From Museveni's comments on Kawempe to Shaka's death: Here are our top 1O stories of March
President Museveni. Right are some of the security operatives on patrol in Kampala during the campaigns ahead of the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- In March 2025, key events included the UPDF killing 242 militants in DR Congo, the death of veteran journalist Shaka Ssali, and the controversial rejection of the Kawempe North by-election results by Uganda's ruling NRM party. Other notable stories included accusations of Uganda violating South Sudan's arms embargo and the conviction of Ugandan judge Lydia Mugambe on modern slavery charges.
Here are our top 1O stories of March 2025
Ugandan troops killed 242 militants from the Cooperative for Development of the Congo (CODECO) armed group in a two-day battle in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
A native of Kabale in Uganda, Ssali's career was marked by a passion for truth, accountability, and empowering Africa's youth.
Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, led by President Museveni, has rejected the results of the Kawempe North by-election, alleging widespread electoral malpractice and violence.
The election, held on March 13, 2025, in Kampala, saw opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola declared winner with 17,764 votes, defeating NRM’s Faridah Nambi (8,593 votes), along with eight other candidates.
South Sudan First Vice President, Dr Reik Machar has accused Uganda’s military of bombing civilians and demanded the withdrawal of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces from his country.
President Museveni has defended the deployment of military forces, including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT), in handling election security and public order, arguing that opposition groups are responsible for inciting unrest.
Police in Mbale City in Eastern Uganda are investigating the circumstances under which a 15-year-old student was reportedly defiled and strangled in a guesthouse.
Sumaya Binti Edrisa, a student at Nakaloke Secondary School in Mbale Northern City Division, was killed at Grace Guest House located in Gudoi Cell, Namakwekwe ward in Mbale Northern City Division along the Mbale-Soroti highway on Sunday, according to police.
A United Nations judge, Lydia Mugambe, has been convicted of forcing a young woman to work as a slave.
Justice Mugambe, 49, also a High Court judge in Uganda, was found guilty of conspiring to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law, facilitating travel with a view to exploitation, forcing someone to work, and conspiracy to intimidate a witness.
The late Katanga’s own mobile phone, a Nokia handset with an Airtel SIM card, recorded its first call at 7:42 a.m. on the day of his death.
During a recent parliamentary session, Mukono North Legislator Abdallah Kiwanuka, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, pressed Minister Muhoozi to clarify whether security forces had adopted a new dress code involving face-covering hoods.
This is not the first time Uganda has deployed in South Sudan. The country’s army deployed in Juba and Bor in December 2013, when a fierce civil war erupted between Kiir and the forces loyal to Machar.
