A case that might redefine how this country views advocates’ compensation is snaking its way through the higher courts. COMMENT | ANTHONY NATIF | For nearly a year, hundreds of pensioners with the help of the Public Square and public spirited lawyers like Stanley Okecho and Isabella Nakiyonga have been traversing …
Read More »It’s time for an honest conversation about connectivity
COMMENT | SYLVIA MULINGE | Last week, I revisited Uganda’s National Broadband Policy of 2018—and what I found was a compelling vision still waiting to be fully realised. The policy aims high. It promises to make fast, affordable, and reliable internet access available to all Ugandans—urban and rural, rich and poor. …
Read More »Fighting in eastern DRC is worsening gender-based violence against women
Civilians caught in a devastating humanitarian crisis involving sexual and gender-based violence COMMENT | ANNIE BUNTING & HEATHER TASKER | In early 2025, the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group seized control of Goma and then Bukavu, two major cities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). M23’s advance …
Read More »On Museveni’s PDM tours
Government’s misguided plan to turn Uganda into a country of prosperous peasants THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The government of Uganda has been promoting the “Parish Development Model” (PDM). The program seeks to draw farmers from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and thereby make them rich. It gives each individual …
Read More »Dear Ugandans, the ball is in your feeble hands
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | As we head into the 2026 elections with nary a whisper about comprehensive electoral and political reforms to guarantee free and fair elections, toward that elusive goal of peaceful political transition, we must ponder the tools in the feeble citizens’ hands. Feeble because our political history …
Read More »Is Tooro experiencing a quiet but significant political shift?
The purported Political Loyalty and Development in Tooro Sub-Region largely disagree. COMMENT | INNOCENT B. NATUKUNDA | Tooro sub-region in Western Uganda, known for its scenic beauty and rich cultural heritage, has for decades been assumed to be loyal stronghold of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Despite this unwavering …
Read More »COMMENT: The hollow core of Uganda’s cement industry
Building on Lies: We’re told Uganda produced over 4.6 million tonnes of cement in 2022. That the industry is thriving. That it deserves tax holidays, subsidies, and the status of a strategic investor. But if you take a closer look, it’s a hoax. COMMENT | APOLLO BUREGYEYA | I have been reading …
Read More »COMMENT: Uganda’s entitled generation
A Generation that refuses responsibility COMMENT | CONSTANCE KICONCO | There’s a new sound in the air — loud, frustrated, and painfully consistent. It’s the voice of a generation that believes they’re owed everything, yet rarely stop to ask themselves what they owe in return. There’s a growing noise in …
Read More »Thank you for PDM, but, where are the extension workers?
Uganda’s Third National Development Plan (NDPIII) 2020/21–2024/25 explicitly calls for strengthening agricultural extension systems, but the reality is that farmers have been left in the cold amid climate extremes COMMENT | REGINA ASINDE | Government has pumped trillions of shillings into rural households through the Parish Development Model (PDM), with the …
Read More »COMMENT: Uganda’s Defence Bill 2025 risks militarizing justice and violating civil rights
COMMENT | REGINA ASINDE | The Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (Amendment) Bill, 2025 tabled in parliament today has triggered serious concerns among human rights defenders and constitutional law experts. While the bill purports to streamline military administration and align structures with evolving defence needs, it dangerously extends military court jurisdiction …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price