COLUMNISTS

By Andrew M. Mwenda On March 16, 1989, the ultra modern subway system of South Korea’s capital Seoul came to a standstill. Six thousand workers went on strike; 3,000 of them defiantly occupied the roundhouse from which the locomotives dispatch. The president, Gen. Roh Tae Woo, ordered a crackdown: 6,000 …

By Andrew M. Mwenda For a long time now, Ugandans and foreigners have praised the government of President Yoweri Museveni for being ‘tolerant’ of press freedom. I have been inconsistent on this issue. Sometimes I believe we enjoy a relatively good level of media freedom and freedom of expression generally …

By Taimour Lay The full release of Uganda’s Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) with Tullow Oil and Heritage Oil & Gas is the fundamental first step towards forging a democratic and socially responsible extraction of oil in the Albertine rift. Instead, Ugandans are being subjected to a disinformation campaign coordinated by …

By Independent Reporters Members of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) chapter in the USA spent what was supposed be a gala evening crestfallen when President Yoweri Museveni cancelled his attendance at the last minute. Museveni’s absence however did not deter some Ugandans from holding placards and demonstrating for most of …

By Patrick Matsiko wa Mucoori Now I know why it is quite easy to become a witchdoctor or soothsayer in Uganda. Situations or trends in Uganda are so predictable that any ordinary mortal can foretell with precision or close accuracy what will happen tomorrow and it indeed happens as projected. …

By Andrew M. Mwenda On September 9, the Doing Business Report of the World Bank Group ranked Rwanda as the world’s top reformer in creating a business friendly environment. The report also showed that within one year, Rwanda jumped from number 139 to number 67 out of 186 countries sampled …

By Enock Nimpamya Of recent, different parts of Uganda have been severely hit by unexpected drought spells characterised by deepening water shortages, crop failure and abnormal rise in temperatures. Global average surface temperatures have increased by 0.7°c since mid 1800 and future climate change impacts will be significant, affecting people …

By William Mbonigaba Uganda vis a vis Buganda (or is it the other way round?) This question is important because Buganda as a unit existed before Uganda. However, we also know that before Uganda, it was not only Buganda that existed as a political unit: Bunyoro also existed and was …

By Charles Onyango Obbo Mr Yoweri Museveni has made many notoriously bad mistakes in his 23 years as president of Uganda. However, there are two things he hardly does: One, it is rare for Museveni to lose initiative in any big political confrontation. And he almost never leaves an opponent …

By Joe Powell Reliable information in times of crisis is a precious commodity. For many Ugandans, however, news was hard to come by during the three days of rioting in Kampala and the surrounding area. A key reason for this was a significant media crackdown by state security operatives, the …