The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has opposed the government’s charcoal ban, arguing that it takes away an affordable cooking fuel used by ordinary households without offering practical alternatives.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference on Wednesday, October 14th, 2026, at Uganda House, the UPC party Spokesperson, Sharon Arach Oyat said she personally uses charcoal and that many families outside urban centres have no realistic substitute.
“You are telling me to leave charcoal, which I can afford. I can go to the shrubs, cut my forest, cut my tree, and make a meal for my children. You are telling me do not cut my own trees. I should not buy charcoal. What should I use to feed my children?” Oyat asked.
She said gas is not a viable option for villagers without petrol stations, where fuel is sold in bottles, forcing some to travel as far as Gulu just to buy it.
Electricity supplied by UEDCL, Oyat added, has become more expensive than it was under UMEME, while load shedding continues.
She argued that about 80 percent of Kampala residents also depend on charcoal for their daily needs, making its removal without an alternative unrealistic.
Oyat connected the charcoal ban to other recent measures, including the trade order that drove people off the streets and the removal of taxis, which she said had left many unemployed without alternative sources of income. She linked the approach to telling someone who cannot afford bread to buy cake.
“If you’re making policies that only benefit the minority rich and leaving the majority poor, then you’re not a government of the people,” she said.
On education, UPC wished Senior Four candidates successSenior Four candidates success as UNEB examinations began and condemned the practice of preventing registered students from sitting their papers because of unpaid fees.
“Education is a right, not a privilege. No Ugandan child should miss an examination because of fees,” Oyat said.
She also warned schools against examination malpractice and urged UNEB and invigilators to address irregularities at examination centres instead of withholding results months later, ensuring that four years of preparation.
