With The Equipment That We Have, I Rather Trust My Rainmaker; Thomas Tayebwa Raises Doubt Over Gov’t Meteorological Forecast

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has questioned the reliability of Uganda’s weather forecasts, saying that with the equipment currently available, he would rather trust his village rainmaker.

Tayebwa made the remarks on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, while opening a two-day induction for Members of Parliament serving on the Forum on Climate Change and the Committee on Natural Resources at Mestil Hotel in Kampala.

He said Parliament should push for increased funding for meteorological services so that the government can acquire modern equipment capable of providing more accurate and timely weather information.

“We lobbied for about Shs12 billion for UNMA to have the latest equipment. But now, with the equipment that we have, I rather trust my rainmaker,” Tayebwa said.

He further questioned the reliability of some forecasts, saying people are sometimes told that rain is coming but end up waiting without seeing any rainfall. “I think they are also predicting manually. They tell us rain is coming this time; you wait for rain, zero,” he said.

Tayebwa urged the parliamentary committees to push for the meteorological budget to be increased to about Shs50 billion, arguing that reliable weather information is important for disaster preparedness, agriculture and planning across the economy.

His comments come as Uganda continues efforts to strengthen its weather observation and forecasting systems. The government has an ongoing four-year, US$6.3 million project aimed at upgrading weather stations, upper-air observations, data systems, staff capacity and maintenance under the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Tayebwa linked better weather forecasting to disaster prevention, arguing that Uganda should invest more in early warning systems instead of waiting for disasters before spending heavily on relief. He said climate change requires practical action and stronger preparedness to help communities respond to extreme weather events.