*Provide Affordable Alternatives First, Namyalo Tells Gov’t On Charcoal Ban* The Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs and Manager, Office of the National Chairman, Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye, has urged government to provide gas cookers to low-income households and support refill costs to ease transition from charcoal. Addressing the media on Friday, October 16, Namyalo said environmental policies must consider the financial constraints of ordinary citizens, warning that banning charcoal without affordable alternatives will hurt vulnerable families. “We are not rich people. Some of us can’t afford a meal,” she said. “You can’t say you are eliminating charcoal when gas is not available to us. You have not trained us how to use the gas.” She called for mass distribution of gas cookers, training on safe use, and sensitization, noting many Ugandans fear gas due to safety concerns. While supporting conservation, Namyalo said government should prioritize afforestation, make briquettes and improved cookstoves affordable, and strengthen accountability for forest destruction, citing concerns in Mabira Forest and around Lake Victoria. She argued that the cost of living should be at the centre of policy: “For someone who can’t afford a meal a day, do I really need gas to prepare salt, onions and tomatoes?” “Constructive criticism is not disloyalty. Accountability is patriotism, and the people must remain at the centre of every public policy,” Namyalo added. #ONCUpdates