Kadaga hosts outgoing Chinese ambassador, applauds strong Uganda–China relations

21 January 2026, 12:17 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs, Rt Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, on Tuesday hosted the outgoing Chinese Ambassador to Uganda, H.E. Zhang Lizhong, who paid a courtesy call at the Ministry’s headquarters in Kampala.

The meeting followed the completion of Ambassador Zhang’s tenure, which ends after nearly five years of service marked by significant contributions to Uganda–China cooperation.

Ambassador Zhang thanked the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Government of Uganda for the support extended to him during his tenure, which he said enabled the achievement of several milestones in bilateral relations.

He expressed satisfaction with the deepening cooperation between the two countries, citing major initiatives such as the Entebbe–Kampala Expressway and the successful hosting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77 + China Summit in Kampala.

In her remarks, Kadaga commended China for maintaining strong and cordial relations with Uganda and wished Ambassador Zhang success in his next diplomatic assignment. She further acknowledged China’s continued support to Uganda in various sectors, including education, through the provision of scholarships to Ugandan students to study in China.

Meanwhile, retired General Proscovia Nalweyiso has congratulated President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on his seventh term in office.

Nalweyiso disclosed that she plans to engage relevant authorities to advocate for the tabling of a proposal seeking to revise presidential, parliamentary, and local government leadership terms from five to ten years.

She argued that extending the terms would help reduce the high costs incurred by the state in organising frequent elections, noting that a five-year term is “just a wink of the eye” in terms of national development planning.

Nalweyiso is not the first Ugandan to propose an extension of leadership terms, as similar suggestions have been raised in the past.