Author: Robert Atuhairwe

Women in the oil-rich Albertine Graben trek long distances into Bugungu Wildlife Reserve, Kibiro salt and Buhuka villages in Buliisa, Hoima and Kikuube districts, to gather firewood. Credit: Robert Atuhairwe/The Albertine Journal

Joseph Isingoma, a student of environmental science at Kyambogo University and a resident of Biiso sub-county, is very concerned that effects of climate change characterised by unpredictable drought and rainfall patterns is becoming common in Buliisa district, in western Uganda. Isingoma observes that the area residents were becoming too vulnerable to such vagaries in the weather patterns arising from unfavourable climatic conditions, often linked to extreme human and industrial activities.  “The community is unable to adapt or to mitigate the effects of the changes. That is why Buliisa is too much affected and the people are homeless after their houses…

The struggle with stray elephants has become a fact of everyday life in Buliisa, an area bordering Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP). The park is situated 34.2 kilometres away from Buliisa Town Council. Reports indicate that elephants have bludgeoned to death up to an estimated eight people in the last two years while unspecified acreage of crops was devastated. Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) the national agency responsible for managing Uganda’s wildlife says due to an enhanced conservation drive, the number of elephants in Murchison Falls National Park has shot up from around 200 in 1990 to 2,726. There are ongoing…

On a quiet neatly paved Hoima-Wanseko road, just metres from Waiga Bridge, splendid arrays of savannah grassland and dispersed tropical hardwoods welcome a first time visitor to Kabwola landing site. It is one of the biodiversity hotspots on the shores of Lake Albert in Buliisa district, Western Uganda. Along the way, chirps from stridulating crickets fill the airwaves as chameleons, venomous snakes and other wild animals roam lazily among fruit trees and drought hit maize and cassava plantations. A sweet aroma from smoking fish wafts through the air as other fish species are left simmering in the hot sun. At…

Murchison Falls National Park, one of Uganda’s crown jewels, is facing an unprecedented crisis as a convergence of oil activities, climate change, and poaching threatens to undermine its rich biodiversity and ecological integrity, a new study has revealed. A July 2024 research by the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), a natural resources’ governance civil society organisation, paints a grim picture of the park’s deteriorating condition and the urgent need for intervention. The Ugandan government’s decision to commercialise its oil reserves has brought the Tilenga oil project, operated by French firm TotalEnergies, into the heart of Murchison Falls National Park.…

Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom subjects have written to the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka opposing his opinion regarding their impeding case against the United Kingdom government. The subjects under their umbrella organisation Mubende Banyoro United Association (MBA), want compensation from the British government for atrocities committed against Bunyoro by colonialists. The letter dated June 10, this year, followed Kiwanuka’s opinion, dated March 27. Kiwanuka’s letter is addressed to the Kingdom Prime Minister, Andrew Kirungi Byakutaga, dissuading the kingdom from suing the UK government. In his opinion, Kiwanuka said even if Banyoro filed a case against the British government, it would be hard for…

Activists advocate for enhancing Uganda’s renewable energy resources, such as solar and hydropower, for sustainable economic development and energy security without exacerbating climate change.

The focus was comprehensive, addressing infectious diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and HIV, alongside non-communicable conditions like hypertension and diabetes.

An estimated 83,055 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the Bunyoro sub-region, with an HIV prevalence among adults of 5.5%, compared to a national HIV prevalence of 5.2%. Hoima has the highest HIV prevalence in the region at 6.6%, followed by Masindi at 5.1% and Kagadi districts at 4.6%. This higher prevalence is attributed to an influx of migrant workers seeking opportunities in the oil and gas sector and a significant number of plantation workers. Adolescents, particularly girls and young women (AGYW), are especially vulnerable due to these dynamics. The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) report for 2022 indicates…

The call to establish the first and long-awaited public university has been an issue since it was promised by President Yoweri Museveni while canvassing for votes to win his third term of office, in 2001.