Author: Robert Atuhairwe

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, has expressed his commitment to overcome manpower and logistical constraints, enhancing capacity to safeguard Uganda’s oil-rich Albertine Graben and investors. Speaking to journalists following an inter-agency security summit at Resort Hotel in Hoima City on Friday, March 22, Katsigazi emphasised the significance of oil as a vital national asset. “While oil promises economic advancement, we recognise not everyone welcomes Uganda’s newfound oil wealth. Anticipating potential challenges is crucial to ensuring oil benefits our nation rather than becoming a curse,” he noted. Assessing the security situation after consultations with local authorities,…

The sidewalks, once seen as arteries connecting and fostering safe mobility, have become battlegrounds where the right to walk freely is contested, in Hoima City. Joan Katusiime, a social scientist in Hoima City, told The Albertine Journal that pedestrians have crowded sidewalks, obstructing the view of drivers, particularly at intersections. This in her view reduces the time drivers have to react to pedestrians crossing the road and increases the risk of accidents. Katusiime noted that pedestrians in many cases have stopped to look at items for sale (a habit known as window-shopping) or engaged in transactions which continue to distract them from…

During the 60th Zanzibar Revolution anniversary celebrations held at Amaan Sports Complex in Zanzibar on January 12, 2024, Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni cautioned the East African Community (EAC) against divisionism, labelling it as a setback to the region. Museveni is mindful that the strength in numbers is an undeniable advantage. Many EAC states are economically unviable on their own due to their small size, and pooling resources could bring about larger economies of scale, expanding production and demand. This caution comes amidst intensifying disagreements among important member states, posing a threat to the EAC’s main objectives, including a common…

Beneath the lush canopy of Bugoma, Uganda’s crown jewel of biodiversity, an environmental clash rages. A leaked report, dated November 30, 2023, which The Albertine Journal has obtained, on the forest’s contested boundaries has ignited a firestorm of conflicting claims and accusations, leaving its fate hanging precariously in the balance. The survey aimed to ascertain whether Hoima Sugar encroached upon Bugoma Forest, alongside resolving other pending boundary verification exercises mandated by the court, and ensuring the conservation of the forest. This verdant haven, teeming with endangered primates, ancient trees, and vital water sources, is not just a sanctuary for wildlife; it is…

In the face of a syndrome jeopardising Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs), experts have highlighted mismanagement, embezzlement, and inadequate strategies leading to the downfall of many SACCOs. They called for urgent reforms, emphasising the effective utilisation of SACCOs to boost share capital and financial stability. During the launch of the Hoima City Tax and Bus Park Drivers SACCO on December 31, 2023, at Kolping Hotel Gardens, Dr. Patrick Mwesigwa Isingoma Obama, Member of Parliament, for Hoima- East City Division, stressed the importance of saving to generate profits through responsible borrowing. With a pledge of sh5m to enhance their financial…

A decade ago, Hoima City’s real estate market thrived on the activities of the oil industry, witnessing heightened demand and profitability. Investors eagerly purchased land, leading to increased gentrification and soaring property values. Elevated to city status in the 2019 fiscal year, Hoima underwent a transformative phase, evolving into a bustling urban centre adorned with modern buildings. This growth attracted businesses and fueled the real estate sector, with average returns on capital for developers rising from 5% to 60% between 2010 and 2016. However, the past two years have seen a marked decline in the once-booming real estate market. Borrowers…

In this story, Robert Atuhairwe, focuses on the oil-rich Hoima district, where women are coming out to shift and demystify traditional beliefs and myths that land and property are passed from male head to male heir. ******************* Land in the oil-rich Bunyoro sub-region which has for centuries been communally owned is now being sold to oil firms and industries to establish investments as Uganda embarks on the development phase to extract its 6.5 billion barrels of oil in place. This explains the escalation of land speculation, the deepening land grabbing crisis and intra-family land conflicts. In Uganda, property especially land,…

In 2018, the government commissioned a two-storeyed building to house the Auditor General’s office at Hoima district local government headquarters with the aim of facilitating efficient auditing and enhancing accountability in the country’s mid-western region. To the dismay of anti-corruption campaigners, the office is yet to serve well its intended purpose. Many scandals and instances of misuse of public funds in Bunyoro sub-region that have recently dominated public debate and led to outrage and calls for accountability have been omitted in the latest report by the Auditor General (AG). The discrepancies that have been cited in the report for the…

Despite the remarkable progress in renewable energy generation, investment in Africa’s clean energy transition is lagging in comparison to the rest of the world, according to a new report published by Zero Carbon Analytics, an international research group that analyses climate change and green energy transition. Home to about one billion people, Africa contributes less than four per cent of global carbon emissions, but renewables deployment on the continent has grown substantially over the last decade, doubling between 2012 and 2022 – from 28.45 megawatts to 58.78 gigawatts – with an average year-on-year growth rate of 7.6%. However, despite this…

Anti-corruption activists have called for innovative approaches if the fight against corruption – a vice that has consistently bedeviled Uganda in recent years – is to register some significant wins. Mindful of the pervasive nature of corruption and its detrimental effects on society, the activists argue that there is need for a multifaceted approach aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical governance at all levels. “Corruption has become a culture and part of our everyday life – a culture where people are obsessed with getting rich in a short time without the required sacrifice, integrity and hard work,” Marlon Agaba,…