Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda/Report/Jan-Dec 2025
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Welcome to the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUGU) annual report of activities for the year 2025. This report highlights the achievements, lessons learned, and progress made in the activities that WCUGU has promoted or supported. It is updated quarterly and provides a comprehensive overview of our work.
In 2025, WCUGU embarked on the implementation of its 2025/29 strategic plan which was crafted to ensure that our engagement does not only expand the breadth of Uganda's relevant content, but also enriches Uganda’s knowledge base in critical ways. The 2025/29 strategy is being implemented under 4 key strateguc objectives; Community Development and growth, Content creation and improvement, advocacy and awareness of open knowledge and Organisational capacity and sustainability forming the foundation for WCUGU’s efforts over the next five years.
These 4 objectives will be instrumental in addressing gaps in local language content, promoting the documentation of Uganda’s culture, and advocating for open knowledge policies in the country hand in hand with empowering Ugandans to tell their stories, preserve their heritage, and participate in the global knowledge ecosystem.
Our activities are primarily defined by our annual activities plan and other projects we are involved in. Under each strategic objective, we report on the different activities that have contributed to the statistical metrics for the year.
Documents guiding the goals and metrics reported:
- 2025 activities plan
- Wikimedia Community Fund from WMF for 2025-2027
- User Group Strategy 2025-2029
Key strategic objectives
OBJECTIVE 1: Community Development & Growth
[edit]To increase and diversify membership to broaden the community's skills and knowledge base.
WikiGap 2025 in Uganda was a significant initiative aimed at bridging the gender gap on Wikipedia by enhancing the representation of Ugandan and African women across various fields. Participants were invited from 8 institutions, including Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Kabale University, Bishop Stuart University, Victoria University, and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. The event spanned from March to April, 2025 and featured a blend of in-person and online activities with efforts to create and improve articles about Ugandan and African women in leadership, academia, science, arts, sports, etc.
The project conducted a three-day intensive training focusing on Wikipedia editing, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons, mentoring of new editors by pairing them with experienced Wikimedians to foster skill development and holding of a social Media Campaign to raise awareness about the gender gap on Wikipedia and encourage public participation.
The total number of individuals who actively contributed to the campaign were 33 (15 women and 18 men), 107 new Wikipedia articles were created, over 112 existing articles were improved, 700 new Wikidata items were created and 31 articles were translated on Luganda Wikipedia. See Dashboard:
Limited representation of women in Wikipedia content and among contributors was solved by targeted outreach and training programs to encourage women's participation and content creation and the poor quality and reliability of newly added content were solved by implementing mentorship programs and peer reviews to maintain high standards.
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participants pose for a photo at the bootcamp in Kampala -
participants pose for a photo at the bootcamp in Kampala -
Training of participants by senior editors at the bootcamp in Kampala -
Training of participants by senior editors at the bootcamp in Kampala
In February 2025, Divine Gabriella Nanteza (a Wikisource volunteer since June 2022) attended the “Preserving Heritage Digitally” conference in Bali for Wikisource’s 10th anniversary. Representing Sub-Saharan Africa, she presented a structured onboarding course for newcomers, highlighting global demand for accessible entry points networked with editors from Indonesia, India, and France, and explored the new Wikisource Reader app to improve content access.
Inspired by the worldwide commitment to digitizing cultural heritage, Gabriella has since shared her learnings and tools with Ugandan volunteers to strengthen local participation. She thanks Alice (GLAM project lead), Geoffrey and the User Group admins, and the entire Ugandan Wikisource community for their support and the honor of representing them internationally.
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Wikisource Conference 2025, Day 2, Denpasar; February 2025 -
Wikisource Conference 2025, Day 1, Denpasar; February 2025 (261)
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Wiki University Clubs 2025
[edit]This project aims at engaging enthusiastic student volunteers from key universities to support them in forming Wikimedia communities also referred to as Wikipedia University Clubs within their institutions. The emphasis is on building active, self-sustaining groups of students who are passionate about contributing to open knowledge. In this project, students are supported through and training resources, connections to experienced Wikimedia mentors, and guidance on organizing meaningful activities that promote knowledge sharing and collaboration among themselves. This is a long-term initiative nurtures a cycle of growth and sustainability where today's volunteers evolve into mentors, helping onboard new members and ensuring continuity thus maintaining momentum and a strong Wikimedia presence on campus.
