NEWS ANALYSIS

By Julius Odeke Prof. Jjuuko of Makerere University thinks it is but others differ Makerere University professor Frederick Jjuko recently stirred up debate when in a keynote address he said Uganda is a “failed state”. He said the government’s failure to provide social services, the militarisation of everyday life, failure …

By Peter Nyanzi In early 1964, units of the British led Uganda Army mutinied, demanding “the fruits of independence” and better working conditions. One of the most respected officers at the time, Idi Amin instigated the mutiny when the British army commander then, Lt.-Colonel W.W. Cheyne resisted the soldiers’ demands. …

By Sarah Namulondo Two former bosses of Mulago Hospital explain why 50 years later, Uganda cannot offer colonial standards health care Lawrence Kaggwa was possibly 15-years old when Uganda got her independence from British colonial rule in 1962. He recalls admiring the medical workers in his village in Masaka; the …

By Independent Team Museveni blamed as commission agents, government officials conspire to squeeze money out of project Deputy Registrar John Eudes Keitirima’s chambers in the High Court building in Kampala were on Sept. 6 the scene of an interesting spectacle. A construction company, Salini SpA, was seeking an order to …

By Haggai Matsiko Oil firms fear bankruptcy as President goes for biggest refinery in the region In October 2011, President Yoweri Museveni urged members of his ruling party to resist ferociously those “parasites who want to give away this resource (oil) for a morsel of food”. He was making a …

By Ronald Musoke Politicians disagree over oil money as businesses face bankruptcy During a meeting on securing Uganda’s oil revenue on Sept.13 in Kampala, disagreement erupted among top politicians and national economic planners on how best to spend the expected bounty. But business people and civil society leaders had a …

By Julius Odeke NRM’s Alengot exposes unpopularity of Teso old guard It is no secret that the Sept.12 Usuk County by-election that threw up an unlikely winner, 19-year old Proscovia Alengot Oromait, was a turf fight between the old guard; Soroti Municipality MP, 56-year old Mike Mukula and Amuria County …

By Julius Businge Standard Chartered Bank, Uganda’s second biggest commercial bank by assets and market share, has defended the commercial banking sector’s decision not to aggressively lower lending rates. The bank’s Regional Head of Research, Razia Khan, said in a statement sent to The Independent that although Uganda has witnessed …

By Julius Businge The Kampala City Traders Association is calling for further reductions in interest rates by commercial banks to enable them access cheap credit to run business. In an interview with The Independent Everest Kayondo, the association’s chairman said commercial banks were quick at raising interest rates when the …

By Haggai Matsiko Little known base ballers give hope to U.S. president’s campaign For a bunch of Ugandan 12-year-olds—mostly from the poorest families in the sugarcane growing town of Lugazi, near Kampala, a recent trip to the U.S. was the highlight of their lives. Unknown to them, even US President …