COMMENT | IVAN SSERUNJOGI | In the just-concluded year, several reports indicated that Namutumba District faced a high teacher absenteeism rate, and the sector was allegedly rife with the recruitment of “incompetent teachers”. Such reports alarm the public, suggesting a collapse in teacher accountability as the academic year 2026 is set …
Read More »History, memory, and Africa’s unfinished struggle
“Wrong must not win by technicalities” — Aeschylus COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | I am often asked why I return, almost instinctively, to history when reflecting on the failures and possibilities of Africa’s contemporary political order. Why, some wonder, do I insist on excavating the past when addressing the present? …
Read More »The Uganda national flag debate
Globally, citizens often display their national flags at homes, offices, and public spaces as expressions of pride. Uganda is no exception COMMENT | JULIUS BUSINGE | As Uganda journeys toward the January 15 general elections, the national flag has once again taken centre stage in public debate—raising questions not only …
Read More »Desperate vote hunting and the need to control reckless tongues
COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | In one of our animated discussions in a journalists’ chat group, a colleague, Derrick Wandera of the Daily Monitor, questioned why the National Resistance Movement (NRM), and particularly the security agencies, are placing so much emphasis on what he described as “ghetto political slogans” …
Read More »A peaceful election is a duty of every peace-loving Ugandan
COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | Uganda is in the middle of an election cycle, with campaigns steadily ongoing at the presidential, parliamentary, and local council levels. While the general process has largely been orderly and the public continues to enjoy the campaign season, there have unfortunately been reported …
Read More »Mountains That Remember: M23 and the politics that keep Africa burning
COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | On the occasion of Congo’s independence in June 1960, King Baudouin addressed the people of the Congo, declaring, in a condescending tone, “The independence of Congo is the end result of the work started with the exceptional personality of King Leopold II, which he …
Read More »How can you be loyal to the president but not the republic?
When Loyalty Becomes a Lie: The Hidden Machinery of Political Manipulation Around President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni! COMMENT | ALEX ATWEMEREIREHO | There is a grave and unsettling tragedy quietly metastasizing within the bloodstream of Ugandan politics, one that threatens not only the legacy of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni but also the …
Read More »What you need to know about the BVVK ahead of the Uganda elections
Kampala, Uganda | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | In just 34 days, Uganda will hold a general election. As the country approaches the polls scheduled for January 15, 2026, focus will turn to the Biometric Voter Verification Kit that will be used to confirm voters’ identities. The Biometric Voter Verification Kit (BVVK) is …
Read More »The paradox of Museveni’s failure
How our president greatest failure has been inability to manage his own success THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Recently, I drove to Busia, then to Bushenyi. I often drive to Gulu, Hoima and Fort Portal via Mubende. These experiences both stress and depress me. Kampala and …
Read More »Europe must help Africa break the cycle of debt
Without comprehensive reform of the global financial system, Africa’s development and Europe’s stability will face growing risks COMMENT | Nana Akufo-Addo & Ulrich Volz | On November 24-25, African and European leaders met in Luanda, Angola, for the European Union-African Union summit. Marking 25 years of EU-AU partnership, the gathering was not …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price