Today, confronted with deepening domestic strains and an increasingly contested global position, Washington has shed its veneer of moralism and is resorting more openly to naked force to impose its will on other countries. COMMENT | XINHUA | Far from a triumphant display of strength and Western Hemisphere dominance as …
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 »Uganda’s political elite and the dangerous myth of wealth
Money without factories, power without production COMMENT | ALEX ATWEMEREIREHO | Uganda is awash with money, yet starved of production. This is not a rhetorical flourish; it is a measurable, lived contradiction. Walk through Kampala, Hoima, Gulu, or Mbarara, and one encounters expensive vehicles, gated mansions, luxury consumption, and cash-intensive …
Read More »Uganda’s judiciary, bail and the battle for rule of law
COMMENT | ALEX ATWEMEREIREHO | In the high chambers of the Kampala High Court on Monday, 29 December 2025, Justice Emmanuel Baguma delivered a ruling that will reverberate far beyond the stone walls of Courtroom No. 335. In a drama that has occupied the conscience of Ugandans and unsettled international …
Read More »Between Empire and Agency: Africa in a fracturing world order
In the spirit of 1964, Africa must turn indignation into agency and sovereignty into strategy COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | I returned from my annual pilgrimage to Rujumbura, undertaken in observance of Christmas, only to be confronted by reports that the United States had, under cover of night, undertaken military …
Read More »No country has the right to police the world
COMMENT | Xinhua | Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared in Manhattan federal court on Monday after his forcible seizure by U.S. special forces on Venezuelan soil this weekend, marking the latest development in Washington’s public assault on international law and national sovereignty. Kidnapping the head of state of a sovereign …
Read More »Responsible media coverage during elections is essential for peace
COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | As the election season approaches, there has been an increase in public participation, indicating healthy democratic engagement. However, this growth has also led to a surge in misinformation, especially on digital platforms, which can rapidly spread false narratives and conspiracy theories. Misinformation can diminish public …
Read More »The critical-minerals race is putting the planet at risk
COMMENT | Johanna Sydow & Nsama Chikwanka | The environmental and human toll of mineral extraction is becoming clearer – and more alarming – by the day. Roughly 60% of Ghana’s waterways are now heavily polluted due to gold mining along riverbanks. In Peru, many communities have lost access to safe drinking water after environmental …
Read More »When the ballot is under cyber-attack, protecting the vote should be a human rights duty
COMMENT | CRISPIN KAHERU | Whenever people speak of a stolen election, what often comes to mind are stuffed ballot boxes and forged tally sheets. Today, all over the world, it may look a little different. The concept is the same, though, but the method has changed. Elections are now stolen …
Read More »Terrorism, vigilance, and the duty to protect Uganda’s 2026 elections
Election security is not the responsibility of security forces alone, it is a collective national duty. COMMENT | MATHIAS RUKUBA | As Ugandans prepare to head to the polls in January 2026, it is critical to recognise that global terrorism remains a real and evolving threat to national security and democratic …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price