By Brian Bwesigye On July 11th will go down in the history books as the day Uganda was thrown into a somber mood of shock, bitterness and panic. The twin bomb attacks in Kampala did not only turn an otherwise merry night into a tragic night of death and suffering …
Read More »Coping with 7/11 aftermath
By Rowan Emslie On the night of the attack, it seemed, everyone was in shock. Talking to a young couple who had been watching the World Cup Final at The Lions Den a bar immediately opposite Ethiopian Village Restaurant, the site of the first blast their faces told the story …
Read More »Unwanted guests
By Rosebell Kagumire & Maya Prabhu Rwandan refugees forced back across the border The sprawling Nakivale Refugee Settlement in south-western Uganda is home to over 50,000 asylum-seekers and refugees. At one time it represented a testament to Uganda’s reputation as one of the most refugee-friendly countries in Africa. But recent …
Read More »Clinics of death
By John Njoroge When children play with healthcare waste, tainted blood, needles The air is pungent with urine, fecal matter and cow dung. The narrow walkways are littered with garbage and stagnant water with barefoot children running around innocently. Others rummage through the garbage piles for items to sell. One …
Read More »Al-Shabaab and Museveni’s bumpy roads
By Dicta Asiimwe The road from Kampala to Ntungamo, 400km away, is bumpy, especially the 120km stretch between Masaka and Mbarara which is under construction. Fortunately, as our five-car convoy snaked along, we had a police escort car with siren blaring to cut through the mass of slow moving evening …
Read More »Smallholder women farmers
By Mubatsi Asinja Habati The ignored agriculture transformers that the government should target The key to addressing the hunger crisis in Uganda is to boost smallholders farming, especially among women, says a new report by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency. It adds: The reason is clear; most of the hungry …
Read More »Can Col. Muhoozi pacify Karamoja?
By Jocelyn Edwards UPDF pushes in more force but local leaders want Community Security System On April 24, a force of UPDF soldiers surrounded a kraal in Jie County in Karamoja and began firing on the animals and people inside. In a cordon and search operation the army says was …
Read More »Pothole capital of the world
By Rukiya Makuma & Dicta Asiimwe Bad habits, poverty, and bureaucracy have turned Kampala into the pothole capital of the world There was a time when it was fun driving down Rotary Avenue or Lugogo Bypass as it is commonly known. As a dual carriage, with minimal traffic and few …
Read More »Mukono widows get window of hope
By Rukiya Makuma Women and children often face hard times when the head of the family dies. The situation is compounded if there is poverty and disease. Jane Nalwadda, 48, is a typical case. Her husband died in 2000 leaving her to fend for their 10 children. Soon after he …
Read More »Rising violence tests UPDF strategy in Karamoja
By Jocelyn Edwards Margaret Ngoya, 15, awoke in early hours of Mar. 7 to the sound of gunshots. The soldiers who had invaded her village in northern Karamoja yelled her family and their neighbours to come outside. When they brought us outside, I was beaten. They used the handle of …
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