ARTICLES 2008-2015

By Esther Dyson Communities can measure the state, health, and activities of their people and institutions, and hopefully improve them. I have written previously about the Quantified Self movement – individuals equipped with the tools (monitoring devices and software) needed to measure their own health and behavior (and, by doing …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Failure to define the necessary market regulation deprived lecture of the necessary nuance The lecture by economics Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz about the failures resulting from deregulation of financial markets in the United States and the need for a strict regulatory regime was engaging and frustrating …

By Joseph Were Museveni’s schmoozing with Stiglitz bad news for Mutebile When President Yoweri Museveni spoke at this year’s Joseph Memorial lecture in Kampala of the desirability of a “hybrid” economy, he marked a retreat from the current free market regime to his mixed economy days of the 1980s.  Time …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Can the opposition capitalise on recent wins to defeat Museveni? With five wins out of the six parliamentary by-elections held so far this term, opposition parties must wish they don’t wake up from this dream anytime soon. They must also wish more seats were up for …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi The issues, promises that shaped the Bukoto South campaign When the campaign for the Bukoto South by-election went to the wire, it had all the markings of the violence and controversy witnessed on election day, July 12. Police and opposition activists were pouring into the constituency …

By Rukiya Makuma A private member’s bill seeks to hit the corrupt in their softest spot, their loot The young, vibrant Member of Parliament for Makindye East, John Simbwa, has plucked the courage and taken on a fight that many proclaim cannot be won – against the corrupt. Simbwa’s private …

By The Independent Team Museveni and Byanyima never had any major political differences, and now it seems they have resolved the personal ones One June 2011 day, about mid-day, a Toyota Land Cruiser drove through the gates of State House, Entebbe. There was nothing especially remarkable about the car, but …

The President’s reconciliatory visit to Miria Obote reveals a truth he has run from for more than 30 years When Museveni first came to power, he used to talk a lot about the NRM line being correct. He no longer does so. This is because the line has not only …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How a tiny minority of trade unionists have used politics to wrest control from the majority of the fund’s subscribers. In his State of the Nation address, President Yoweri Museveni said government was going to borrow money from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to finance …

By Peter Nyanzi Renowned educationist Fagil Mandy was recently appointed chairman of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB). A former commissioner in the Ministry of Education and Sports, he told The Independent’s Peter Nyanzi that his vision is for Uganda’s education and examination system to produce a productive and well-rounded …