By Witnessradio.org Team   1st/Oct/2020: Kiryandongo – Uganda – a magistrate court in Kiryandongo district has fixed October, 6th, 2020 to hear bail applications for eight (8) currently on remand currently in Masindi prion.

Kampala, Uganda |  Food and environment activists say you need to urgently find ways of avoiding food loss and waste or risk financial and environment losses.  The Minister of Agriculture, Vincent Sempijja and Food Agricultural

Ugandan farmers have been urged to embrace organic farming to increase the share of over $80B global market of organic produce. While launching the long-awaited National Organic Agriculture Policy (NOAP), at the Ministry of

T he Agriculture ministry has said $40m (about Shs148 billion) has been earmarked for the first phase of micro-scale irrigation programme to boost production among small holder farmers. The ministry said the programme aims

Some mothers who lost children due to the lack of food after New Forests Company’s evictions. Ph: witnessradio.org The large-scale plantations from UK-based New Forests Company (NFC) have meant violence, forceful evictions and misery

By witnessradio.org Team   Kampala – Uganda – the Uganda government has directed that any foreign investor using public land should prove that they have at least 60 percent of the total investment capital

Yesterday was the 16th International Day of Struggle against Monoculture Tree Plantations. In 2004, rural communities in Brazil declared the day to commemorate the resistance against the expansion of monoculture tree plantations in Brazil.

Kampala- As floods wreak havoc across the country, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned of severe drought between November to February 2021 that will cause food scarcity in the country. This warning was

Chris Isaac, chief investment officer of AgDevCo by Betsy Henderson Agribusiness in Africa: Investor reveals which areas hold the most potential AgDevCo is an impact investment firm specialising in agribusiness in sub-Saharan Africa. It

20 years of suffering monoculture effects in Uganda, more hectares of land benefiting local communities continue to be given out to investors for monoculture tree plantations. Forest give aways are done for the cheap, short

Byehondozo and her daughter Kakako. Photos by Davis Buyondo LYANTONDE -A family in Lyantonde is seeking to repossess its 49.05 acres of land said to be illegally occupied by the district local government for

Cabinet Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries; Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja All imported agricultural inputs imports will be passed through gamma ray scanners at all points of entry, authorities have revealed. Inputs deemed unfit for

A farmer applies fertilizer on maize crop Kampala, Uganda | Farmers in Uganda are wrongly applying inorganic fertilizers which has led to pollution and reduction in crop productivity. According to Imelda Kanzomba principal agriculture

Busia, Uganda |  Over 17,000 heads of cattle in Busia district have been vaccinated against the Foot and Mouth disease- FMD. The vaccination exercise majorly covered Buyanga, Busitema, Buteba, Masaba, Masinya and Masafu sub-counties that

A trader waits for customers at Awange-mola Road in Lira City on Monday. Falling commodity prices has left farmers in uncertainty. PHOTO | ISAAC OTWII When farmers in north-eastern region started gathering a bumper

There’s a new trend brewing in Uganda amongst the younger generation that can be found in an aroma-filled cup of cappuccino or espresso. Indeed, despite being the second-largest coffee-producer on the African continent, Ugandans

One of witnessradio.org lawyers addressing a group of land rights defenders and activists after they were released By Witnessradio.org Team   09/08/2020: Kiryandongo – Uganda – the 8 eight land rights defenders and activists, who

By Witnessradio.org Team   07/08/2020: Kiryandongo – Uganda – Kiryandongo district police is preferring two criminal charges against eight land rights defenders and activists that were illegally arrested and detained over the weekend. According

Farmers are advised to harvest only the ripe cherries Coffee farming and its value chain is considered to be an activity mainly undertaken by male famers. Female farmers have been urged to engage in

Once again, Police in Kiryandongo district is under the spotlight for the arbitrary arrest and detention of land rights defenders and activists By Witnessradio.org Team   04/08/2020: Kiryandongo – Uganda – Great Season SMC limited

Seven lawyers for communities were arrested and detained at Kiryandongo police station alongside community members that were being interviewed during the time of arrest.  By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – over 30

On the eve of May Day 2020, in full coronavirus pandemic, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) released some hair raising statistics. About 1.6 billion workers from the informal sector are in dire straits because

NEMA should be aware that Uganda has lost a forest cover of nearly 15% of its land surface area since 1990. Forests covered 24% of Uganda’s total land area in 1990 and by 2015;

Three multinational companies have been named in the violent eviction of locals in Kiryandongo district to establish commercial plantations. Agilis Partners, Kiryandongo Sugar Works Ltd and Great Seasons SMC Ltd are the companies implicated

A woman spreads out cassava to dry at her home in Ukusijoni Sub-county, Adjumani District, on December 17, 2018. Government wants to turn cassava growing into a commercial venture that will boost people’s income.

