-development opportunities expand. When African companies develop products relevant to African disease burdens, the continent becomes better positioned to respond to its own health needs.
That is the strategic significance of Dei BioPharma’s current trajectory.
Its growing regulatory portfolio, combined with manufacturing capabilities extending toward vaccines, diagnostics, oncology, hormones, biological products and biosimilars, positions the company to participate in a health-products market that Africa increasingly seeks to supply from within the continent.
Uganda’s opportunity
For Uganda, the significance extends beyond the fortunes of a single company.
A Ugandan manufacturer qualifying for a continental procurement mechanism demonstrates the possibility of moving beyond a model in which African countries primarily serve as markets for products developed and manufactured elsewhere.
The emerging model is different: develop locally, manufacture locally, obtain regulatory approval, build quality systems and compete for continental demand.
The 65 products submitted to NDA, the 40 approved for manufacture and the 14 approved for sale provide measurable evidence of progress along that pathway. The APPM qualification adds a new dimension by connecting this product-development trajectory to a continental procurement framework.
The ultimate measure of success, however, will not be the number of products submitted or factories established. It will be whether African manufacturing can consistently translate scientific capability into available, quality-assured and affordable health products for populations that have historically faced limited access.
That includes medicines relevant to sickle-cell disease, maternal health and cancer, as well as vaccines, diagnostics, hormones, biologics and other advanced health technologies.
For Dei BioPharma, the next phase is therefore not simply about producing more products. It is about demonstrating that an African manufacturer can build the scientific, regulatory and manufacturing capabilities required to participate credibly in the continent’s health-product supply chain.
For Uganda, it is an opportunity to demonstrate that indigenous pharmaceutical and biotechnology capacity can progress from national manufacturing to continental market participation.
And for Africa, it is another step in answering a fundamental question: whether the continent can turn its scientific talent, industrial investment and collective purchasing power into a health-industrial ecosystem capable of meeting a substantially greater share of its own needs.
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Express FC forward Alpha Ssali Thierry has revealed that a humbling experience during his first trip to Spain at the age of 10 was the turning point that ignited his passion for football.
The son of renowned Ugandan musician Bebe Cool, Alpha said he had not initially developed a strong passion for the sport despite growing up in a football-loving family.
His interest changed during a trip to Spain where he got the opportunity to play against young players from Real Sociedad.
Speaking in a Pitchside YouTube interview, Alpha recalled being stunned by the quality of players he encountered, many of whom were younger but already displayed impressive technical ability.
He said the experience was particularly difficult because he was substituted almost immediately and was left on the bench as the game continued.
“I cried in front of the coach. I told him, ‘Coach, I want to be good. I want to play. I want to be better than these people,’” Alpha recalled.
Rather than discouraging him, the experience became the moment that changed his attitude towards football.
After returning to Uganda, Alpha told his father that football was no longer simply something he enjoyed watching but something he wanted to pursue seriously.
“I told my dad, ‘I was one of the people who barely did anything on this trip, and I feel like this is something I really want to do. This is my thing. It’s personal now. I really want to take this far,’” he said.
His passion grew further when he attended a national team match in Uganda and experienced the atmosphere inside a packed stadium for the first time.
Watching the crowd react every time a player touched the ball convinced him that he wanted to experience the game from the pitch rather than from the stands.
“Every time our players touched the ball, I felt the passion, the love and the excitement. I said, ‘I love this. I want to be part of this.’ From that day forward, I dedicated myself,” he said.
With his decision made, Alpha turned to his father for support. Bebe Cool, whom Alpha described as a football fan who had always encouraged him to play, asked what he needed to improve.
Alpha requested training equipment and began working seriously on his game, including individual drills and fitness training.
He also credited Mujib Kasule, the director of Proline, for helping him get training cones that he used in his early development.
Now playing for Express FC, Alpha has progressed through the ranks and believes his younger brothers could eventually make an even bigger impact in Ugandan football. Caysan and Deen Ozil are developing their skills at El Cambio in Masaka.
Alpha described Caysan, a left-footed midfielder, as a technically gifted player with the potential to become one of the best midfielders in the country.
He compared Caysan’s style to Algeria star Riyad Mahrez and Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, particularly because of his composure and ability on the ball.
“Caysan is a left-footed player. Mr Nonchalant. I think he is going to be one of the best. He is very silky like Mahrez and Olise,” Alpha said.
According to Alpha, Caysan has already made significant progress since joining El Cambio at the age of 12, developing his ability to play quick, two-touch football.
He believes his brother’s development could eventually make people look beyond his own achievements.
“People should forget me in terms of what my brothers are going to bring,” he said.
Alpha also sees considerable potential in his younger brother Deen Ozil, who joined El Cambio at the age of eight.
He likened Deen’s playing style and mentality to former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, describing him as a versatile, aggressive and highly competitive player.
“Deen, that’s a Luis Suarez. Very stubborn. He’s a nine, he’s a winger, very passionate, wants to win, very skilful, right-footed player,” Alpha said.