The project relied on external partners through which university students, staff and well-wishers were engaged in introductory sessions to Wikipedia and its sister projects, guided on how to contribute on selected Wiki projects, mainly Wikipedia, Language Wikis ie Runyankore-Rukiga Wikipedia, Luganda Wikipedia, Wiki data and Wikimedia Commons.
Partnership was established with 3 Universities and thus 3 Wikimedia clubs were launched;
The project managed to established Wiki Clubs at 3 institutions with a total membership of 131 new volunteers to the community. Diversified membership to regions outside the central region, improved contributions to sister projects such as Luganda Wikipedia and Runyankore-Rukiga Wikipedia.
There were competing priorities at the institutional (partner) level which affected our timelines but allowed the partner institutions to take charge of events and market them for the agreed dates. IT skill gaps are present in the majority of the new volunteers; this meant that thorough training and supervision had to take place for new volunteers to reach a level of contribution that required minimal supervision. There was general lack of understanding of the open knowledge ecosystem among the representatives of the partner institutions, which meant getting approval for activities to start took longer than desired.
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Wiki University Club, Lira University -
Wiki University Club, Kabale University -
Wiki University Club, Kabale University -
Volunteers of Wiki University Club Makerere University 2025
Wiki Loves Sport 2025 mentorship program was an initiative to expand the online representation of Ugandan sports across Wikimedia projects: Wikipedia, Luganda Wikipedia, Wiki data, and Wikimedia Commons. The mentorship-driven program ran for 6 months offering 14 weeks of structured training, editing, and content creation activities in both English and Luganda to 15 mentees.
The main objectives of the mentorship program were to equip mentees with Wikimedia projects editing, photography, graphics design and videography skills. The program had a target of training 15 mentees, creating and or improving 100 Wikipedia articles about Ugandan sports, creating or enhancing 500 Wiki data items and upload 500 media files to Commons.
At the end of the 6 months period, 15 mentees had benefited from the program, 106 articles created, 456 articles improved, over 14k Wiki data items created and a total of 1049 quality media files were uploaded on Wikimedia Commons about Ugandan sports including but not limited to, Basketball, Football, Boxing, Chess, Netball, among others. One partnership was created with Zebra Boxing Club and documented a number of boxers with images uploaded to commons under the following category Zebra Boxing Club.
The main challenges faced in the program included the lack of gadgets like computers and cameras by some mentees which affected their performances. A few had other priorities other than committing fully to the program, the campaign period - 6 months is not enough since a number of sports in Uganda run at different timelines.
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Wiki Loves Sport 2025 in Uganda -
Bika by'Abaganda Football Tournament 2025 -
Soft Ground Wrestling Mukono -
Zebra Boxing Club -
Pictoral of the Uganda Cup final between Vipers SC and KCCA FC at FUFA Stadium Kadiba on 31st May 2025 -
Wiki Loves Sport 2025 in Uganda -
St Mary's Kitende vs Buddo SS -
Boxing -
Wiki Loves Sport 2025 in Uganda -
Referee Rashidah Adam
The Luganda Wikipedia Mentorship Program 2025 focused on building capacity among new and existing editors by strengthening translation skills, quality assurance, Wiki data use, file uploading, and article improvement. The project registered 15 active participants including teachers, students, and community editors, who were guided by a Core Organizing team.
Over the mentorship period, editors produced an impressive amount of new content, improved existing articles, contributed files to Wikimedia Commons, and strengthened Luganda’s digital knowledge presence. Equally, the program nurtured new editors, provided continuous mentorship, and transitioned some mentees into quality-focused roles. 1,172 new Luganda Wikipedia pages created and 376 pages improved through quality editing, 281 uploaded files, representing Luganda-related educational and cultural material, 2,602 Wiki data items created, 6 new editors recruited. The sustained mentorship model, combined with capacity building and continuous training, proved effective in growing a consistent community of Luganda content creators.
Time management by editors balancing school/work duties led to slow submission and inconsistency by some editors. There also Digital skills gaps, especially among new editors which led to errors in citations, publishing and translation tools. This was handled through mentorship and continuous support from the senior editors.