Kampala – Uganda: A new report which was released on the 25th of August, 2020, is exposing how thousands of families are being violently evicted from their farms to make way for foreign-owned plantations in

By witnessradio.org Team The long-awaited report on Kiryandongo forceful land eviction is set to be tomorrow at 10am, East African Standard time. The forceful and violent evictions are being carried out by three multinational companies namely,

The National Environment Authority (NEMA) has rejected a proposal by Hoima Sugar Ltd, a sugar Cane company to plant sugarcane on the Bugoma Forest Reserve contested land ending a 4 year protracted battle between

By witnessradio.org Team Nakaseke – Uganda – Over 450 residents of Kasambya northward in Ngoma Town Nakaseke District are at the verge of losing their land after receiving a three days’ notice to vacate. The

Mr Alex Mbagaya, a tractor operator in Mbarara District, boasts of ploughing more than 10 acres of land in a day, a job 10 people cannot do in more than two weeks. While he

Mr Patrick Ben Oloya chops pastures to feed his cow in Koro-pida Village, Koro Sub-county, in Omoro District last week. PHOTO | TOBBIAS JOLLY OWINY  An aura of happiness hangs over Ms Joska Acoro’s

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – barely four days after witnessradio.org reported about rape and sexual assault as new weapons in forced land eviction in Kiryandongo district, a new case of rape

Ndeeba Demolished Church Kampala, Uganda |  The Grade One Magistrate Court in Makindye has issued criminal summons against city businessman Dodoviko Mwanje and the Field Force Unit-FFU Commander for the Kampala Metropolitan Police South Region

Twaweza’s Marie Nanyanzi In May-June this year, in comparison to the previous month, 6 out of 10 Ugandan households report their food consumption got worse. Rural households (63%), poorer households (72%) and those with

A case of attempted defilement against a 9-year-old girl was reported to police at Bweyale Police Station By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Close to a dozen of women and girls are

Ms Shantel Tumubone, one of the displaced residents, shows the portion of land where she buried her husband on Thursday. PHOTO/ JOSEPHINE NNABBAALE  When New Forest Company evicted Ms Shantel Tumubone, 50, and her

By FRED MUZAALE The government through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (Naads) is constructing a multi-billion pineapple juice processing factory in Kayunga District amid challenges of low production and wrong location. The Busaale Pineapple

Parvatiben Muljibhai Madhvani Girls’ School – Courtesy Photo The future of 62-year-old Parvatiben Muljibhai Madhvani Girls’ School, commonly known as PMM Girls’ located in Jinja City, hangs in balance after the Uganda Land Commission

St. Peter’s church – Ndeeba before and after demolition  By witnessradio.org Team   Kampala – Uganda – a 49 year old St. Peter’s church – Ndeeba has been demolished by soldiers and police personnel

By Ashita Chopra For six months in a row, Kyagalanyi Coffee exported more coffee than any other exporter in June, according to data from Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). UCDA indicates that at least

Do you want extension services or market information or a loan without meeting anyone face to face? For the farmers in northern Uganda and West Nile, a new digital tool is going to empower

Rome, Italy | XINHUA | World food prices edged higher in July, the second consecutive month of increases on the heels of lower prices for the first five months of the year, the United Nations

Kampala, Uganda | Parliament has passed the National Coffee Bill, 2018 that provides for registration of coffee farmers by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA). The registration of farmers will entail capturing details of

A man inspects USAID-donated ventilators on their way to Indonesia in the fight against COVID-19. Photo by: Nalendro Photoworks / USAID As always, and during this pandemic in particular, many are looking to the U.S. Agency for International

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent could be long-lasting, a senior African Union (AU) Commission official stressed on Wednesday. “The consequences of the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic could almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger, pushing it to more than a quarter of a billion by the end of 2020. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The

Ugandan coffee is thriving despite the lock-down Uganda Coffee stats 📌 Exports FY 2019/2020 ✳ Record 5.06 million bags 📌 Earnings FY 2019/2020 ✳ Record – $494 million (Sh 1.8 trillion) Kampala, Uganda |

More than 50 trucks transporting marble and limestone from Moroto district in northeastern Uganda have been impounded on suspicion of transporting minerals without a valid license. The operation which started on Monday mainly affected

The funding will go a long way in solving the last mile challenge to provide power in remote communities across Uganda where just one in five Ugandans living in remote and rural communities has

Part of Bugoma Forest Reserve which was given to Hoima Sugar Ltd. PHOTO | EPHRAIM KASOZI  Government has been dragged to court for allegedly allocating more than 68,709 acres of land housing a forest

