Cover Story

By Ronald Musoke Politicians disagree over oil money as businesses face bankruptcy During a meeting on securing Uganda’s oil revenue on Sept.13 in Kampala, disagreement erupted among top politicians and national economic planners on how best to spend the expected bounty. But business people and civil society leaders had a …

  By Independent Team and Agencies  In the first week of September the international press was awash with a single story; game rangers in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo had spotted a Ugandan military helicopter flying very low over the park, on an alleged unauthorised flight …

By Haggai Matsiko New rules to force CNOOC, Total, Tullow to reveal money paid The U.S’s Securities and Exchange Commission has finally issued the long awaited new rules that outline how oil, gas and mining companies must comply with Section 1504 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Rivalry could cost party in 2016 Col. Kizza Besigye’s home turf, the Kasangati Ssaza Grounds outside Kampala city, was on Aug. 23 the scene of excited ululations, political speeches, and feisty dancing to the kadodi, the imbalu circumcision dance from Mbale, eastern Uganda. The scene of …

By Haggai Matsiko How often do three helicopters crash at a go? Soroti Flying School, 2kms northeast of Soroti town in eastern Uganda, was on the morning of August 12, a bee-hive of frenetic activity as army pilots jumped onto waiting helicopters while their top brass waved excitedly and gave …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Why Kiprotich’s win could inspire many When Moses Cherodi, 15, joined the Kapchorwa Runners’ Club a year ago, he did it mainly because his friends who could run were members. A few times when Stephen Kiprotich was training, Cherodi says, he would run with him. And …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How the UPDF generals are tackling the new challenge On July 26, I boarded a plane to Mogadishu, Somalia “to visit our troops” as the Americans would say.On the same flight was Lt. Gen. Andrew Gutti, overall commander of the Africa Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). I …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Kasese, Bundibugyo tense  ahead of by-election On the morning of June 30, the king of the Rwenzururu, Omusinga Charles Wesley Mumbere Iremangoma, received an unusual phone call from President Yoweri Museveni. The Omusinga was that morning preparing for the 50th anniversary celebrations of his people’s declaration …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati In the past few weeks, there have been simmering tensions among the Bakonzo, Basongora and Bamba/Babwisi in Kasese and Bundibugyo districts over the jurisdiction of Rwenzururu kingdom. The Independent’s Mubatsi Asinja Habati spoke to Loice Biira Bwambale, the acting Prime Minister of Rwenzururu kingdom. The Bakonzo …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi & Mubatsi Asinja Habati With the average age of the top ministers at 70 years, what is the future for the country? When then 38-year old Moses Ali was in 1977 named finance minister by then-president Idi Amin and charged with revamping a free-falling economy, current …