FREEMAN NEWS-UG

Every Sunday, as churches fill and families gather, a familiar darkness descends across parts of Uganda. UEDCL’s planned shutdowns have become a weekly ritual. Power vanishes for hours—sometimes from morning until evening—turning what should be a day of rest into a day of frustration, lost income, and disrupted lives. Businesses that rely on Sunday trade suffer most. Market vendors, salons, restaurants, and small workshops watch perishable goods spoil and customers walk away. Students preparing for Monday exams sit in darkness. Patients on home oxygen or those needing refrigerated medicine face real risks. Families cook over charcoal they can barely afford while generators roar in the few homes that can run them. UEDCL insists these are necessary maintenance works to keep an ageing network alive. Fair enough. Infrastructure needs care. But why must it almost always fall on Sundays? Why do the same areas repeatedly lose power on the one day many Ugandans expect relative reliability? Why...

Members of parliament from Bugisu Sub-region have agreed to innitiate a programme of coffee growing as a symbol of development among 2026 boys who were initiated to manhood through Circumcision  This pronouncement was made in Sironko yesterday August 8th by Hon. Lydia Wanyoto-Mutende, Minister of State for Public Service who is also a Woman representative for Mbale City to the 12th Parliament during the final send off of late Charles Peter Nagimesi, Hon. Julius Nakiyi's brother  Hon. Wanyoto said circumcised boys should not just walk around with circumcision alone but also must show cause why they are men by having gardens to promote coffee growing in the region She added that this proactive programme is aimed at promoting Bugisu culture best known for growth of Arabica Coffee Hon. Nakiyi's brother send off in Buhugu-Sironko was graced by Bugisu Parliamentarians, clergy, business community among others

The Bugisu Parliamentary Caucus has continued to demonstrate growing unity, solidarity and teamwork under the leadership of its Chairperson, Hon. Godfrey Wakooli Matembu, the Member of Parliament for Butiru County. The renewed cooperation among Bugisu legislators was evident over the weekend when more than five MPs from the caucus joined Hon. Julius Nakiyi, MP for Budadiri East, to mourn and support him during the burial of his brother, the late Charles Robert Nagimesi. The show of solidarity has been welcomed as a sign of strong leadership and a new spirit of togetherness among Bugisu MPs in the 12th Parliament. Under the stewardship of Hon. Wakooli, the caucus has increasingly positioned itself as a united platform through which legislators can support one another while collectively advocating for the interests and development of the Bamasaba people. Speaking to mourners, Hon. Wakooli commended the members for standing with their colleague during a difficult moment, saying such unity...

MP Masaba Muhamood Lobbies Hard for New Primary School in Muyango Village, Busano Through West Bengal Charity Foundation In a determined push to transform education access in one of Busano’s most underserved communities, Member of Parliament Masaba Muhamood has intensified efforts to secure a new primary school for Muyango Village, partnering with the West Bengal Charity Foundation to turn long-standing community demands into reality. The MP has been actively engaging local leaders, education officials, and the Indian-based foundation in recent weeks, highlighting the severe shortage of learning facilities that forces many children in Muyango to walk long distances or forgo schooling altogether. Residents say overcrowded classrooms in neighbouring villages and dilapidated structures have left hundreds of pupils without a proper place to learn. “Education is the foundation of every community’s progress. The children of Muyango deserve a modern, safe, and accessible primary school, and I...

Officer Cadet Ruhamya Kainerugaba, son of Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, officially graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst on Friday, completing the academy's prestigious Officer Commissioning Course. The CDF was present to witness the ceremony. Ahead of the parade, Gen. Kainerugaba was received by Major General Nick Cowley OBE, the Academy Commandant, who decorated him with a Sandhurst Alumni medal.  The honor was particularly notable, as the tradition of issuing such badges was introduced after the General's own time at the academy.

In a major boost for residents of Busano who have long endured chronic water shortages, Bungokho Central Member of Parliament Hon. Masaba Muhamood Mutenyo is intensifying efforts to deliver a sustainable clean water project, with funding support now pledged by the West Bengal Charity Foundation. The MP has been holding a series of high-level engagements with foundation representatives, local leaders, and technical officers to fast-track the initiative aimed at providing reliable access to safe water for households, schools, and health facilities across Busano. For years, many families in the area have relied on distant, unprotected springs and seasonal streams, forcing women and children to trek long distances daily and exposing communities to waterborne diseases. “Access to clean water is not a privilege—it is a basic human right. The people of Busano have suffered enough, and I am determined to change this reality,” Hon. Masaba Muhamood Mutenyo said during a community briefing. “I am...

Hon Min Milly Babalanda, yesterday held a media briefing in Busoga to mobilise the public to vote massively for NRM-endorsed candidates in the upcoming Local Council II leadership election on Monday, 10th August, 2026. Babalanda conveyed greetings from His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the first Lady and Minister for Education and Sports, Mama Janet Kataha Museveni, PS office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande and Entire staff of office of the President. She applauded the people of Busoga for standing with the NRM candidates in the recently concluded Local Council 1 election leadership, where the NRM registered a victory countrywide. Equally, she urged all elected leaders, regardless of their political affiliation, to place the interests of the people above partisan considerations. Every Ugandan deserves quality services, opportunities for economic empowerment and responsive leadership. These can only be achieved through cooperation and a shared commitment to national...