Kampala, Uganda |  Members of Parliament on the Presidential Affairs committee are investigating circumstances under which 12 land titles in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement, Kikuube district are in the hands of individuals.  In the 1960s, 50

Justice Catherine Bamugemereire addressing journalists in Kampala on November 8, 2019. PHOTO BY RUTH ANDERAH  By EPHRAIM KASOZI The Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters has proposed the formation of a land ombudsman as

Defending tomorrow: The climate crisis and threats against land and environmental defenders For years, land and environmental defenders have been the first line of defence against climate breakdown. Yet despite clearer evidence than ever

About 100 evicted families camped at Alokolum Tecwaa Primary School while other families erected makeshift structures for their members By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo -Uganda – More than 100 families that are part of

By witnessradio.org Team   New York – United Nations – More than 820 million people are sleeping hungry even though the production of food surpasses what is required to feed the 7.8 billion people

Mr Francis Okullo, a farmer, harvests maize grain from his farm in Kaberamaido District. PHOTO/EMMANUEL EUMU  The falling gate prices of maize grain at the private aggregating centres in Teso Sub-region are worrying farmers

Sugarcane farmers in Busoga are struggling to cope with the declining prices of cane. PHOTO/ FILE PHOTO  Sugarcane farmers in Busoga Sub-region are crying foul following the continued drop in prices for cane, with

| THE INDEPENDENT | Africa will be unable to meet demand for meat and milk by 2050 and benefit from growth in the livestock sector unless countries adopt new policies and innovations, according to a

By MONITOR TEAM Hundreds of pastoralists around the cattle corridor, whose livelihood is mainly from the sale of animals, are feeling the squeeze as a result of Covid-19 and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) quarantine that

Mr Mohamed Ahmed of Horyal Investment Ltd (left) leads Naads officials led by the director, Dr Samuel Mugasi (centre), on an inspection of sugarcane plantations in Atiak, Amuru District, in August 2019. Net Photo

Some of the trees that were cut down in Namave forest on July 16. Photo | Damali Mukhaye  By Damali Mukhaye A section of tree farmers who were given licences by the National Forestry

COMMENT | MUKOTANYI ALEX | It was in December 2019 in a Chinese city of Wuhan that a new human coronavirus now popularly known as COVID-19 emerged. As of Friday July10, 2020 all over global

By witnessradio.org Team   Kampala – Uganda – the Ugandan government has admitted that it failed to protect citizens from being illegally evicted from their land by individual investors and companies since Uganda went

Kapelebyong, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Cattle traders in Kapelebyong are decrying losses resulting from the operations by the Uganda Peoples Defense Force- UPDF in Karamoja region.  The traders say that they have lost more than

By witnessradio.org Team United Nations – More than 820 million people are sleeping hungry even though the production of food surpasses what is required to feed the 7.8 billion people Worldwide. This has been

One of the Victims of the Poisonous sugarcanes July, 15th 2020: Kiryandongo – Uganda – One of the companies evicting thousands of native communities to plant sugarcane in Kiryandongo district, is currently being investigated

Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | It is early afternoon in Lokitela-ekuam village in Rupa sub-county in Moroto District on July 01 and about 200 villagers are seated under a big umbrella tree, discussing increasing

Sugarcane farmers in Busoga are stuck with about 7.5 million tonnes of sugarcane after millers allegedly failed to consume them. Speaking to Daily Monitor on Wednesday, the Busoga Sugarcane Out-growers Association (BSGA) spokesperson, Mr

By witnessradio.org Team Hoima – Uganda – the Bunyoro-Kitara kingdom has once again leased out another part of Bugoma Forest to another investor, witnessradio.org has learnt. The Bugoma Forest is a protected tropical forest

ROME — The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been accredited as an implementing partner of the Adaptation Fund and will work with the international fund on projects to help

The price of a bunch of matooke has fallen drastically in Ankole region in western Uganda from the Shs 15,000 in pre-lockdown period to Shs 1,000 during the coronavirus lockdown. Ankole is one of

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | The worldwide spread of coronavirus pandemic is exposing opportunities for agriculture sector in schools and beyond, experts in this field say. Speaking at a virtual meeting organized by Uganda

ENVIRONMENT   CLIMATE CHANGE The natural world as we know, it is certainly unimaginably more useful to us than we are to it. Aware of this, our ancestors nobly bequeathed to us a natural world

Ismail Tuku Lugbara Kari Prime Minister. Courtesy photo Arua, Uganda | The Prime Minister of Lugbara Kari Cultural Institution Ismail Tuku has cautioned people in the West Nile region against rushing to sell land in

One of the houses that is under construction on the Kilembe golf course land.  Many unscrupulous people around the country have taken advantage of the current lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic to grab

