THIS WEEK: MPs call for merging of ministries, departments Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A section of members of parliament are considering tabling a private members bill to scrap some ministries, government departments and agencies that are not working or duplicating work of other state agencies. Bukooli Central legislator Solomon …

THIS WEEK: Magistrates sets December 19 to decide on red pepper editors’ bail Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Road Chief Magistrate James Eremye Mawanda said editors and directors of the local tabloid Red Pepper will have their bail application ruled on Dec.19. The magistrate who said needed to review …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Only 15% of the voters support amendment of the constitution to remove presidential age limits. This is according to a report on citizens’ perception on the proposed amendment of article 102(b) of the constitution released on Dec.08 by the Uganda Governance Monitoring Platform (UGMP) an …

THIS WEEK: Museveni gives views on age limit, proposes amendment to term duration Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In their final session of consulting key individuals on the proposed amendment of article 102(b) of the constitution to remove presidential age limits, members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee chaired …

THIS WEEK: UNEB scraps chemistry, physics practical exams Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Effective next year, candidates sitting for Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) will not sit for the physics, chemistry and biology alternative practical examinations after the reasons for their introduction were found to be no longer valid. Commenting …

THIS WEEK: LDC discontinues over 50 over dodging Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A board of examiners meeting sitting at the Makerere based Law Development Center (LDC) on Dec.07 resolved to discontinue or expel up to 50 students pursuing post graduate diplomas in legal practice for breaching rules. With examinations …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | On a tour and annual retreat to the Karamoja region last week, European diplomats were asked by local leaders to be sending funds directly to them other than sending it through the respective ministries, a thing that was opposed by Minister John Byabagambi. “We want …

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The UN’s top expert on torture on Wednesday said reports from sources indicated at least one inmate was still being tortured at the US detention centre in Guantanamo Bay and reiterated his request to visit. Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture, said he had …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Target said Wednesday it was acquiring same-day grocery delivery service Shipt for $550 million, helping the US retail titan step up its challenge to Amazon and its recently acquired Whole Foods supermarket chain. The retailer said it planned to combine its network of stores …

How failure to share family cultural history endangers symbols that represent common ancestral origin COMMENT | NATHAN KIWERE | Writing on page 137 of his book, ‘The Baganda’ (Macmillan and Co., 1911), John Roscoe, a British colonial historian, states that when animals were becoming scarce, Kintu, with the general consent of …