COMMENT | SHEILA KASABIITI | For decades, condom use campaigns and advocacy in Uganda have rightly focused on raising awareness of the benefits of condoms, debunking misinformation, and promoting access, affordability, and correct usage. But there is a missing piece in this communication chain: “What happens after use?” With the reduction of …
Read More »Overcapacity is China’s biggest AI advantage
COMMENT | ANGELA HUYUE ZHANG | While debates over the AI race between the United States and China tend to fixate on which country has the most powerful frontier models and the most advanced semiconductors, that framing is becoming outdated. As AI moves from our screens into the physical world, the question …
Read More »Europe must make AI firms pay for training data
COMMENT | ANYA SCHIFFRIN & ROBERTA CARLINI | Media outlets worldwide are dying. On top of a persistent lack of funding, they must now contend with AI summaries and chatbots, which are siphoning away audiences. A recent study found that in 2025, online traffic to news sites fell by one-third. This problem …
Read More »Why Kampala needs trade order now
COMMENT | JOSEPHA JABO | On Thursday, February 5, 2026 the minister for Kampala, Minsa Kabanda, addressed journalists at Uganda Media Centre, briefing them about the new trade order, available workspaces in public markets for street vendors and the revival of the Sunday Market. The press conference began with …
Read More »A Lifelong Safety Net: Why social protection must start at birth, not retirement
NEWS FEATURE | LYDIA MIREMBE | Somewhere in Masaka, an elderly grandmother takes care of 13 grandchildren. A dilapidated house left by her long-deceased husband is the only possession to speak of. She can hardly afford their food, education, or healthcare. To make ends meet, she sends the grandchildren out to …
Read More »What’s Next for Museveni?
Can President Museveni translate his immense political support from the recently concluded elections into capital to drive massive political and economic reforms that will cement his legacy? COMMENT | NNANDA KIZITO SSERUWAGI | President Yoweri Museveni won the 2026 polls with his highest score (71%) since 1996 (74%). Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi …
Read More »Parents should also consider TVET while choosing secondary schools for their children
COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | With results of PLE now out, I urge parents that are planning secondary school life for their children to consider Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs that admit students directly from Primary Seven. Learners who enrol in community polytechnics can actually earn an O-level equivalent …
Read More »KAMPALA: From potholes to fibre poles and cables
Kampala the city known for potholes but now a city of Fibre poles and cocktail of cables COMMENT | SAM TINKA | I first came to Kampala in 1998 after I finished my S.6 exams. As usual, it’s during long vacations that one would visit relatives. I stayed with my brother …
Read More »How Uganda’s economy can withstand global turmoil
COMMENT | BETHUEL KARANJA | From Washington to Beijing, the global economic weather is turning unpredictable. Trade rules that once anchored international commerce are fraying under the strain of protectionism, geopolitical rivalry and economic nationalism. For a small, open economy like Uganda’s, deeply plugged into global commodity markets, capital flows …
Read More »When climate risk becomes a budget risk
Here is why climate change is no longer just an environmental but a public finance issue COMMENT | HELLEN DIANA ZAWEDDE | When harvests fail after prolonged droughts, when floods cut off roads and markets, when heat waves strain health services, and when infrastructure crumbles under extreme weather, the damage …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price