By Ivan Rugambwa New taxes to make Ugandans poorer, increase cost of doing business When the Finance Minister, Maria Kiwanuka reads the budget, she will announce a tax increment on fuel that experts fear will hike transport fees and prices for commodities. The increment was first announced on April 10, …

By Haggai Matsiko Making resource rich regions become food poor Deep in Bukuya Sub County in Mubende district, a gold-mining company, AUC Mining Ltd owned by the British and some influential Ugandans, evicted about 400 peasants. At the gate to the mining company, one finds not ordinary security guards but …

By Harold E. Acemah Africans are no longer at peace and their leaders are restless May 25, marked the 50th anniversary of African unity. Unlike May 1963 when the OAU was established, African leaders who assembled in Addis Ababa for the recent AU summit, such as YahyaJammeh of Gambia, Teodoro …

By Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Lack of democracy and peace, corruption and weak states  interfere with the building of the economy As far as Uganda is concerned, you cannot build a robust and sustainably developing economy if you do not deal with the following eight bottlenecks: A human resource that is …

By Julius Odeke Outgoing French Ambassador Aline Kuster-Ménager spoke to The Independent’s Ronald Musoke. What has been your impression of Uganda? Before coming to Uganda, I read the book, My African Journey, written by Winston Churchill in 1906 describing Uganda as the “Pearl of Africa.” During my stay, I confirmed …

By Julius Odeke Dr Ian Clarke aka Busuulwa is the LC III Chairperson for Makindye Division. He spoke to The Independent’s Julius Odeke about his political plans, the future of Kampala City, and the challenges of urbanization. More Ugandans are moving into urban areas. What are the implications of this …

By Sarah Namulondo Stefano Dejak, Italy’s ambassador to Uganda speaks to The Independent’s Sarah Namulondo about good governance, vision 2040 and the Uganda-Italy cooperation. On June 2 you will be celebrating the Italian day, tell us about the significance of the Italian Day to the people of Italy? It is …

By Morris DC komakech Fear of severing state patronage makes intellectual mediocrity in Uganda’s politics inevitable In “The missing intellectual voice” (The Independent June 21), Andrew Mwenda revealed interesting traits of the social and political transformation in Uganda. Mwenda validated my long standing belief that Uganda’s politics has become the …

By Achola Rosario Moses Golola has lost a few famous matches; so why does his coach insist you can defeat him but you cannot beat him? He does not drink. His knuckles are calloused. He has become a household name although he only started kickboxing professionally four years ago. Speaking …

By Sarah Namulondo Knowing what to put in your body and what to avoid could be the difference between life and death Doctors are sounding a warning about liver diseases, which have recorded an upward trend in Uganda and worldwide in recent years. Liver diseases occur when there is a …