In The Magazine

By Andrew M. Mwenda Peaceful protest cannot be an end in itself; it must have an objective. The tactics must seek to persuade not to intimidate Over the last one month, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has made one of the most dramatic political comebacks in history. Having been humiliatingly …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Moses Lotyong, 19, is in P.3 at Panyangara Primary School in the remote district of Kotido in the drought- prone Karamoja. At Lotyong’s age many Ugandans from other parts of the country are in university. His 11-year-old sister is in P.5 at the same school. Lotyong …

By eriasa mukiibi sserunjogi Protests show beleaguered presidency ahead On May 12, the day of President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration, the influential New York Times weighed in with a headline, “Protests Overshadow Inauguration in Uganda”. “Ugandans frustrated with their government turned out in overwhelming numbers and boisterous celebration Thursday to welcome …

By Achola Rosario Norbert Mao is the President of the opposition Democratic Party, one of the political organisations involved in the Walk-to-Work campaign that has been running for a month. He spoke to The Independent’s  Achola Rosario. Are we going to see a return to open disappearing of `enemies of …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How NRM internal power struggles have given FDC leader hero status Last week, President Yoweri Museveni’s inauguration was eclipsed by the dramatic return of opposition leader, Dr Kizza Besigye, from Nairobi, Kenya where he had been treated after being tortured by Ugandan security agents. Besigye’s triumphant …

By Shahid Javed Burki It is strange that Pakistan’s High Command could tolerate Bin Laden given that he had declared war on Pakistan. Osama bin Laden’s death in a firefight with United States special forces will profoundly affect Pakistan’s relations with America. The death of Al Qaeda’s leader deep in …

By Omar Ashour He was not a hierarchical Al-Qaeda leader but an inspirational head, a role better played when dead than alive. He lived a hero, he died a martyr…if they killed one Osama, a thousand others will be born,” says a comment on a Facebook group called “We are …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati In the last three weeks, Uganda has witnessed the police and the military battling the protesters under the ‘walk to work’ campaign.  Civil society organisations like Uganda NGO Forum, Transparency International Uganda, Human Rights Network and International HIV/AIDS Alliance Uganda have condemned the brutality of the …

By Magnus Mazimpaka Disheartening local investigations have reinforced the need for a strong Ombudsman office One of the popular slogans about Rwanda is its zero tolerance for corruption. Last year, Transparency International published a report ranking Rwanda as the least corrupt country in the East African Community. In terms of …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The incentive structure created by NATO’s commitment to the rebels will breed a movement of opportunists, not democrats. Recently, NATO airstrikes killed the son of Libyan leader Maummar Al Gaddafi and his three children. Officially, NATO’s role in the ongoing conflict in Libya is to protect …