Trust is the invisible foundation of any thriving society. It enables citizens to collaborate, respect institutions, support leaders, and maintain social cohesion. In Uganda, however, the complex interplay between trust, distrust, and mistrust continues to define relationships among citizens, leaders, and public bodies. While trust fosters unity and economic development, rampant distrust and mistrust have driven corruption, political tension, and institutional failure—weakening the social fabric necessary for national progress.
At the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition’s Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis, we draw upon Dr. Eveliina Lyytinen’s 2013 study, Spaces of Trust and Mistrust in Uganda, to argue that trust is fundamentally fragile. At its core, trust is the belief that an actor will honor another’s best interests, even when controls are absent and self-interest dictates otherwise.
Mistrust arises from misplaced confidence that is subsequently betrayed (Jasinski 2010). Local governments and district departments are heavily burdened by this dynamic. Years of unfulfilled promises, procurement irregularities, and accountability deficits have left citizens deeply skeptical of regional commissions and public services.
Distrust, conversely, reflects an active, evidence-based expectation of failure. Citizens who witness public officials misallocating state resources lose confidence in governance programs entirely. Consequently, even when beneficial policies are launched, the public questions official intentions and doubts whether benefits will ever reach ordinary beneficiaries. This triggers a dangerous cycle: institutions lose credibility, citizens withhold cooperation, and state machinery becomes increasingly ineffective.
Consider the baseline dilemma: the government entrusts officials with public funds meant for grassroots communities, yet these resources frequently vanish before reaching their targets. This raises a fundamental question for our national development: Can Ugandans maintain trust in public servants when institutional controls remain consistently absent or unenforced?
Rebuilding trust demands structural reform. Uganda urgently requires transparent governance, strict anti-corruption enforcement, and genuine community oversight. Only when public institutions demonstrate verifiable accountability can Uganda replace cycles of mistrust with the mutual confidence required for lasting transformation.
Ayub Mukisa, PhD, writes from the Department for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis at the Karamoja Anti-Corruption Coalition (KACC).
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What if the biggest limitation facing Uganda’s young people is not unemployment, lack of money or lack of opportunity, but the excuses they have learned to make?
That question has been at the heart of LIMITLESS Youth Conference 2026, held at Divine Community Church, Kyanja, from September 2–6 under the provocative theme: “LIMITLESS — Break Limits. Kill Excuses.”
And unlike many youth gatherings that end with applause, photographs and promises to “do better,” LIMITLESS has attempted something more difficult: putting faith, law, money, leadership, character and personal responsibility in the same conversation.
Hosted by Bishop Samuel Kalibbala, the conference brought together church leaders, judicial officers, professionals, educators and gospel ministers to confront young people with a reality that is increasingly difficult to ignore: the future of a country is ultimately shaped by the choices of its young people.
The message was not that every young person has the same opportunities. Far from it. Rather, the conference challenged the tendency to allow difficult circumstances to become permanent explanations for failing to act.
When everyone else is bowing – Pr. Samuel Mugabi Kalibbala opened the conversation by confronting one of the most difficult challenges facing any generation, standing for what is right when doing so is unpopular.
Through “Standing When Everyone Else Is Bowing,” he challenged young people to develop convictions strong enough to survive pressure, temptation and the desire to fit in.
It was a message with implications far beyond the church.
A country cannot build strong institutions with citizens who compromise whenever integrity becomes inconvenient. Businesses cannot thrive sustainably where dishonesty is normalised. Communities cannot progress where everyone chooses silence because speaking up comes at a cost.
For young people, the question is therefore not simply what they want to become, but what they are willing to stand for along the way.
A generation that must take responsibility – Pr. Micheal Kuteesa Kimuli shifted the conversation towards generational responsibility, challenging the tendency to treat young people merely as beneficiaries waiting for someone else to create opportunities for them.
Young people, he reminded participants in substance, are not merely the leaders of tomorrow. They are already becoming employers, professionals, entrepreneurs, parents, policymakers and community leaders.
The question is whether they are preparing themselves for that responsibility.
This distinction matters in a country where the youth population represents both an enormous opportunity and a significant development challenge. A large youthful population can become an economic engine, or a source of frustration, depending on whether young people acquire the skills, values, discipline and opportunities necessary to participate meaningfully in society.
You can succeed without breaking the law – Perhaps one of the most practical interventions came from SSP Moses Nanoka, who brought the law directly into the conversation about ambition.
His message on making it in life without breaking the law confronted a dangerous misconception: that extraordinary success sometimes requires extraordinary shortcuts.
For a generation navigating social media wealth, quick-money schemes, gambling culture, fraud, cybercrime and other temptations, the message was blunt.
Success obtained illegally is not success without consequences.
The law does not disappear simply because a person is ambitious. And wealth acquired through fraud or other unlawful conduct can ultimately cost far more than the money gained.
SSP Nanoka’s contribution reinforced an important principle: young people should dream big, but their dreams must have boundaries.
Fear is another kind of prison – Pr. Jonathan Lubinga tackled another invisible limitation: fear.
His message on living beyond limits and walking boldly in God’s calling challenged young people to stop treating potential as achievement.
Potential is only possibility.
