COLUMNISTS

By Andrew M. Mwenda Given Museveni’s long rule and potential for family succession, is Uganda now vulnerable to an `Arab Spring’ I argued in this column last week that Africa has almost similar structural conditions as the Middle East on the eve of the Arab Spring – sustained economic growth …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How realistic is the risk of political upheaval in Africa and what can be done about it? Two weeks ago, I was in Nairobi, Kenya to attend a conference on Africa’s political risk profile. The moderator of the first session posed four questions for discussion: Is …

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram Public investment and basic social protection can turn around economies by creating millions of jobs Recent political developments, including the defeat of incumbent governments in France and Greece, suggest that the public’s tolerance for economic policies that do not reduce unemployment has collapsed. Indeed, given the …

By Dr. Robert Rutaagi Uganda’s competitiveness in the domestic, regional and global markets Niche’ and its adjunctive derivative ‘marketing’ is a terminology that is greatly abused. The word niche is of French origin, meaning “a small hole, in a large wall, usually used to hang a photograph or art craft”. …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How one of Africa’s distinguished scholars has been misled to become hostile to a government that should be his natural ally Prof. George Ayittey is one of the most thoughtful and influential intellectuals on contemporary Africa. He has been consistent in his condemnation of Rwanda’s President …

By Dr. Robert Rutaagi The end of local marketing and the eternity of global marketing Sometime last year, the Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) and other stakeholders, organised a splendid Industrial and Trade Exhibition whose theme was “Buy Local”. As I listened to and read through the local electronic and print …

By Andrew M. Mwenda A combination of sound technocratic management with a good dose of political skill will do the job I argued in this column last week that any attempt by Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to carry out transformative reforms in our city will create high political tensions.  …

By Naomi Wolf Excessive surveillance infringes on the privacy rights of individuals contrary to constitutional provisions Almost no one had read the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) before it was rushed through the United States House of Representatives in late April and sent to the Senate. CISPA is …

By Kevin Mcpartlan A consultant argues that Glenevin does not gloss over abuse but advises government officials to handle the public When I picked up the latest edition of The Independent I certainly did not “buy the truth”. Rather I read an ill-researched and disingenuous comment piece by Moses Odokonyero …

By Peter Nyanzi What Ugandans need urgently is a transport regulatory framework and institutions That Kampala City is choking under a horrifying level of congestion, pollution, traffic jams and a public transport crisis is general knowledge. These are issues that have bedeviled cities worldwide for decades. But what is baffling …