By Andrew M. Mwenda President Yoweri Museveni has been telling us that his government has built 750 health centres in the country. However, The New Vision revealed last week that there are more than 100 ‘ghost’ hospitals. Most of them have been ‘receiving’ drugs and funds from the government. And …

By Odoobo C. Bichachi & John Njoroge Multi-million dollar pre-shipment tender at heart of the row Trade, Tourism and Industry Minister Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire is no stranger to controversy. His latest standoff with the board of Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), in which he has demanded its resignation, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda In the 1999/2000 financial year, the total budget of the government of Uganda (tax revenues plus foreign aid) was Shs 1.9 trillion. The budget for 2009/10 financial year is Shs 7.6 trillion ‘ a 400% increase. In dollar terms (the exchange rate of the shilling to …

By The Independent Team Mysterious deaths under Museveni, Obote regimes Someone dies in a motor accident; another person is hit on the head by a woman; while another is shot dead. Death could visit anyone in Uganda, anywhere, anytime. So why will people not accept it when it happens to …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The death of Maj. Gen. James Kazini reveals the major institutional weakness in Uganda. Kazini died like a petty thief allegedly bludgeoned to death by a ‘malaya.’ This is not an isolated incident. As President Yoweri Museveni said at the funeral, the best of NRA/UPDF commanders …

By Andrew M. Mwenda He was trying to avoid one death when he fell into another Maj. Gen. James Bunanukye Kazini spent most of Monday evening November 9 out with his girlfriend, Lydia Draru a.k.a. Lydia Atim Draru. At about 5am, the former Uganda People’s Defence Forces army commander dropped …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Last week, I was in Lagos, Nigeria and witnessed the tragedy of African politics. Nigeria is home of anything between 140m to 160m people. It has some of the most educated, intelligent, innovative and hard working Africans. However, its politics promotes leaders who are venal, greedy …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati & Joshua Masinde Some receptionists earn higher salary than govt doctors When Shs 900 million was stolen from under the bed of now interdicted National Forestry Authority (NFA) executive director Damian Akankwasa, the question was how he could have earned such big money when he is …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Member of Parliament for Ndorwa East David Bahati wants homosexuals imprisoned for life or hanged. I am deeply conscious of the fact that the vast majority of Ugandans support him. But debate on homosexuality is being conducted largely out of ignorance and prejudice. For example, a …

By Independent Team Shs 500bn spent on army per year but soldiers live in huts, lack toilets, dead bodies kept in patients wards President and commander-in-chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), Gen. Yoweri Museveni, has publicly said he cherishes the army and is a strong believer in the …