It becomes meaningful when accompanied by action, discipline and courage.
That theme ran through much of the conference. Young people were repeatedly challenged not merely to identify what they could become, but to begin doing the difficult work required to become it.
Bp. George Kasirye brought a deeply practical dimension to the conversation, mentoring young men and women on how to make life easier by getting the foundations right. His message centred on loving God, caring for oneself, taking responsibility for personal choices and intentionally redeeming one’s destiny. He challenged young people not to allow difficult beginnings, wrong decisions or wasted seasons to define their future, but to recognise that with discipline, wisdom, faith and intentionality, they can change the direction of their lives.
Apostle Isaac Hakiza pushed the conversation even deeper with his message, “This Generation Must Not Miss God!”
In a culture increasingly obsessed with visibility, money, influence and achievement, Hakiza challenged the assumption that material success alone is evidence of a successful life.
His message was essentially a warning against gaining the world while losing direction.
When your future is on trial – The presence of members of the judiciary gave LIMITLESS an unusual dimension.
Hon. Lady Justice Olive Kazaarwe Mukwaya used the courtroom as a metaphor for personal accountability through “Your Future Is on Trial.”
The message was simple but uncomfortable: today’s decisions eventually become tomorrow’s consequences.
Every generation wants the future to be better than the past. But better futures are not produced by wishes. They are built through millions of individual decisions, what young people study, who they associate with, how they use money, how they respond to temptation, whether they obey the law and whether they take responsibility when things go wrong.
Lady Justice Dr. Christine Echookit Akello brought another dimension to the discussion, challenging young people to move from humble beginnings to extraordinary purpose.
Her message confronted another common limitation, the belief that one’s background permanently determines one’s destination. It does not.
A difficult beginning can explain where someone started. It does not necessarily determine where they finish.
Leadership before the title – His Worship Gerald Emwogu approached leadership from a different angle through “The Winning Mindset.”
His message challenged the popular understanding of leadership as something that begins when a person receives an office, title or position.
Real leadership begins much earlier.
It begins in the mind, in how a person responds to pressure, makes decisions, handles responsibility and treats people when nobody is watching.
Dr. Gillian Kasirye similarly broadened the conversation around personal growth and excellence, challenging young people to look beyond certificates and immediate career achievements and consider the kind of people they are becoming.
The message is particularly relevant in an environment where qualifications can sometimes be pursued more aggressively than character.
Buy your future early – If there was one conversation that connected youthful ambition with economic reality, it was Senior Counsel Dr. Robert Kirunda’s message: “Buy Your Future While It’s Still Cheap.”
The message was not simply about money. It was about time.
Education, skills, relationships, networks, disciplined saving, investment and personal development become increasingly valuable when started early. The young person who begins preparing today may have a dramatically different set of options a decade from now.
The economic lesson is straightforward: time is an asset that cannot be recovered.
For young Ugandans facing financial pressure, this is perhaps one of the most important conversations to have, how to move from merely earning money to building assets, skills and opportunities that can compound over time. Faith does not have to compete with ambition
The JP Centre for Equality, led by Counsel Justus Kato, freely invested its time and expertise in empowering the youths, teaching them about equality, justice, human dignity and their rights. Their contribution reminded the young people that being LIMITLESS is not only about personal success, but also about becoming responsible citizens who value fairness, respect others and use their knowledge to make society better.
Music and worship were also central to the conference experience.
Gospel artists and groups including Divine Mass Choir, Carol Komeza, Godfrey Kwezi, Worship Expanse Fellowship, Trisha Kobumanzi, JB Mugisha, Minister Watson, Minister Novic, Lil Joe and others brought the artistic and worship dimension of the gathering to life.
Their contribution reinforced another important point: young people do not experience faith only through sermons. Music, creativity, fellowship and shared experiences can become powerful avenues for communicating hope and strengthening community.
The final charge
The conference reached its climax with Ap. Dr. Micheal Kimuli, who crowned the gathering with a direct charge to the young people.
He challenged them to become purposeful, hardworking and resilient, to love God and, above all, to become intentional about the lives they are building.
It was a fitting conclusion because the different conversations at LIMITLESS ultimately pointed to the same destination.
Perhaps the greatest question facing LIMITLESS 2026 is not whether the conference succeeded. It is whether the message will survive beyond Kyanja.
The applause will fade. The music will stop. The speakers will return to their respective responsibilities. The young people will return to their schools, universities, businesses, workplaces, families and communities. That is where the real test begins.
If the young people who attended LIMITLESS begin making different choices, rejecting excuses, respecting the law, preparing financially, pursuing education and skills, standing for their convictions, developing leadership and deepening their relationship with God, then the conference will have achieved something far more significant than hosting a successful event. It will have started a movement of changed thinking.
And perhaps that is what Uganda needs most. Not another generation waiting for someone to rescue it.
But a generation prepared to take responsibility for what comes next.
LIMITLESS 2026 has delivered its message. Now the young people must answer it.
Break the limits. Kill the excuses. Love God. Work hard. Be purposeful. Be intentional. And build the future you keep saying you want.
The conference happens every year in September.
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