Introverted, nationalistic donor policies are worsening the neglect of people in crisis and displacement-report COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country, and continues to serve as the region’s pressure valve, absorbing the fallout from multiple neighbouring displacement crises. However, its ongoing struggle to fend for close …

The government is now targeting 15,000 Ugandans for new HIV/AIDS data study COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On May 29, the Ministry of Health launched the third round of the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025) survey, a study that is geared towards gathering vital statistics on the progress …

New GLAD Lab data shows fire was the leading driver of tropical deforestation ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Forest loss around the world surged to a record high in 2024, thanks mainly to a calamitous rise in fires, according to the latest data from the University of Maryland’s GLAD Lab that …

INTERVIEW | Solomon Sserwanjja is the Executive Director of the African Institute for Investigative Journalism (AIIJ). He spoke to The Independent’s Ronald Musoke about the prominent role of journalists in the 2026 general elections. QUESTION: Journalists and the media have always played a crucial role during elections. How essential do you think …

Though data remains limited in Uganda, thousands continue to be displaced by floods, hailstorms, landslides, and land-related disputes ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | The number of internally displaced people around the world reached 83.4 million in 2024, a significant increase from 75.9 million in the previous year, as conflict, climate change …

Not all truth should be out there, warns Media Council boss ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE |  Images of an armoured personnel carrier (Mamba), a war machine, parked at a polling station during the most recent Kawempe North by-election and the beating up of journalists by soldiers of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task …

Defects have been flagged at the 183MW Isimba Hydropower Plant, but contractor is reluctant to fix them COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | For many hydroelectricity producers around the world, rainfall is a welcome blessing that ensures a steady power supply. But for Harrison Mutikanga, the CEO of the Uganda Electricity …

‘Coltan moves from DR Congo to EU via Rwanda’ ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | All actors in the supply chain of illicit mineral exports, from operators of the mines to end product users, need to be held accountable for sustaining the bloodbath in the conflict-riven eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). That …

  Attracting ‘proper’ mining companies could bring peace, say experts COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Barrick Gold Corporation was until 2019 the largest mining company in the world. With operating revenue of US$12.922 billion (Uganda’s GDP is about US$50 billion), Barrick Gold is the kind of mining company that experts …

Experts say the region’s mineral certification mechanism remains patchy, under-implemented, and hindered by political and regulatory gaps ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | Fourteen years since 12 governments in the Great Lakes region unanimously agreed to create a foolproof international system for certifying and auditing minerals that have been blamed for fomenting …