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Luganda Wikipedia Mentorship 2025 -
Luganda Wikipedia Mentorship Program Launch, June 2025 -
Luganda Wikipedia Mentorship 2025
GLAM WIKI ACTIVITIES
[edit]Museums, being the custodians of culture, heritage, and identity, deserve to be documented and made visible both locally and to the global community. The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda partnered with the Uganda Community of Museums and Archives to map museums in Uganda to enhance their visibility and accessibility hence contributing to the preservation of national heritage.
After the mapping exercise that was done by volunteers from the user group, the team embarked on creating articles for notable museums as a contribution towards the open knowledge movement. As a result, 15 new articles of different museums in Uganda were created. For the museums that already had articles, they were simply improved and new references were added. However, there were inadequate secondary sources about some of the museums from which references could be generated.
Newspapers, as chroniclers of national history, culture, and public discourse, are vital to the preservation of Uganda’s identity. The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda under the GLAM-Wiki project launched the WikiProject Newspapers initiative to document newspapers published in Uganda, thereby enhancing their visibility on Wikimedia platforms and contributing to the preservation of journalistic heritage. With over 100 newspapers published since 1900 but only 15 previously represented on Wikipedia, the project sought to close this gap by systematically identifying missing publications and ensuring their inclusion in Wikipedia, Wikidata, and Wikimedia Commons.
Four volunteers created 9 articles for notable newspapers such as Munno, the Ugandan Herald, Voice of Uganda, Emmambya Esaze, Lipoota, Etop, Lobo Mewa, Kamunye and Munnansi.
However, the project is planned to continue in the next year to allow us to upload photos about the newspapers in Uganda, reate more Wikipedia articles, improve already established articles, translate articles into Luganda and Runyankore plus creating Wikidata Items. Nonetheless, the initiative has so far marked a significant step toward preserving Uganda’s press history and making it accessible to both local and global communities.
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WikiProject Newspapers Uganda -
Uganda Herald -
WikiProject Newspapers Uganda
The Women in Wikisource initiative was designed to promote inclusion and bridge the gender gap on the Wikisource platform. Running from March to April 2025, the program focused on recruiting new female editors, training them in proofreading, transcribing, and validating texts, and encouraging contributions centered on female literary works. Through in-person sessions at Goethe-Zentrum Kampala and online guest presentations, participants were introduced to the Wikisource interface, contest board, and the importance of archives and public domain resources. In total, 19 volunteers participated, 04 retained members and 15 new recruits with 16 females and 3 males contributing to the effort.
Over the six weeks, the team worked on 07 texts, applying proofreading and transcription skills to enrich Wikisource. The initiative successfully equipped women with technical skills, mentorship, and confidence to contribute meaningfully to Wikisource, thereby enriching the diversity of content and representation on the platform. Link to the Contest Board
GLAM on Tour is an initiative that connects GLAM institutions to Wikimedians with the aim of improving already existing content and also creating new content on the specific GLAM institutions. In this case, 26 participants visited 2 museums, namely, the Railway Museum and Hamu Mukasa Museum on Friday, 5th December 2025. More images of the 2 museums were uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
There was limited time to capture as many memories as desired due to the time spent during transit.
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Wikimedians in Uganda at Ham Mukasa Museum -
Glam Tour in Uganda -
A group of Wikimedians in Uganda at the Uganda Railway Museum -
A group of Wikimedians in Uganda at the Uganda Railway Museum
Wiki source, the free online library hosting public domain and freely licensed texts, plays a vital role in preserving and providing access to knowledge worldwide. The platform celebrated its 22nd anniversary on 23rd November. On Saturday, 27th November 2025, the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda hosted contributors and volunteers curious about the project in marking this milestone under GLAM-Wiki Uganda.
Together, we reflected on Wiki source’s impact and strengthened community engagement through a collaborative proof-read-a-thon. Participants were introduced to the basics of Wikisource and successfully proof-read and validated an entire text that can be accessed here. The celebration attracted more volunteers who are interested in contributing to Wikisource as seen on the event dashboard.
Because of inadequate laptops and computers for participants to edit individually, participants proofread assigned pages in pairs which made the proofreading process more efficient and also reduced the errors that could have been made if participants were editing individually (especially since most of them were contributing to Wikisource for the first time).
