Features catergory

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

By Iva Skoch A billion condoms, 40,000 sex workers CAPE TOWN, South Africa  The taxi drivers hustling around the bars on Long Street in Cape Town say they are ready for all the soccer fans that will flood the city in June for the World Cup. So are hotels, restaurants, …

By Maya Prabhu A story of abused authority and the victimised vulnerable Helens* work environment is more dangerous than most. On the night-time streets and alleyways of Kampala, her short skirts and revealing blouses flag down cruising clients, but also attract unwanted, and all too frequently violent, attention. Crucially, Helen …