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – the Seven lawyers who were rounded up and arrested by anti-riot police while interviewing victims of a forceful eviction that has resulted into displacement of over

By witnessradio.org Team   This afternoon, at around 15:00 hours East African time, anti-riot police rounded up and arrested 7 lawyers who were investigating circumstances surrounding the forceful eviction of over 35,000 people being

By witnessradio.org Team Masindi – Uganda – Shock and grief rocked Kiryana Village, Kimengo sub county, Masindi District on June, 24th when families woke up and found more than 15,500 hectares of their land

By witnessradio.org Team Bukedea – Uganda – A Chinese Company: Hainan Qinfu Foods Company limited has dispossessed 1,428 families in Amujeju Village Bukedea district to pave way for fish farming, an investment introduced to

The State Minister for Environment Beatrice Atim Anywar has claimed that mafias are conniving with some big figures in National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS) to destroy forests in Kayunga district. While delivering her analysis

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Farmers across the world must connect agriculture with the protection of biodiversity and the environment to have a sustainable food supply system in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the

Nursery bed operators who have been supplying coffee seedlings to government in Masaka, Lwengo, Kyotera and Rakai districts are stuck with them after the distribution was halted in March following the Covid-19 pandemic. The

A Turkish company ASB Group which signed an agreement with the government to establish a $300 million special economic zone for beef production in Nakaseke district has lost interest in the project.ASB Group of

Farmers in Chegere Sub-county, Apac District, have rejected cassava planting stems supplied by government under Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), saying they were not consulted on what they needed to plant. A total of 816

By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi – Uganda – Kiryandongo Sugar limited, a multinational agribusiness company, which has been dispossessing thousands since 2017 in Kiryandongo district, is grabbing another piece of land in the ongoing

By witnessradio.org Team Masindi – Uganda – Lands minister Betty Kamya has ordered a multinational company Kiryandongo Sugar limited to hold any further evictions until a conclusive decision is reached. While touring the contested

Contested. Casual workers weed a maize plantation on one of the farms within the contested area at Obira East Village, Gotapwoyo Sub-county in Nwoya District on April 20. PHOTO | TOBBIAS JOLLY OWINY  

By BENJAMIN SSEMWANGA Residents of Sankala zone in Lukuli Makindye Municipality face eviction after NEMA wrote to them demanding that they leave the place because they encroached on a wetland. Led by their LC

Reduction in cassava production due to cassava mosaic disease (CMD) and cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) threatens food security.  As Uganda takes steps to make cassava an eco-friendly feedstock for ethanol production, agricultural experts

Charcoal is an integral part of everyday life in Uganda, where most people rely on some form of wood fuel to cook or boil water. For many, the sale of trees also provides a

 Bugoma reserve is being deforested to pave way for sugarcane. Photograph: Handout/The Guardian Conservationists say clearance of Bugamo reserve for plantation is blow to biodiversity and country’s reputation on wildlife. Conservationists have branded a

Locals starting their journeys. By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi – Uganda – as Masindi High Court district is set hear today illegal eviction  suits filed by a community of 35000 people in Kiryandongo district

By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi – Uganda – a High Court sitting at Masindi district, mid-western Uganda has fixed the 17th of June, 2020 to hear illegal eviction cases filed by a community of

  #UGBUDGET20 ✳ Sh45.5 trillion ✳ Cuts on travel, conferences ✳ Security Sh4.5 trillion ✳ Works Sh5.8 trillion ✳ Govt to borrow Sh11trillion ✅ 2020 – Sh45 trillion ✅ 2019 – Sh40 trillion ✅

A farmer uprooting weeds from his maize field in Kasese district. The COVID-19 lockdown has prevented farmers from accessing farm inputs. (File photo) AGRICULTURE Food production is often a combination of different factors, ranging

Amuru, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fifteen employees of Atiak sugar factory in Amuru district are seeking legal redress after their contracts were terminated. Last month, the staff were told to stop working and later

“Uganda: NGO claims Agilis Partners and Great Seasons violently evicting locals to pave way for agribusiness; Agilis Partners denies claims” Witness Radio claims that Agilis Partners limited and Great Season have resorted to the use of violence to

By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi – Uganda – In an effort to hold investors and their agents accountable and curb COVID-19 lockdown violence and human rights abuse, communities in Kiryandongo district have ran to

The Egyptian Government has given Uganda 1.5 million dollars to clear the floating islands on Lake Victoria. The increasing water levels on the lakes have detached large chunks of land and vegetation from the

Mike Lumu (right), an agricultural officer in Kibaale district, inspecting maize plantations. Photo by Ismael Kasooha As other parts of the country battle with floods and rivers bursting their banks, farmers in the districts

