Uganda’s Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development has unveiled a Shs72.136 trillion national budget for the 2025/2026 financial year, setting its sights on transforming every corner of the country into a hub of commercial activity.

Presented by Finance Minister Matia Kasaija last Thursday, the budget signals a strong shift towards full monetisation of Uganda’s economy, underpinned by commercial agriculture, industrialisation, digital transformation, and expanded access to markets.

Speaking against the backdrop of a rapidly growing economy, Kasaija painted a picture of a Uganda ready to transition from resilience to acceleration.

“The budget for next financial year, and over the medium term, is focused on people and wealth creation,” he said.

Consequently, the theme of the financial year 2025/26 is: “Full Monetisation of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialisation, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access.’”

The Shs72.3 trillion resource envelope represents one of the largest in Uganda’s history, with domestic revenue expected to contribute Shs37.2 trillion, roughly 60 percent of the total.

The rest will be financed through borrowing and grants. The budget deficit is estimated at 7.6 percent of GDP.

But Kasaija reassured Ugandans, stating that the government had a clear strategy to enhance domestic revenue mobilisation, widen the tax base, and strengthen tax administration.

“Government plans to collect Shs37.2 trillion in domestic revenue next financial year,” he said, adding that focus would be placed on tackling smuggling, corruption at Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), and leveraging digital tools like the Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing System to plug leakages.

Priority sectors such as health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and tourism received large shares of the allocation.

Healthcare emerged as a major beneficiary, with Shs5.87 trillion earmarked for next year. Kasaija detailed plans to functionalise health centre IVs, scale up e-health systems, and expand emergency medical services.

He said the government had already delivered 20 digital X-ray machines and installed CT scanners in 14 out of 16 regional referral hospitals.

“We are strengthening the National Ambulance and Emergency Care System,” he added.

In education, the minister allocated Shs5.04 trillion to support Universal Primary and Secondary Education, student loans, the construction of new seed schools, and improvements in teacher recruitment and digital inspections.

Kasaija also confirmed the upcoming operationalisation of Bunyoro and Busoga universities, as well as continued investment in sports infrastructure ahead of African Champions Cup (CHAN) and African Cup of Nation (AFCON 2027). APA News

Việt Nam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6 (BVDC 2.6) carried out health screenings and CPR training for peacekeeping officers in South Sudan. The initiative aims to strengthen emergency medical preparedness among multinational forces stationed at the Unity Sector.

UNITY — Việt Nam’s Level-2 Field Hospital Rotation 6 (BVDC2.6) has conducted a series of health screenings and emergency medical training for United Nations peacekeeping personnel at the Unity Sector in South Sudan to enhance medical preparedness and ensure the well-being of deployed forces. 

According to hospital officials, the activities included routine health assessments and first aid training, focusing on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

The programme targeted individual officers and personnel from troop-contributing countries currently serving in the region.

Screenings were held at the hospital and covered vital sign monitoring, specialist clinical examinations, risk assessment of underlying conditions and health counselling.

Organisers said the initiative was designed to detect potential health issues early, especially under extreme weather and the stressful working environment in the war-torn African country.

Additionally, the hospital conducted first aid and CPR sessions, with participation from officers representing various nations. The training focused on common field emergencies such as soft tissue injuries, bone fractures, airway obstruction and standard chest compression and rescue breathing techniques.

Participants also practiced on models and simulated scenarios to improve emergency response coordination.

Director of BVDC 2.6 Trần Anh Đức said the training raises awareness of emergency care and provides essential skills for officers to protect themselves and their colleagues during operations.

Officers attending the sessions expressed satisfaction and praised the professionalism and dedication of the Vietnamese medical team. Some noted that practical training was especially valuable in the resource-limited conditions of the mission area.

BVDC 2.6 said the initiative highlights Việt Nam’s continued commitment to international peacekeeping efforts, reflecting humanitarian values and solidarity among nations in maintaining global peace and security. — VNS

Gen Zs seem to be a jaded generation that wants to change almost everything to fit their needs, interests and even moods.

They have redefined almost everything from leadership, work culture, dress code and all that. 

Like it or not, some of the changes are so cool that even the previous generations try to emulate them.

But one thing that’s quite alarming is how this generation mourns the death of their loved ones. They don’t eulogise with long paragraphs of what she did or said, or post pictures and tag #RIP.

Nah, for this generation, crying and writing testimonies is no longer giving.  

They mourn with dark humour. Can you imagine feeling sad about the loss of a loved one and at the same time mourning? Bonkers right?

Now picture this, someone’s father, mother, brother, sister or close friend has passed on. How do you expect them to mourn?

“My dad went to sleep and was so lazy he did not wake up. He is still asleep until today, never really feels like waking up,” says a Gen Z user on TikTok.

Fun around death 

In another video, a family who had lost a loved one decided to do the “I’m not the bride, I’m the bride’s whatever” challenge.

This challenge is often done for brides where family members describe how they are related to her.

However, Wahu Mbuthia’s video takes a different turn. This time, her family does the challenge with the deceased.

“I’m not the deceased, I’m the deceased’s daughter. I’m not the deceased, I’m the deceased sister. I’m not the deceased, I’m the deceased’s daughter-in-law,” and they go on and on.

What was surprising was the part where one says, “I’m the bride,” they zoom the camera to their mother’s grave and in an imitated funny voice say, “I am the deceased!”

