COLUMNISTS

By Esther Dyson Facebook’s experiment raises the issue of manipulation and unintended consequences There has been a lot of fuss lately about the psychological experiment that Facebook conducted on nearly 700,000 of its users. In order to gauge how people’s Facebook “News Feeds” affect their moods, the company temporarily implemented …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How the internet has led to the growth of radicalism and the erosion of restraints associated with democracy The growth of social media has created an important avenue for people to express themselves to audiences freely without the restraining hand of the governance structures of traditional …

By Emmanuel K. Tabaro The government’s response in Kasese (or even the greater Rwenzori) should not be military To understand the Basongora – Bakonzo conflict — ignoring the obvious, simplistic narrative being peddled by different interest groups — it’s imperative we look at Garrett Hardin’s economic theory, “the tragedy of …

By Harold Acemah Romantic stories about tobacco sales paying school fees for our children is lopsided and short-sighted Right from colonial days, West Nile and the kingdom of Bunyoro-Kitara have been the major tobacco growing regions of Uganda and in the West Nile region, Terego County – where I come …

By Ian Goldin More, not less, cooperation is necessary to manage growing complexity and integration Recent evidence suggests that much of the world has entered a period of low financial-market volatility. But this is no time for complacency; more turbulent times are likely to lie ahead. Over the last quarter-century, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Although bar gossip and street rumours can be true, here is why journalists should always look for proof Yusuf Serunkuma is a PhD candidate at Makerere University’s Institute of Social Research. In that capacity he also teaches students. He regularly writes commentaries in newspapers and features …

By Morris Komakech Why really are the Americans and Europeans punishing Uganda when it hurts the poor people most? I have always wondered why the U.S. pulled the plug on Uganda following the enactment of the Anti-homosexuality Act on February 24, 2014. For clarity, I am one of those Ugandans …

By Morrison Rwakakamba Improved and rationalised salaries for public workers will drive economic growth While delivering the Budget Speech for Financial Year 2014/15 (In accordance with Article 155(1) of Constitution of Uganda) on the 12th June 2014, the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development (MFPED), Hon. Maria Kiwanuka, announced …

By Andrew M. Mwenda  How Rwanda’s growth since 1994 measures against other economies and what explains the figures Rwanda seems to be a country of extremes. Its turnaround since the genocide has been as astounding as the tragedy itself. The scale and speed of the Rwanda genocide was unprecedented. Rwanda’s …

By Kavuma-Kagwa How President Moi developed the Rift Valley and Western Kenya In terms of surface area occupied, The Republic of Kenya is the second biggest country in East Africa, the biggest being Tanzania. Kenya achieved Independence on December 12, 1963 after going through a ten year Mau Mau war …