Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new breed of desert locusts has invaded Kumi district, causing destruction to farmers in the area. The insects raided the country for the second time through Amudat district on Saturday and spread to the districts of Nakapiripirit, Nabilatuk and Moroto by Monday morning. In …
Read More »Trump, Biden finally bury hatchet to talk on coronavirus
Washington, United States | AFP | Democrat Joe Biden and President Donald Trump finally spoke by phone Monday, both sides confirmed, ending days of teasing and squabbling between the presidential election rivals to discuss the national coronavirus upheaval. The call marked a rare moment of unity for the country seven months before election day and …
Read More »Tale of two cities: How virus lockdown has exposed France’s class divide
Paris, France | AFP | When bestselling French novelist Leila Slimani — the author of “The Perfect Nanny” — admitted that she felt “a little like Sleeping Beauty” contemplating the coronavirus lockdown from the comfort of her country home, she hit a very raw nerve. Class tensions — never very far …
Read More »Mabirizi petitions East African Court over de-registered suit
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lawyer Male Mabirizi has dragged the government to the East African Court of Justice for de-registering his suit. In his petition, Mabirizi states that on March 20th 2020, he filed an application challenging the directive issued on March 18th by President Yoweri Museveni in which among …
Read More »COVID-19: Uganda Prisons seeks to release 2,000 inmates
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Close to 2,000 prisoners could be released in a move to decongest the facilities as one of the control measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The Commissioner-General of the Uganda Prisons Services, Dr. Johnson Byabashaija, says they have written to the Attorney …
Read More »BoU cuts interest rates, economy to grow at 3%
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Bank of Uganda has said Uganda’s economy will only expand by 3-4% this financial year, half the earlier projection of 6% as the impact of coronavirus hits home. In the April 2020 monetary policy statement, BoU Governor Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile noted that this is because …
Read More »HIV patients protest directive requiring them to seek clearance from village chairpersons
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | People living with HIV/Aids in Bunyoro sub-region are protesting the presidential directive requiring them to get clearance from their area LC 1 chairpersons to use private transport so as to get medication from various health facilities. Last week, the affected people said they want …
Read More »How COVID -19 pandemic is affecting Uganda’s electoral roadmap
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The coronavirus pandemic is not only causing havoc around the world but is obviously going to affect the electoral processes of many countires and gifting some long time leaders a chance to keep hold onto power. One of the countries whose electoral roadmap is …
Read More »Gov’t pledges to account for COVID-19 funds
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has said that it will account for all the funds received for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, staff from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) handed over 376 million shillings to the Ministry of Health. This same amount was …
Read More »Parliament approves new Deputy Governor Dr. Atingi-Ego
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament’s Appointment Committee has approved the appointment of Dr Michael Atingi-Ego as new Central Bank Deputy Governor. Dr Atingi-Ego’s vetting process was conducted via teleconferencing by the committee chaired by Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga. Parliament embraced technology in an unprecedented move to interface …
Read More »