ARTICLES 2008-2015

By Andrew M. Mwenda and melina platas Election issues, trends, numbers In the heat of the midday sun, a tall young man holds two bundles of shoes in the middle of the street in Mbarara town in western Uganda. Around him is a crowd of other youths; all in their …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Cissy Kagaba is the Executive Director of the Anti-corruption Coalition Uganda;  one of five Civil Society Organisations spearheading a ‘return our money’ campaign to force MPs return Shs 20 million posted on their account amidst allegations of bribery. The Independent’s Mubatsi Asinja Habati spoke to her. …

By rukiya makuma On Friday Feb. 11, history was made in terms of elections for a political office in Uganda. One of the most successful innovations was the first ever live debate broadcast on television, radio and live-streamed on the internet. The hotly contested Kampala Mayor race was the guinea …

By Dicta Asiimwe Forget the Kabaka, just look at the money The relationship between President Yoweri Museveni and the King of Buganda, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi is fated to be acrimonious. What else could have led Museveni to be campaigning in the controversial district of Kayunga on Feb.2, just a …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Campaigns on vote-rigging, ethnicity President Yoweri Museveni’s traditional political stronghold, western Uganda looks like the wrong place for an opposition candidate to spend two precious weeks at the end of an election campaign. But the Interparty Cooperation (IPC) candidate, Kizza Besigye took the gamble on Feb.2 …

By Eriasa Sserunjogi Mukiibi A possible referendum on the future of opinion polling in Uganda? On the morning of Feb. 8, Ofwono Opondo drove from Buliisa district where he says he was doing campaign work to attend the release of the   results of the latest Afrobarometer opinion poll. Upbeat, the …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati David Ekerson is the Director of US Agency for International Development (USAID). Uganda is the 10th largest beneficiary of USAID programmes in the world. In its 2010 budget, USAID Uganda spent US$341 million as aid in various areas. The Independent’s Mubatsi Asinja Habati spoke to Ekerson. …

By Melina Platas Three factors that could determine if Besigye or Museveni wins As ears ring with protests calling for the end of an era, longtime rulers shift uncomfortably. Amidst palpable unease, the run-up to the 2011 elections has been eerily calm. Seasoned analysts debate whether President Yoweri Museveni’s vote …

By Andrew Mwenda Using robust data, it is theoretically possible but realistically improbable Besigye can- not just win, but force Museveni to a second round. On February 18th, Ugandans will go to the polls to elect a new president. All the last three elections have been a two-horse race between …

By Joe Powell If incentives for cost-effective clean energy are not put in place, Africa may follow the same dirty industrialisation route of China and India. Environmentalists and poverty campaigners have not always found themselves on the same side of development debates. A basket of contentious subjects that divide the …