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Group photo at Wikisource at 22 Birthday celebrations in Uganda 2025 -
Wikisource at 22 birthday - 2025 in Uganda -
Wikisource at 22 birthday - 2025 in Uganda -
Wikisource at 22 birthday - 2025 in Uganda
The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUGU) proudly participated in Wikimania 2025, held in Nairobi, Kenya under the theme “Wikimania@20: Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability.” Wikimedia Uganda was physically represented by 16 participants with 11 of them fully sponsored by the Community and others participated online. WCUGU delegates actively contributed to sessions focused on African language preservation, Community-led governance, event organization and showcased what the community has been doing through different projects and through the lightning talks, panels, and networking events. WCUGU amplified Uganda’s voice in global conversations around digital equity and open knowledge.
The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUGU) hosted a virtual Post-Wikimania Learning Event to reflect on insights gained from Wikimania 2025 in Nairobi and explore ways to localize global strategies. The event brought together Wikimedians from across Uganda, and those who physically attended Wikimania shared experiences, lessons, and ideas for strengthening community engagement, content creation, and other important factors. The event also strengthened bonds among contributors and reaffirmed Uganda’s role in shaping the future of free knowledge in Africa. The participants intend to apply the skills they gained in their Wikimedia work in Uganda through Leading Projects, Skill Transfer & Capacity Building, Participation in Wikimedia Events, Content Development & Thematic Focus, Community Outreach & Growth and Organizational Support. One of the things that is still outstanding is the networks that the attendees built that they are working with now in the different projects we are learning.
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Wikimania participants day three -
Wikimania participants day one -
Wikimania participants day one -
Wikimania participants day two -
Wikimania participants arrival -
Wikimania participants day one -
Wikimania participants day three -
Wikimania participants day three
Wikidata at 13 2025 was a celebration organized by the User Group to celebrate the 13th Wikidata birthday in Uganda. The event involved grant writing to apply for a rapid grant.
The editors were taught how to create Wikidata items using quick statements which was followed by an edit-a-thon where participants created Wikidata items on different topics. 22 participants contributed to the event which created 403 new Wikidata items. The event was concluded with a cake cutting and a quiz where people were asked random questions about Wikidata.
The celebration was an outdoor event that was affected by the heavy rainfall on the event day, which affected the number of people who turned up although this did not stop the event from proceeding.
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Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025) -
Wikidata @13 Birthday Celebrations (2025)
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| Parameter | 2025 stats | Key interventions |
|---|---|---|
| New members
added |
307 | Wiki University Clubs, Runyankole Wikipedia Incubation, Wikisource among others. |
| Representation of
Women (%) |
44% | Wiki GAP, Art and Feminism and all other projects are open to women's participation and leadership. |
| Member
participation in events (%) |
85% | Wiki University Clubs, Runyankole Wikipedia Incubation, Wiki GAP, Art and Feminism, Wikisource, Luganda Wikipedia, Wiki Loves Sport, GLAM-Wiki, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Africa, Wiki Loves Earth among others. |
| Mentorship
program participants |
45 | Luganda, GLAM & Wiki Loves Sport |
| Skill-building
workshops conducted |
4 |
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OBJECTIVE 2: Content Creation & Improvement
[edit]To enhance the quality, quantity, and accessibility of Ugandan-relevant content on Wikimedia projects.
The Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 campaign in Uganda saw significant growth in both participation and content contribution compared to the previous year. This year’s campaign focused on amplifying Uganda’s rich heritage through common contributions, more community /volunteer engagement through photo walks, and writing articles in both English and Luganda.
The campaign made tremendous acheivement of: 2,223 image uploads, 56 videos, and 03 audios and 23 New Wikidata Items Created hence increasing the cultural preservation and curation of Uganda's heritage through photography and media.14 Luganda Wikipedia articles were translated, promoting digital inclusion and local language preservation, 30 editors participated, with many gaining skills in photography, article creation, and uploading of images on Wikimedia Commons, which was as a result of intentional engagement from the core organising team.
However, during the implementation of Wiki Loves Folklore, we experienced budget constraints that significantly limited the scope of photo hunt activities. Below are some of the winning photos from Wiki Loves Folklore 2025 in Uganda
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A Woman grinding millet grains using stones in central Uganda -
Baganda peanut stew (Ekinyeebwa) -
Omweso -
Banana Juice (omubisi) -
Chicken Luwombo stew
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The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda proudly participated in Wiki Loves Africa 2025, an annual photographic, video, and audio contest. This year marked our 11th time organizing the local chapter of the contest since its inception in 2014, and the theme, "Farm to Plate," provided a wonderful opportunity to showcase the fascinating journey of food from cultivation to consumption across Uganda.
