In The Magazine

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why Africa should fight for free trade, not fair trade; for competitiveness in global markets and not kindness in consumers Everyday there is an effort mainly in the West to save Africa from something – tyranny, impunity, poverty, disease, ignorance – whatever. Always, the savior is …

By Julius Businge The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) has today (Nov. 13) unveiled a master plan for the construction of 2, 741 housing units in Lubowa estate, which it acquired 10 years ago. When development starts, later in 2014, it will be the first investment on the estate that …

By the independent team The signing of a peace deal between Congo and defeated M23 rebels was delayed on Monday evening after the two sides disagreed on the wording of the pact, a Ugandan minister said. “The DRC delegation has aborted the signing of agreement with M23,” said the Ugandan …

By Jude Kagoro Journalists are doing their country a disservice by knowingly or unknowingly marketing the militarization of politics Oftentimes, political commentators in Uganda make a claim that there is militarization in the country. To the commentators, the nuances intended to be captured in the usage of the concept largely …

By Jeffrey Gedmin 24 of the 30 least prosperous countries in the world are in  Sub-Saharan Africa and they suffer a “democratic deficit” It’s the economy, stupid” has been a political mantra for more than two decades. Nowadays, the phrase is repeated ad nauseam in development discussions. But making countries …

By Haggai Matsiko Loopholes expose Uganda to terror threats On Oct.15, the US Embassy in Kampala issued an unexpected security alert to its citizens with a warning that it was “assessing reports that a Westgate-style attack may soon occur in Kampala.” “Embassy officials are sharing all information with the Ugandan …

By Ronald Musoke Arid Karamoja’s dream to become water secure becomes real with new innovations Forget about Moses who in biblical times performed a miracle in the desert by getting water from a rock. In drought-stricken Karamoja, people are now also tapping water from rocks without much ado. In Motany …

By Ronald Musoke Anxious times as NRM camp claims that Ruranga is coming along with other FDC big wigs When Maj. (rtd) Rubaramira Ruranga, the former head of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Electoral Commission, announced his defection to NRM late last month—the ruling party celebrated.  But many opposition …

By Peter Nyanzi Optimism as Uganda is ranked second most peaceful country in Great Lakes Region If you want to live in peace in the Great Lakes region, go to Tanzania. If not, Uganda is the second option, that is according to the Global Peace Index 2013, which measures the …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why the president openly bribes voters at public functions and gets away with it and what can be done about it When we had just started The Independent, a particular problem confronted me. Each time a member of staff fell ill at office and was rushed …