Cover Story

  U.S. sanctions have targeted Ugandan leaders over rights abuses, corruption, and opposition repression COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | Last week, a retired U.S. general drew widespread attention in Kampala with a rare, high-profile visit, moving with unusual access through Uganda’s senior political and military circles. During his stay, …

Ukraine has become the world’s premier testing ground for AI weapons on Russian troops, foreign mercenaries   COVER STORY | AGENCIES | The Phantom MK-1 looks the part of an AI soldier. Encased in jet black steel with a tinted glass visor, it conjures a visceral dread far beyond what …

Rising oil prices, disrupted air travel, and a shift in Sudan’s conflict COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | The US–Israeli war against Iran may be unfolding thousands of kilometres away, but its consequences are already being felt far beyond the Middle East. For East Africa’s fast-growing economies—Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania—the …

Gaps in Uganda’s digital ID rollout could exclude people with disabilities from critical public services SPECIAL REPORT | RONALD MUSOKE | When on Feb. 9, Claire Ollama, the friendly and polyglottic Registrar of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), declared  the nationwide digital ID registration and renewal exercise “successfully concluded,” …

The US$15,000 visa bond places travellers under sharper scrutiny as Washington tightens enforcement COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When U.S. Ambassador William W. Popp stepped-up to address the press at the American Centre in Kampala on Feb. 5, he was carrying a message that blended diplomacy with warning. The United …

  Remand of MP and Bobi Wine ally revives fears of MP Ssegirinya’s torture and death COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | Fears for the life of outgoing Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi have intensified after he was charged with terrorism and remanded to Kitalya Prison, a move that has …

Time to choose: continuity or change COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES | When Ugandans go to the polls on Thursday, they will be voting under the watchful presence of the government, with army boots already visible on the streets of the capital, Kampala, a deployment security chiefs say …

For a country that has never seen peaceful transfer of power, the future is arriving faster than its readiness for it COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On the afternoon of December 10, at Hotel Africana in Kampala, Uganda’s political future was discussed quietly, almost cautiously. There were no cameras jostling …

Despite recent legal reforms, Uganda’s mining companies keep their true owners hidden, stalling transparency and accountability in a sector worth billions of dollars COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When Uganda was admitted into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) fold in August 2020, it was hailed as a political and …

Whether Uganda takes the federal path or not, the country can’t escape debate on how power is distributed, and who benefits from status quo COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When Frank Bulira Kabinga stepped onto the podium at the Nation Media Group’s televised Presidential Debate on November 30, the Revolutionary …