Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | Half of the young people in Africa feel excluded from political decision making. This is according to a latest U-report polling data released jointly by UNICEF, African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU). While an overwhelming majority of the polled young people at …
Read More »Sports betting companies counting losses from internet shutdown
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Telecommunications service centers, internet cafes and sports betting shops are among the businesses that were directly affected by the internet shutdown during the presidential and parliamentary elections last week. Betting and gambling companies are largely dependent on foreign sports like football leagues in Europe which …
Read More »BREAKING NEWS: Uganda back on the internet!
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT& XINHUA | Reports from Uganda’s capital Kampala indicate government has switched back on the internet Monday, midday. However social media remains blocked, with access to it only through a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Government had said they switched off social media and the internet, fearing …
Read More »BREAKING NEWS: Internet shutdown, voting starts
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A nationwide shutdown of the internet did not stop Ugandans from turning up early and in numbers to vote. The internet was switched off at 8pm on Wednesday night. TV stations remain on, and most of them broadcast Ugandans lining to vote. NTV Uganda broadcast …
Read More »Internet access surpasses 20 million user mark after lockdown
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Internet subscriptions in Uganda have grown to 20.1 million users as of September 2020, according to the latest market report by the regulator, the Uganda Communications Commission, UCC. This is nearly 50% national connectivity, meaning that at one in every two Ugandans are connected to …
Read More »Econet Group creates a Wi-Fi marketplace for digital inclusion in Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa | THE INDEPENDENT | Econet, through its subsidiaries Liquid Telecom Group (LTG) and Cassava Fintech International (CFI) has this week launched a network of #SasaiWiFiFinder hotspots in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Rwanda, providing locals with most affordable internet access. A statement from Econet says the …
Read More »Research questions relevance of social media tax
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two years after Uganda introduced a special tax on the access to social media sites, a new survey shows that the move has not achieved what it was meant to. In July 2018, the government introduced a levy of 200 Shillings per day on …
Read More »UCU secures free internet services for its e-learning platform
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Christian University has secured an offer for free internet services from MTN-Uganda to support its e-learning program. The University plans to officially resume it’s academic semester online this month after close to six months of inactivity as a result of a lockdown that …
Read More »Human Rights Commission asks government to suspend OTT
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Human Rights Commission has asked government to amend the law introducing Over the Top tax and suspend it during the electoral period in order to make internet more affordable and accessible. Dr. Katebalirwa Amooti Irumba, the acting chairman of the commission told …
Read More »REPORT: 30% of Ugandan women have experienced gender based harassment online
Africa faces a challenge with Online Gender Based Violence according to a new report released by Pollicy.org Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | One third of Ugandan women have experienced gender based harassment online, according to a new report released by Pollicy.org on the internet experiences of women in African …
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