A key highlight of this year's campaign was the conduction of "photo hunts" which involved volunteers traveling to farms or markets, to harvest or purchase ingredients to prepare and document various food items. This hands-on approach directly supported the creation of rich, authentic content aligned with the "Farm to Plate" theme. Following the submission period, a dedicated jury meticulously reviewed all entries. The top ten photos were then advanced to the international contest. We were delighted to award prizes, in the form of shopping vouchers, to the creators of the top three photos, the best photo story, and the best video.
The campaign successfully generated a significant amount of new, freely licensed content, with a total of 2,379 photos and 17 videos uploaded to Wikimedia Commons.
Below are some of the winning photos from Wiki Loves Africa 2025 in Uganda
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A Farmer harvesting pumpkins -
A farmer with her workers harvesting cassava -
Cooking Matooke -
A man in his cocoa garden -
Girls peeling matooke -
Akatiko -
Drying the rolex -
Foodstuffs at Mlinza Farm
Content Gap Analysis
[edit]The Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUGU) has embarked on a content gap analysis to strengthen Uganda’s representation across Wikimedia projects. While progress has been made through increased editor participation, article creation, and multimedia uploads, significant disparities remain between English and Luganda Wikipedia, as well as within Wikimedia Commons. Although thousands of articles and tens of thousands of media files about Uganda already exist, gaps in coverage, quality, and representation persist. This analysis aims to provide WCUGU with a roadmap to strategically address these gaps, improve knowledge equity, and build a richer, more inclusive representation of Uganda on Wikimedia platforms.
The objectives of the analysis include mapping content coverage by generating a complete dataset of articles and categories related to Uganda, identifying gaps by comparing English and Luganda Wikipedia, and prioritising high-impact areas using viewership, quality assessments, and cultural relevance. The study also seeks to support strategic action by providing actionable insights to inform WCUGU’s campaigns, edit-a-thons, and partnerships with educational and cultural institutions. The analysis covers three dimensions: Wikipedia (coverage, quality, comparisons, and biases), Wikimedia Commons (quantity, distribution, and campaign integration), and engagement and usage (viewership, editing trends, and impact analysis).
So far, the outcomes have been promising. WCUGU has discovered existing articles about Uganda across both English and Luganda Wikipedia, identified the gender gap in representation, and produced a gap mapping report listing missing or underdeveloped content. A priority matrix has been developed to rank topics by readership, cultural value, and completeness, alongside a Commons audit report assessing multimedia coverage. Additionally, a list of over 800 Ugandan stub articles has been generated, highlighting areas that need improvement and expansion. These findings provide a strong foundation for targeted interventions.
Looking ahead, WCUGU plans to launch content creation drives such as edit-a-thons and contests, conduct deeper comparative analysis between English and Luganda Wikipedia, and produce visualisations to illustrate coverage gaps. Efforts will also focus on strengthening Commons campaigns to fill multimedia gaps, translating high-traffic English articles into Luganda and Runyankore, and implementing peer review and mentorship for quality control. However, challenges remain, including difficulties in data retrieval due to API limitations, categorisation inconsistencies, computational demands of large datasets, incomplete campaign representation in automated queries, and limited community capacity within Luganda Wikipedia. Addressing these challenges will be crucial to achieving sustainable impact.
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Content GAP Analysis -
Content GAP Analysis -
Content GAP Analysis
The Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 (#MEUG25) was a large-scale community-driven editing initiative that was focused on improving Ugandan-related Wikipedia stub articles that were retrieved during the Content gap analysis. The week-long editing challenge started with a physical editing event cum training with guided editing, that encouraged sustained participation, while strengthening editor skills, collaboration, and long-term engagement within the Ugandan community hand in hand with the use of the #MEUG25 hashtag to track contributions on English Wikipedia.
The event attracted 59 editors including both first time and experienced editors who worked collaboratively to expand articles, add references, improve structure, insert internal links, and enhance article quality, and the event brought together both new and experienced editors. 678 distinct Wikipedia pages were edited under the #MEUG25 hashtag with a total of 14267 edits. The edit-a-thon significantly improved the representation of Ugandan people, institutions, places, and history on Wikipedia and content gaps affecting under-documented Ugandan topics were actively addressed.
