COLUMNISTS

By Enock Twinoburyo High interest rates indicative of Uganda’s unsustainable economic fundamental weaknesses I recently received a notification from my bank increasing the prime lending rate from 23.5% to 26.5% applicable to both the existing and new borrowers.  This also implies that majority of the borrowers, who are not the …

By Jenkins Kiwanuka The officers could be victims of inferiority complexes caused by conditions under which they live and work During his annual visit to Uganda last year, a member of my family who works for a foreign police force was driving around Kampala with his wife one evening when …

By Flavia Nassaka Starts vetting all voter education messages for `bias’ TOPOWA’ is a commonly used word in Ugandan street-speak, especially among the youth. Though its origin is unclear, it has been generally understood to mean “Don’t give up”. This word has been taken up by many including advertisers. For …

By Independent Reporter In the last election in 2011, President Yoweri Museveni swept 19 of the 24 districts in Buganda with an average above 70% of the vote. He won another three borderline districts and lost district, Bukomansimbi. Going into the 2016 elections, however, questions are being asked whether the …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why the U.S. president always feels compelled to lecture to Africans and my obsession with his meddling It has become custom for U.S. President Barak Obama to constantly volunteer unsolicited advice to African people whenever a given country is going through some major event. So when …

By Ian Ortega Gazing into the crystal ball after Nagenda says this is his last election Despite all the pessimism, the myth of invincibility, many would probably believe that 2016 is the time that may see President Yoweri Museveni leave power and see Uganda have its first peaceful transition. Senior …

By Flavia Nassaka Questions on whether manifestos mean anything to Ugandans rise as TDA launches plan A Uganda that works for everyone’ is what Go-Forward Presidential candidate John Patrick Amama Mbabazi and his coalition The Democratic Alliance (TDA) promise Ugandans.  After several postponements, the ex-prime minister finally launched his manifesto …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why Besigye’s promise to cut down the number of political appointments in government is a pipedream Opposition presidential candidate, Kizza Besigye has promised a 50% increase in public sector wages. According to his handlers, he will save money by cutting wasteful spending on political appointments like …

By David Nyende Infrastructure investments alone will not result in economic growth and development In answer to the question: “How do you make an economy grow?”, one economist wrote: “The secret of economic growth remains mysterious despite the tremendous efforts by economists into trying to solve it: neither free market …

By Joseph Were The scandal in yellow shows why manifesto writing should only be attempted by the most committed thinkers Have you seen President Yoweri Museveni’s manifesto for the 2016 elections? If you have not, thank your gods. As one commentator said, it is a ‘PhD thesis”. That was in …