Nairobi, 14 May 2020 – As COVID-19 spreads around the world, billions of people have been told to stay at home, practice physical distancing, wash their hands regularly and wear masks. However, these simple

To vacate. Ms Sylvia Namukose, a farmer, works on her garden on part of the 50-acre piece of land that the district authorities want farmers to vacate in Kaiti Village, Namutumba Town Council. PHOTO

By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi – Uganda – lawyers representing more than 35,000 people that are being dispossessed by three multinational companies to give way for agribusinesses, have filed certificates of emergency at Masindi

By witnessradio.org Team   Masindi / Kiryandongo – Uganda – As COVID-19 lockdown continue to impact on Courts’ operations with its limited attention to human rights suits, three (3) multinational companies have taken advantage

Banana plantations were destroyed following a fight over family land in Bwikhonje Village, Busano Sub County Mbale District. Photo by Yahudu Kitunzi  By YAHUDU KITUNZI One person has been killed and five houses torched

©IFAD/Francesco Cabras Rome, 20 April 2020 – With the COVID-19 pandemic and economic slowdown threatening the lives and livelihoods of the world’s most vulnerable people, the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today committed

By WILSON KUTAMBA & AL-MAHDI SSENKABIRWA A section of livestock farmers in Rakai, Lyantonde, Sembabule, Kyotera and Kiruhura districts have accused government of selectively carrying out mass vaccination of cattle against the foot-and-mouth disease

AFRICA – Finnfund, a development financer, has invested US$15 million in a syndicate loan to Export Trading Group (ETG) alongside other investors to enable it further develop its business. Founded in Kenya in 1967,

Kitgum, Uganda |    The government through Operation Wealth Creation and National Agricultural Advisory Services is to start distribution of emergency seed support to more than 3,000 households in the eight districts of Acholi. This is

By witnessradio.org Team   Kampala – Uganda – Witness Radio – Uganda, has petitioned the ministry of security to immediately investigate and take punitive actions against Kiryandongo District security committee for undermining government’s COVID-19

In order to widen their market bases and also ease selling of their products especially in such a time of Covid-19, small scale farmers’ organisations from Uganda and Kenya have formed an online Agricultural

Zombo, Uganda | Police in Zombo district are investigating an incident in which 15 grass thatched houses were set ablaze at a height of a protracted land dispute in Atiak village. Reports from the police

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Just like any country under lockdown and a curfew, people living in Uganda are obliged to adhere to stipulated guidelines and time limits to be indoor.

By ANTHONY WESAKA Unscrupulous individuals are taking advantage of the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown to grab other people’s land, Daily Monitor has learnt. Ms Isabel Kabanda (not real names), a Facebook user took to her

Some of the bulldozers used to destroy people’s gardens in Kiryandongo By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Despite the existence of government’s order stopping land eviction during the COVID-19 lockdown, three multinational

MP Andrew Musasizi Parliament has widened tax exemptions to mechanized agricultural inputs, in a bid MPs said will give the sector the much needed post Covid-19 boost. The Chairperson of Parliament’s Committee on Finance,

Businessman Abid Alam in court where he was charged and remanded on April 16, 2020. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA  Kampala businessman Abid Alam has been remanded to prison over allegations of conspiracy to defeat

Lands minister Betty Kamya By witnessradio.org Team   Kampala – Uganda – the government of Uganda has ordered a total halt of evicting communities from contested land during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown. The government

Speaking to New Vision, Ssempija revealed that the animals were blinded after being affected by East Coast Fever (ECF) which is caused by ticks. AGRICULTURE  CATTLE Following reports that over 300 cows had gone blind

Four Wamala region senior police officers arrested for conniving with Abid Alam to defeat justice ( PHOTO/Courtesy) KAMPALA — The State House Anti-Corruption Unit has arrested four police officers for allegedly mismanaging case files

By witnessradio.org Team   Mubende – Uganda – More than 800 families from Kyamukoona, Kijojolo and Kalagala villages- Mubende District have petitioned the district land board to immediately cancel the land title that was

Exotic baron breed bred by scientists at Aswa Ranch for the last seven years weighing 900kg. Photo by Lominda Afedraru By Lominda Afedraru Dairy and beef cattle production is certainly a daunting undertaking, especially

As COVID-19 crisis rages, 119 groups from 30 countries push urgent demands for rural peoples With governments around the world rushing to contain the further spread of COVID-19, often with restrictive lockdown measures, 119

One of the houses that were dismantled during the evictions By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Police in Kiryandongo has finally succumbed to pressure and released three (3) land rights defenders on

One of the demolished houses  By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Police in Kiryandongo is blatantly abusing a 48-hours constitutional order to illegally detain three (3) land rights defenders for 6 days