This time, the comment section was not flooded with loads of sorry, prayers and RIPs, but with laughter. 

As much as death always causes deep sorrow, how is it that Gen Z are coping with death differently?

“Many of my Gen Z colleagues feel that their Gen X or Baby Boomer parents were ill-equipped to discuss death, their own or that of others,” states a report by Talkdeath.

According to the report, the legacy that many of the Gen Z respondents wish to have is one that ensures that even in death, there is equality and dignity.

It further denotes that humour is one of their coping mechanism since it is easier to come to terms with things they cannot control, but they can at least control the sentiment surrounding it.

Coping-up mechanism

As such, Gen Z colleagues felt that their Gen X or Baby Boomer parents were ill-equipped to discuss death, their own or that of others. Psychologist Alex Muraya says the majority of young people tend to view things from different perspectives, unlike how the older generation does.

Gen Zs tend to view reality as it is and not with tinted glasses like many people do when it comes to death.

They are mentally and emotionally aware, which makes it easier for them to open up and be less afraid to talk about taboo topics like depression, anxiety, breakups, and even death.

“The Gen Z and Gen Alpha know that death is the path for each one of us, and so they’re not afraid of it. They have instead embraced it and talk about it openly,” he says.

More notably, the advent of social media, which has made death more mainstream, has made death conversations lighter and funnier, making people feel better amidst the loss of a loved one.

Dark humour offers emotional distance from overwhelming grief; the jokes and laughter make them process loss without directly confronting their raw feelings and pain. 

Through dark humour, which is deemed a form of emotional regulation, they are able to acknowledge their loss and pain without really consuming it.  By Cynthia Atuo, People Daily

Experts have expressed deep concerns over provisions in the Finance Bill, 2025, that could negatively impact businesses and cash flow in the economy.

Key among these is the reclassification of products from zero-rated to tax-exempt, the increase in excise duty on imported packaging materials from outside the East African Community, the removal of the 15 per cent corporate tax incentive for local assemblers of motor vehicles, and granting Kenya Revenue Authority access to trade secrets and personal data for integration into the electronic tax management system.

They note that the government’s spending plan for the upcoming financial year includes no incentives aimed at improving the living standards of Kenyans, even as the government steers clear of direct taxation.

“The move to make products tax-exempt will increase their cost. And as long as Kenya does not have a mechanism to claim refunds on inputs, products will remain expensive,” said Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) Chief Executive Officer Tobias Alando, ahead of the Budget Statement reading last Thursday. 

He said that, with the addition of excise duty, Kenyans would be more inclined to import plastic packaging materials, consequently exporting jobs out of the country.

Alando said that manufacturers object to taxing companies that produce locally, stressing the need to strike a balance between trading and manufacturing, given the sector’s declining growth.

“Taxing inputs and raw materials is not helping the growth of the manufacturing sector,” he said, noting that the sector employs 369,000 people directly 

According to Alando, the cost of duty payable for local manufacturing runs to almost 60 per cent. When compared to imported finished goods, local production becomes significantly more expensive.

He added that duties imposed on the manufacturing sector should be reconsidered by the State. 

“This proposal is likely to cripple the manufacturing sector and encourage importation,” Alando remarked, suggesting that policy makers may be unaware of the consequences of their decisions.

Currently, Kenya is largely an import-driven economy, and despite efforts to promote local production, tax measures imposed on manufacturers continue to stifle investment. 

Additionally, manufacturers have stated that the government’s proposed revenue mobilisation measures are short-term and may result in company closures due to policy decisions. 

Industry stakeholders argue that revenue mobilisation efforts should attract investment, not force businesses to shut down. They say they hope their concerns will be taken into account to foster sector growth and create more jobs in manufacturing.

Even so, KAM projects that the manufacturing sector aims to employ more people and attract additional investment.

“In our quarter three barometer, 60 per cent of manufacturers were holding their investments while awaiting policy decisions in the Finance Bill,” said Alando.

According to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), extending the tax refund timelines — increasing the period from 90 days to 120 days, and potentially up to 180 days if an audit is required — is a regressive move that could severely strain business cash flows. 

The Federation has criticised the proposal to delete the provision in the Income Tax Act that allows for the carrying forward of losses. According to FKE, this proposal is unfair to employers as it contradicts the principle of taxing net gains and penalises genuine economic losses.

“This may discourage investment, distort taxpayers’ financial positions, and create unfairness by taxing profits while ignoring related losses, ultimately harming economic efficiency.”

FKE also warns that the proposal to remove the 15 per cent tax incentive for real estate developers who construct at least 100 residential units annually is likely to deter investment in the real estate sector.

Moreover, imposing value added tax on goods intended for the direct and exclusive use in constructing and equipping specialised hospitals would significantly increase the cost of developing such critical infrastructure, potentially discouraging investment.

FKE Executive Director Jacqueline Mugo said the current taxation policy is not business-friendly.

“The perception is that we are heavily taxed, yet the quality of public service delivery does not reflect this burden. Payroll taxation is leaving employees vulnerable, contributing to the rise of the working poor individuals who are employed but still struggle to meet basic needs,” said Mugo.

Patrick Muinde, an economist, told The Standard that the National Treasury appears to alter tax policies annually, complicating long-term planning for businesses. 

“When you are in an environment where taxes change every year, you cannot project how they will behave over the next five years.

‘‘The lack of predictability makes the business environment quite toxic,” Muinde said. By Esther Dianah, The Standard