By Julius Odeke Former army commander (1989-1998), Gen. Gregory Mugisha Muntuyera, spoke to The Independent’s Julius Odeke about his campaign for the presidency of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) in election slated for November. These are the finals days of the campaign. How is the progress? We are …

By Ian Buruma A certain percentage of voters will not vote for a black man, whatever he says, or however good he looks in a debate What is the point of a presidential debate? In the context of American presidential elections, “debate” is something of a misnomer. When former French …

By Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba To transit to a middle income country, we need well defined institutions and systems of state It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”  “A man who dares to waste one hour of …

By Elamu Denis Ejulu Were Obote, Amin more nationalist than Museveni? For the past five decades former Uganda president, the late Idi Amin Dada, has remained the yard stick for measuring failure in our politics and governance, which has downgraded us to low standards and expectations. This is the background …

By Haggai Matsiko The entry way to opposition leader Kizza Besigye’s home in Kasangati, a Kampala city suburb has become familiar even to those who have never been there. Most have seen the pinkish-red walls of the brick-red tiled bungalow on TV as heavy deployment of police attempt to keep …

By Independent Reporters Bishop Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira, Bishop Namirembe Diocese There are so many good things that have been done over the last 50 years. But in the same vein, there are so many bad things that have equally happened because to err is human. “We should ask God for …

By Julius Odeke and Sarah Namulondo As Uganda celebrates 50 years of independence from Great Britain, The Independent’s Julius Odeke and Sarah Namulondo sought out the views from a cross section of Ugandans on the country’s journey over the years. Nabillah Naggayi Ssempala, Woman MP, Kampala District I did not …

By Julius Odeke U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Johnnie Carson, spoke to journalists on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, USA, on Oct.1. The Independent’s Julius Odeke joined the conversation via video-conference at the U.S. Mission in Kampala. Kevin Kelly, Nation, Nairobi: What will …

By Julius Odeke Tororo County MP, Geoffrey Ekanya, who is vying for the presidency of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party in elections in November, spoke to The Independent’s Julius Odeke about his strategy. You have been praised for your brilliant ideas, but some say you are unsuited …

By Rashid Oduka and Ali Oduka The untold story of the 1971 Amin coup This is the story of how a Uganda Police band director, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ahmad Oduka, saved the lives of President Apollo Milton Obote and half of his cabinet who had travelled to Singapore …