Courtesy Photo Front Line Defenders condemns the continued harassment and arbitrary detention of land rights defenders in the Kiryandongo district, which appears to be part of a pattern of reprisals for their activities mobilising

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Four (4) Uganda People Defense Forces (UPDF) officers backing and guarding Kiryandongo Sugar Company have this morning fired live bullets, arrested two community land rights defenders

By witnessradio.org Team More than 100 civil society organizations have petitioned the President of the African Development Bank, Mr. Akinwumi Adesina, warning against financing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline.   The proposed 1,445-kilometer pipeline

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – As Uganda begins a 32 day COVID – 19 Lockdown, multinational companies dispossessing more than 35000 natives off their land, have resorted to the use of

All court hearings and appearances have been suspended for 32 days according to a circular issued by the chief justice Bart Katureebe. Katureebe says the suspension is in line with the directives issued by

Dairy Farmers in Mbarara and Kiruhura districts are stuck with over 150,000 litres of milk following the closure of the biggest milk processing plants in the area. Pearl Dairies stopped buying milk six days

Deforestation. A man assembles firewood in Funve Central Reserve in Mazinga Sub-county, Kalangala District, on March 6. PHOTO BY SYLVESTER SSEMUGENYI  Daniel Kaliisa, 45, is a charcoal burner and a resident of Mawaala Landing

By Frontline Defenders Land rights defenders Godfrey Ssebisolo, Erias Wanjala and Fred Mwawula reported that on 12 March their houses, located in Kisalanda village, were bulldozed by Great Season Company Limited. The defenders further

On the spot. The Former Minister for Presidency, Ms Masiko Kabakumba. Ms Kabakumba has been tasked to avail evidence that she completed the payment of 690 acres of land. FILE PHOTO  Former minister for

A look of anguish covers their faces, some break down in tears as they reminisce the events that led to their forceful eviction from a 13-square-mile chunk of land in Kiryandongo district. The evictions

By witnessradio.org Team   Mubende – Kampala – Trial judge Anthony Oyuko Ojok in the matter of the 28 land rights defenders has put all the accused on defense after prosecution closed its case

Preservation. Workers offload milk for chilling at a cooler owned by Nyamitsindo Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd in Mbarara District in February last year. PHOTO BY ALFRED TUMUSHABE  Majority of the cattle keepers in

Defenders speaking to one of their lawyers after they were released. By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – Kiryandongo Magistrate court has bowed down to intense public pressure and released on bail three (3) land

NAKASONGOLA- President Museveni has defended his recent directive to degazette  Kyalubanga Central Forest Reserve in Nakasongola District  to allow sitting households settle peacefully . The eight- square mile forest reserve stretches to four sub-counties including

Beatrice Anywar the State Minister for Environment on left engages a technocrat after submitting. President Yoweri Museveni has issued a directive for the entire Bugoma Forest in western Uganda to be mapped. This was

On 25 February 2020, land rights defenders Godfrey Ssebisolo, Erias Wanjala and Fred Mwawula were arrested by Kiryandongo police. They were later transferred to Dyanga prison in Kiryandongo district, where they have been subjected

“Trapped in the Buffer Zone: Uganda Forest Communities Cast Aside in the Fight Against Climate Change” …For decades, hundreds of people provided for themselves from these gardens and other resources obtained from the forest,

Ojuk Livingstone, the one who’s sued. By witnessradio.org Team   Mubende – Uganda – Ojuk Livingstone, a police Officer attached to Mubende district Police, also an Investigating Officer (IO) in matter of 28 land

Efforts. One of the blind cows at a farm in Isingiro District. PHOTO BY FELIX AINEBYOONA  By FELIX AINEBYOONA Government is investigating reports that dairy farmers in Isingiro District are using unlicensed acaricides and

Government has been dragged to court over alleged trespass on private land measuring 172 acres in Kireka in Kampala and Wakiso districts belonging to Kireka Estates Limited. In a suit filed by BBM Advocates and

Our challenges against the vicious attacks on Indigenous People’s Human Rights Defenders (IPHRDs) endure. Indigenous Lumad sanctuaries attacked by state-sponsored tribal paramilitaries, Wet’suwet’en land defenders arrested for defending their territories, and the list of Indigenous leaders,

The Chairperson of Uganda Land Commission, Hon. Beatrice Byenkya, addressing the media at Uganda Media Centre on Sustainable Land Management in Uganda. PHOTO via @UgandaMediaCent Kampala, Uganda | Government officials are at the centre of

By witnessradio.org Team   Uganda| Kiryandongo – Barely days after suing the Great Season company, Kiryandongo district Police commander Joseph Bakaleke, Attorney General and others, arrested three (3) land rights defenders and sent them