However, not all participants consistently used the #MEUG25 hashtag, yet the dashboard had technical issues and was not able to register all participants. In addition, new editors required more guidance, which slowed initial editing progress. There was also high edit volume which came with challenges of quality editing.
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Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025 -
Community Mega Wikipedia Edit-a-thon 2025
Wiki Loves Earth is an international photographic competition that promotes natural heritage sites worldwide through Wikimedia projects, primarily Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. The goal of Wiki Loves Earth for 2025 was to encourage volunteers to photograph the numerous natural heritage sites in Uganda and release them under a free license, allowing others to access them online. The local competition took place from 15 May 2025 to 15 July 2025 with the following activities;
POATE 2025 Exhibition (21–24 May, Speke Resort Munyonyo)
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Jfrek at POATE 2025 -
Wikimedians at POATE 2025 -
Wikimedians at POATE 2025 -
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Wikimedians at POATE 2025
Was a strong, visible launch & outreach in which our booth showcased Wikipedia (tourism & culture), Wikivoyage (free travel guide), and Wikimedia Commons (open media repository), with Wiki Loves Earth as the centerpiece. At this exhibition, we showcased live editing sessions, Commons uploads, and a mini-gallery of previous WLE-Uganda winning photos connecting ecotourism, conservation, and open knowledge. A two hour virtual online launch program delivered practical skills including photography tips, captioning, Commons uploads, licensing (CC BY-SA/CC0), best practices, and jury expectations. Field Photo Hunts & Community Mobilisation was carried out and sites visited in 2025 included Ssezibwa Falls, Itanda Falls, Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve and Sipi Falls. The Eastern Uganda Photo Hunt fostered collaborative learning, composition, exposure, wildlife timing, and storytelling.
The campaign led to content growth with the upload of 1,213 quality images and 25 videos (contest window). A structured jury process selected top 10 national images and a best video, ready for submission to International WLE 2025. Participants documented protected areas, natural monuments, parks, and biodiversity, strengthening freely-licensed media about Ugandan heritage on Wikimedia Commons and enriching Wikipedia/Wikivoyage. New and returning contributors gained hands-on practice in long-exposure waterfall photography, bird/wildlife capture, captioning, and Commons licensing. The group dynamic improved peer learning, with post-trip analysis recommended to continually raise quality.
Just as it has been before, the campaign faced several challenges including but not limited to; Sparse wildlife during the visiting time which caused limited photo opportunities, Visible infrastructure (poles/piping especially at Sipi falls) affected natural aesthetics, Limited time hindered capturing the night sky (Milky Way), wildlife movement, and complex compositions, First-time contributors needed extra support on Commons processes and free licenses. However, the team worked through the challenges by encouraging framing techniques to minimize modern elements; capture interpretive shots that document conservation pressures; include contextual captions to inform readers.
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Towei - Kapchorwa View -
Stillness in the Firelight -
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African Stilth Buffalos -
Foot at cave in Pian Upe -
Winding Path to Adventure, A Scenic Journey
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Art+Feminism Uganda 2025 is a feminist‑led project aligned with the global Art+Feminism campaign and the #VisibleWikiWomen theme, “Our Bodies, Our Rights, Our Knowledge.” Its central aim is to address the underrepresentation of Ugandan women, particularly in politics and creative sectors on Wikimedia platforms. The initiative began in October 2025 with a roadmap for documentation and advocacy, setting the stage for targeted action to amplify women’s visibility.
Key activities included training five photographers (three women and two men) on Creative Commons licensing, ethical documentation, and metadata standards, alongside training five feminist artists on Wikidata and metadata creation for feminist art and political imagery. A Wikipedia visibility campaign was launched to create and improve 20 articles about Ugandan women leaders and creatives ahead of national elections. Additionally, a copyright and Creative Commons workshop was scheduled for February 2026 to deepen understanding of copyright as a feminist issue.
The project achieved notable outcomes: over 50 images of women in politics and feminist creatives were contributed to Wikimedia Commons under free licenses, 20 new or improved Wikipedia articles were published, and 20 Wikidata items were created and linked to Commons media. These efforts equipped feminist artists and photographers with practical skills in copyright, Creative Commons licensing, and Wikimedia contribution workflows. The initiative also elevated copyright as a feminist and social justice issue, empowering creators to share ethically while strengthening Uganda’s presence in the #VisibleWikiWomen 2025 campaign.
