By Haggai Matsiko Uganda outspends Kenya on military for the first time Uganda’s expenditure on arms surpassed Kenya’s for the first time in 2011, a new global arms expert report shows. Uganda spent US$1.02 billion; about double Kenya’s US$735 million. Details show that Uganda spent US$270 million on its usual …
Read More »Should governor Mutebile resign?
By Andrew M. Mwenda President should not jump from one arbitrary position to another in service of popular sentiment Since The Independent broke the story of businessman Hassan Basajabalaba’s Shs 169 billion “compensation” last year, two ministers have resigned and three members of staff at State House have been fired. …
Read More »Scramble for Kampala land
By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Lukwago, Musisi, Land Board fight to control prime city plots Immediately the now indicted George Agaba took office at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), he raised uproar with directives he made about the management of the city’s public land. As acting Director for Physical Planning, Agaba …
Read More »Kampala land bonanza
By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Museveni aide blocks donor project, wants Shs 1bn, State House cited in major land scams A land dispute between President Yoweri Museveni’s Press Secretary Tamale Mirundi and the Nakawa Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) is standing in the way of a US$4.5 million (Shs 9 billion) project. …
Read More »Lessons from Kony 2012
By Andrew M. Mwenda How the documentary projects a picture of helplessness and how we can use its marketing lessons to portray a better one The dust has now settled on the documentary about Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel leader, Joseph Kony. I was impressed by Invisible Children (IC’s) marketing …
Read More »Exposed
By Haggai Matsiko Charity NGOs or money making machines? When it first went viral with over 100 million viewers, a video about catching the notorious warlord Joseph Kony had swung Uganda into celebrity limelight. But when Kony 2012 producer, Jason Russell of the NGO, Invisible Children, suffered a mental meltdown …
Read More »Inside the West’s double standards Part II
By Andrew M. Mwenda How post-independence failures have helped the West change an image of who Africa’s heroes are At the time of independence, Africa was basking with self-discovery and self-confidence. There was hope and confidence that Africans would shape their destiny independently. We were supposed to cooperate with others …
Read More »Parliament to pass weak laws on oil
By Haggai Matsiko & Mubatsi Asinja Habati Corruption feared as laws vest too much power in executive over contracts The government has abandoned a key legislation for the oil sector—the Oil Revenue Management Bill—without which revenues from the sector might end up managed poorly. The government had promised to table …
Read More »Inside the West’s double standards Part I
By Andrew M. Mwenda How the West covers Africa and how we, African elites, need to expose these stereotypes I argued last week that there is a double standard among institutions – both public and private – in the western world when dealing with an African country like Rwanda or a …
Read More »Why is Bujagali power expensive?
By Agather Atuhaire Experts allege importation of faulty turbines. Is investors denial enough? When the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development, Irene Muloni, announced a new power tariff on Jan. 12, she assured Ugandans that the tariff will reduce once all the five units of Bujagali Hydropower Dam have come …
Read More »