By witnessradio.org Team  Kiryandongo – Uganda – Janat Akello, a mother of 7 children has finally lost her only standing and precious house, belongings scattered while others destroyed by a tractor that descended on

Helpless. Family members in front of their grass-thatched hut that faces demolition in Kiryandongo District last Wednesday. PHOTO BY BILL OKETCH  More than 35,000 people from 20 villages are homeless after being evicted from

By witnessradio.org Team Tears, hopelessness and pain is what fills the hearts of over 30,000 people that are being evicted by three private firms in Kiryandongo. The said land formerly hosting government ranches was

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – after seven days of illegal detention at Kiryandongo police station, the three land rights defenders have now been charged with trespassing on land which they have lawfully occupied

By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – A court assessor in the criminal trial of the 28 land rights defenders has been attacked and dumped few kilometers away from the court where the trial

Farmers in a Pineapple Plantation in Kyanamukaaka sub county in Masaka district where the market has shrunk as exporters stay away Masaka, Uganda | Pineapple farmers in Masaka district are stuck with their farm produces as

By EVE MUGANGA The Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries’ (MAAIF) department of crop inspection and certification has impounded fake inputs worthy Shs30 million in their operations conducted for one week within the

The affected residents at Kaberamaido District Headquarters.  Kaberamaido, Uganda  | Over 350 households in Alwa Sub County, Kaberamaido district are bickering with National Forestry Authority over land in Atigo Forest Reserve.  Since Wednesday, different groups

By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – with the backing of Kiryandongo district police, Great Season Company, owned by Sudan nationals based in Dubai have illegally arrested and detained three community land rights

Workers carry pesticides from a truck onto a waiting army helicopter that airlifted them to Karamoja sub-region. Desert locusts that invaded Uganda through Amudat District via North West Pokot in Kenya on Sunday, have

The government has confirmed an outbreak of new and more deadly banana disease in western Uganda. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), says the fast-spreading disease is drying up banana plants

The locusts have devastated food supplies in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia, with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) describing the situation as the worst in 25 years. A locust infestation sweeping the Horn of

By witnessradio.org Team   An agribusiness company supported by the governments of the UK, US and the Netherlands is pushing ahead with a land grab that will displace thousands of families in Uganda.   

Experts have warned farmers not to rush into planting anything, explaining that the current rains are just seasonal and occasionally occur during dry spells. “These rains will not last for long. Farmers should hold

Eng. John Twinomujuni explaining to the Kyegegwa district how the irrigation scheme works.Photo by Adolf Ayoreka KYEGEGWA – The Government, through the water and environment ministry under the department of water for production, has handed

BERLIN, Germany, February 5, 2020/ — The worst locust infestation in decades is currently destroying crops and pastureland in the Horn of Africa. There is a risk of famine in the region. Germany has made

Government has cancelled three titles awarded to Buganda Kingdom Princess, Faridah Namusisi Naluwembe Namirembe alias Bwanga Bwamirembe on Makerere University land.   The titles are for plots 14 and 45 on block 253 Kyadondo

The price of pineapples in Luweero district has dropped from Shs 2,000 to Shs 700 per piece following a bumper harvest. The price reduction is attributed to increased production as a result of two

State prosecutor Birivumbuka Richard By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – Barely two weeks after Mubende district resident Judge Justice Joseph Murangira has been transferred, a senior state prosecutor Birivumbuka Richard in the matter

Minister of Water and Environment Sam Cheptoris addressing the media during press conference at Uganda Media Centre on January 29, 2020.Photo by Ramadhan Abbey Land titles that were obtained after 1995 have been cancelled

Justice Oyuko Anthony Ojok By witnessradio.org Team   Mubende – Uganda – the trial judge in the case of the 28 land rights defenders, currently under criminal trial, has threatened to make the work

A solar hydro hybrid plant. Uganda has shelved its plan to construct a solar hydro hybrid plant. courtesy photo  Uganda will have to wait a while longer before it can see its first solar

Photo: One of the residents’ house that was demolished By witnessradio.org Team   Kiryandongo – Uganda – with the backing of Kiryandongo district police, Great Season Company, owned by the South Sudan nationals is

Members of Parliament on the committee of Physical Infrastructure have asked the Ministry of Lands to avail a report on how the Land Fund was spent in the 2018/2019 financial year. Led by Kasilo

Dialogue. Some of the beneficiaries on Block 125 Plot 18 to 23 land at Ddagala in Kalungi Sub-county attend a sensitisation meeting on Tuesday. PHOTO BY DAN WANDERA At least 1,300 families in Nakasongola