Despite these successes, challenges emerged, particularly limited awareness of copyright and licensing among creatives. To address this, targeted workshops were conducted and easy‑to‑follow guides were developed to clarify Creative Commons and Wikimedia policies. By tackling these barriers, Art+Feminism Uganda 2025 not only expanded representation but also built capacity for sustainable contributions, ensuring that Ugandan women’s voices and bodies are more visible in digital knowledge spaces.
The incubation Project represents a major step in promoting indigenous language inclusion within the digital knowledge ecosystem. Spearheaded through a collaboration between Kabale University and the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda (WCUUG), the initiative seeks to build a vibrant online community contributing to the creation and translation of Wikipedia content in Runyankore. The project aligns with the broader goal of preserving Uganda’s linguistic and cultural heritage while empowering communities to participate in global digital conversations in their own language.This project was inaugurated with a virtual Wikipedia editing training on 27 July 2025, which introduced translation tools, style conventions, and Wikimedia ethics to the entire WCUGU Community.
A subsequent training focused on equipping editors with the skills to use Sunbird AI, a translation tool designed to support Runyankore and other African languages. Through hands-on sessions, participants explored how artificial intelligence can assist in improving translation accuracy and speed, while maintaining cultural and linguistic nuances. Runyankore Wikipedia Editathon was carried out to strengthen article quality through referencing, adding databoxes, and refining existing Runyankore articles. This targeted editathon focused on improving article accuracy, consistency, and structure to meet Wikimedia’s standards for incubation.
Since the inception of the Runyankore Incubation Project, there has been consistent growth in content creation and community participation. 717 pages created, including categories, templates, talk pages, and redirects; 101 editors contributing to the Runyankore Wikipedia; 10882 edits made to improve content quality and expand coverage plus 525 articles created thus far. These numbers reflect the growing momentum of the community and the commitment of participants to digital heritage preservation. These efforts have cultivated a growing contributor base and technical capacity for Runyankole- Rukiga content creation.
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Runyankole-Rukiga Wikipedia -
Runyankole-Rukiga Wikipedia -
Runyankole-Rukiga Wikipedia -
Runyankole-Rukiga Wikipedia
| Parameter | 2025 | Key interventions |
|---|---|---|
| Number of new
articles created |
360 | These were achieved from our projects such us Wiki Loves Sport Mentorship program, Wiki GAP, Wiki University Clubs, GLAM Wiki among others. |
| Number of
articles improved |
1,952 | Article improvements were done under Wikipedia Mega edit-a-thon 2025, Luganda Wikipedia, Wiki University Clubs, Wiki Loves Sport, GLAM Wiki, Wiki GAP among other projects. |
| Local language content
translations (articles) |
1,697 | Luganda Wikipedia Mentorship and Runyankole Wikipedia incubation. |
OBJECTIVE 3: Advocacy & Awareness of Open Knowledge
[edit]To promote the value of inclusive open knowledge and advocate for inclusive policies that support its creation and sharing.
| Parameter | 2025 | Key Interventions |
|---|---|---|
| Advocacy
events conducted |
1 | NTV Morning Show - Link to the Show HERE |
| Stakeholder
partnerships established |
8 | Sunbird AI, Uganda Premier League, Kabale University, Lira University, Makerere University, Uganda Community Museums Association (UCOMA), Community Libraries Association of Uganda (COLAU) and Zebra Boxing Club. |
| Social media
engagement growth (%) |
65% | X (Twitter), Linkedin, Facebook, Blue Sky, Instagram, Tiktok and WhatsApp. |
OBJECTIVE 4: Organizational Capacity & Sustainability
[edit]To establish robust governance, operational structures, and diversified funding to ensure WCUGU's long-term success.
In early 2025, the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda held its first fully elected board cycle to select five members for the 2025–2027 term. Voting members were Ugandan citizens with at least 100 edits per year and active participation in WCUGU activities and they chose their representatives via a secure secret ballot on the OpaVote platform.
