Features catergory

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Bududa landslide victims destined for Kiryandongo after six months in IDP camps James Mangu lost more than his home in the Bududa landslides on March 1, 2010. Seated amongst hovering houseflies and half-naked children running wildly through the parade of tents that dot Bulucheke Internally Displaced …

By The Independent Team Whether in trees or on the road, campaign posters provide insight and at times, a good laugh. As election momentum builds in the country for NRM primaries and the general election, the capital city is awash in campaign props. Dangling from trees and electric wires, or …

By Henry Zakumumpa Unfaithful couples contributing to ominous rise in national infection rates New studies in Uganda show that married or co-habiting couples today stand a higher risk of contracting HIV than single or young people. This marks an astonishing shift in the pandemics infection patterns in the country. Uganda’s …

By Haggai Matsiko Gaping illiteracy, poverty and ethnic tensions stand in the way of participatory governance Along the dusty roads of Kaluguuza, a small town in Kibaale district, western Uganda, Moses Kahwa, a local shopkeeper, passionately debates the upcoming elections with other local self-proclaimed political analysts. Baguma cannot win Matia, …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Now health experts debate wisdom of switching chemical sprays Lying on flat land near the swampy Lake Kyoga, Apac district in northern Uganda, Lango sub-region, is not only the most malaria infected region of Uganda, but perhaps of the entire world. A study conducted from 1994 …

By The Independent Team An estimated 2.85 billion people worldwide were at risk of contracting malaria in 2009, according to a report published in the journal PLos Neglected Tropical Diseases. Researchers mapped out the prevalence of the common malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax and found that it was more widespread than …

By The Independent Team Scientists have discovered a new metabolic pathway used by malaria-causing parasites that apparently helps them survive inside human blood cells. The finding, by researchers supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, clarifies the picture of …

By Rukiya Makuma Independence babies that wont grow up 2010 is the year for Africa as 17 countries celebrate 50 years of independence since colonial rule. Africans resisted the colonialists on grounds of segregation, slavery, exploitation and domination. But 50 years after, how have these countries performed? Are they still …

By Haggae Matsiko Independent reporter buys birth certificate for Shs 35,000, offered passport for Shs150,000, no questions asked It is Thursday afternoon when I arrive at the reception of the Registrar of Births and Deaths office at Amam House near the Central Police Station in Kampala. I tell the receptionist …

By Dicta Asiimwe The venue for Buganda’s 17th coronation anniversary celebrations of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, Kabasanda, Butambala County is one of eighteen counties of Buganda. As the bevy of female traditional dancers, in colourful kikoyi wrappers and tight-tops, gyrate to the din of royal drums being beaten in …