By witnessradio.org Team Hoima – Uganda – more than 600 families that were forcefully and violently evicted from Kyabisagazi II village in Hoima district, were evicted illegally said a Parliamentary select committee that investigated

By URN The National Oil Palm Project has taken over the management, expansion and cultivation of Palm Oil growing across the country. The Project takes over from the Vegetable Oil Development Project, which has

Ms Betty Amongi, the outgoing Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development   KAMPALA- The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development needs at least Shs140 billion to compensate absentee landlords and to implement presidential

Unknown to Makerere, he disposed of the lease interest to Rutungu Investments Limited linked to businessman Ben Kavuya, contrary to the lease agreement. And the plunder is not yet over. Most of the university

The Aswa ranch believed to be the biggest in East Africa is keeping over 1,800 improved breeds of cows like Jazze and Ankole and is expected to produce more Kampala, Uganda | Concerned political

By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – the trial Judge in the matter of the 28 land rights defenders has overruled an application by the defense lawyers seeking to block the trial within a

By witnessradio.org Team Virtually three weeks after an abrupt break, the criminal trial for the 28 land rights defenders is resuming today, January 8th, 2020 at Mubende High Court before the visiting judge Justice

Kampala, Uganda |  The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has opened the UNBS national food safety laboratory building whose construction started in 2010 when the body acquired land to build its headquarters in

At least 394,000 land titles will be affected by the temporary closure of Ministry of Lands Wakiso zonal offices. The Minister of State for Lands Hon Persis Namuganza told the press on Friday that

China hosted African agricultural leaders for a forum this week where Chinese officials pledged to expand and deepen cooperation, investment, and trade with African agriculture over the next 3 years. According to China’s Ministry

Stranded. Eviction residents prepare a meal at a temporary settlement in Abim District on Friday. PHOTO SIMON PETER EMWAMU   More than 10,000 people have been evicted from three villages said to be part

By witnessradio.org Team Kampala – Uganda – One of the five Plaintiffs in the Civil Suit No 2563 of 2016 (former No 179 of 2002) against Kaweeri coffee plantation and Attorney General over illegal

By witnessradio.org Team Kampala – Uganda – One of five plaintiffs in the Civil Suit No. 2563 of 2016 (former No. 179 of 2002) against Kaweeri coffee plantation and Attorney General over illegal and

By witnessradio.org Team Kampala – Uganda – Victims of the Kaweeri coffee forceful eviction will meet this Thursday to decide on whether to agree on the out of court settlement or not. This comes

The climate emergency is real. So how is it possible that those who have protected and still protect the Earth are being falsely accused of crimes and locked up in prison? Indigenous Peoples and local communities

Kyabisagazi village in Hoima district where over 600 families were evicted this year By witnessradio.org Team Hoima – Uganda – After years of despair and failure for state organs to protect native land owners,

By witnessradio.org Team Kampala – Uganda – Government has asked for more time to make a final decision on compensating victims of the Kaweeri forceful eviction. This happens following a court session held today

By witnessradio.org Team The re-trial of a 19-year-old Kaweeri Coffee land grabbing case resumes early this December 2019. Human rights groups have released a disturbing report which shows that Kaweeri Coffee evictees have suffered

After twenty years of negotiations, the European Union is in the process of advancing one of the world’s largest free trade agreements with four states of Mercosur. The planned agreement suggests a political path that

By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – As a criminal trial for the 28 land rights defenders enters its 15th day, trial judge Justice Anthony Oyuk Ojok has ordered Mubende district police to investigate

Judge Joseph Murangira PHOTO BY RACHEL MABALA. By witnessradio.org Team Barely three months after he recused himself from a case involving 28 land rights defenders over bias, Mubende resident judge, Joseph Murangira is in the

African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina  JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – The African Development Bank (AfDB) will not fund a coal-fired power plant project in Kenya and has no plans to finance new coal plants

By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – More than 50 witnesses have been lined up to testify in a 30 day-long trial of 28 land rights defenders, which kicked off on November 11th, 2019.

Despite a steady increase in coffee consumption around the world, trade prices have fallen dramatically in the past three years. Futures on arabica and robusta, the most widespread varieties of coffee, have fallen 40

Justice Anthony Oyuk Ojoko. By witnessradio.org Team Mubende – Uganda – the criminal Trial for the jailed 28 land rights defenders has kicked off today at Mubende high court circuit in a special criminal

Kampala, Uganda | The fate of numerous pending complaints filed at the Land Commission of Inquiry for investigations hang in balance as the tenure of the Commission ends. The Commission of Inquiry into land matters

Justice Catherine Bamugemereire addressing journalists in Kampala on November 8, 2019. PHOTO BY RUTH ANDERAH  The commission of inquiry into land matters chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire has closed its public hearings today (November