Report shows how dictators exploited COVID-19 to quash opposition Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In 2018, the American democracy advocacy NGO, Freedom House, gave Uganda a score of 37% in its Freedom in the World Report and labeled the country “partly free”. Then in its 2019 report, Uganda’s score …

  How the government is hindering them Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | An unfavourable national legal policy framework and ignorance of the policy implementers are among issues stopping Ugandans from enjoying their digital rights. Dorothy Mukasa; the Executive Director of Unwanted Witnesses, a civil organisation that defends and protects …

Samia Hassan Suluhu becomes first woman president in traditional East Africa ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES  | As stipulated in the Tanzanian constitution, Vice President Samia Hassan Suluhu was on March 18 sworn in as the country’s 6th President following the death of John Pombe Magufuli on March 17. …

John Pombe Magufuli, the son of a peasant farmer who became Tanzania’s president in 2015, has died aged 61. Once praised for his no-nonsense approach, he went on to become a controversial leader, especially over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. ANALYSIS | BBC.COM | He was elected for a …

Why low pay, government intimidation and spies in the newsrooms  and lack of training make it tough COMMENT | KAREN MCLNTYRE AND MEGHAN SOBEL COHEN | Ugandan journalists are subject to state intimidation and violence almost on a daily basis. During the recent presidential elections, media crews covering opposition candidates …

Why the alleged substandard exports should help nation rethink its agricultural extension interventions  COMMENT | WALTER AKENA | On March 5, 2021, the Kenyan Government issued a ban on the importation of maize from Uganda. The decision, according to the head of Kenyan Agriculture and Food Authority stemmed from their …

Dr. Amanda Tumusiime takes on research and community outreach in latest project showcasing the relationship between art and nature. Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | The so what question stands out every time one mentions they are an artist. “So what if you are an artist?” The question will often …

Denmark temporarily suspended use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine on March 11 as a precautionary move after reports of blood clots and one death. | THE INDEPENDENT | Following the susdpension, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the UK’s regulatory body said that there is no indication that vaccination is …

Tanzania’s president dies aged 61 after Covid rumours Dar es Salaam | THE INDEPENDENT | Tanzania’s President John Magufuli has died aged 61, the country’s vice-president has announced. He died on March 17 from heart complications at a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Samia Suluhu Hassan said in an address …

But China retained the top slot as seller of products to the East African nation Kampala, Uganda | ISAAC KHISA | United Arab Emirates has retained its position as the biggest buyer of Ugandan products for the fourth  consecutive year after making orders worth US$1.84 billion from Kampala in 2020, …