The nomination and application window ran from January 25 to February 8, followed by a candidate forum on February 15 where all 11 contenders presented their governance visions. The voting period spanned February 16–21, overseen by an independent Elections Committee chaired by Alvin Ategyeka, with Joseph Njoroge Njai as observer and Sharon Atyang as an abstaining member. Results were tabulated and announced on February 22–23. Erina Mukuta, Geofrey Kateregga, Micheal Kaluba, Baluku Brian, and Faith Kwera were elected to serve a two-year term after which another election will be conducted. Their selection highlights WCUGU’s commitment to transparent, member-driven leadership and strengthens the group’s governance foundation. This transition positions the community for sustained growth, enhanced member engagement, and robust governance in the years ahead.
Board Governance Training
[edit]The Issroff Family Foundation delivered a Board governance training specifically designed for board members and senior management of WCUGU. This training focused on strengthening nonprofit governance, enhancing board effectiveness and accountability, improving financial oversight, and clarifying the board’s role in advocacy and resource mobilization.
The Board Governance Training was attended by the the five newly elected Board members of the User group. Their participation supported a shared understanding of governance roles and responsibilities, particularly in relation to financial oversight, strategic direction, and organizational sustainability. The involvement of both board members and management helped strengthen alignment between governance and operations, is a driving force in the implementation of the 2025/2029 strategy and enhanced board effectiveness, accountability, and oversight.
The training strengthened the board’s collective capacity in nonprofit governance and leadership. Members gained clearer understanding of governance structures, fiduciary duties, and the role of boards in strategy, oversight, and inclusivity. It also covered the full cycle of board membership from recruitment to succession while reinforcing financial oversight, risk management, advocacy, and resource mobilization. Overall, the sessions aligned Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda’s board around shared principles and best practices, enhancing their ability to guide the organization strategically and responsibly.
Collaborative Learning Initiative (CLI) Training
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The Collaborative Learning Initiative (CLI) is a 10 months leadership and organizational capacity-strengthening program designed for founders and senior leaders of early-stage, community-based organizations in East and Southern Africa. Two of our Board Members, Geoffrey Kateregga and Erina Mukuta participated in the program on behalf of Wikimedia Uganda from January 2025 to October 2025. The program combined weekly virtual learning sessions, insight visits, practical assignments, peer learning, and regional networking activities, including the CLI Local Meet-Up in Kampala on 29 May 2025.
The CLI placed strong emphasis on practical application, guiding participants through structured processes to strengthen strategic leadership, organizational systems, financial planning, fundraising readiness, and impact articulation. In addition to the core participants, selected sessions were attended by Joan Nantumbwe, Finance and Administration Manager, and Brenda Namulinda, Executive Director, which helped reinforce shared understanding between leadership and management on key organizational priorities.
On Saturday, 25th October 2025, the User Group held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Hotel LaGrande in Bwaise, in the heart of Kampala, Uganda. The event was hybrid, with most participants attending physically and a strong online turnout as well. In total, over 60 participants joined, including guests from partner institutions such as Makerere University and the Community Libraries Association of Uganda (COLAU).
The year 2025 marked a significant milestone for the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda, as it was the year we launched and began implementing our five-year strategic plan. It also marked the start of our three-year multi-year grant (2025–2027). This year’s AGM was centered on reviewing strategic progress, celebrating key achievements, reflecting on challenges, drawing lessons, and sharing the excitement of the first year of this long-term journey. The Five-Year Strategy remained the central focus of the AGM, highlighting the key objectives, the activities undertaken to advance them, progress achieved, challenges encountered, as well as projects and activities that have been completed, are currently ongoing, or are yet to begin.
The Board introduced new staff including the Executive Director and Community Manager to the AGM. The AGM was highly interactive, with community members actively participating, asking questions, and demonstrating a strong sense of community, volunteerism, and commitment to open and free knowledge coupled with awards recognizing exceptional community members, aimed at both appreciating their contributions and motivating others.
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Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda AGM 2025 -
Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda AGM 2025 -
Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda AGM 2025 -
Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda AGM 2025 -
Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda AGM 2025 -
Staff of the year 2025 -
Wikimedian of the Year 2025
| Parameter | 2025 | Key Interventions |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of funding
from diverse sources |
............................................................. | |
| Number of governance
policies updated |
2 | Human resource policy
Finance policy |
| Leadership training
sessions conducted |
2 | Collaborative learning initiative
Board Governance training |