Uganda bets on ICGLR’s mineral certification mechanism as it battles for legitimacy in the global gold market COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | For years, Uganda has carried the uncomfortable label of being “the gold laundering capital of Africa.” Watchdog reports, including investigations by the UN Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of …
Read More »Targeted, tracked, and silenced
New report details Uganda’s surveillance and spyware network that is endangering journalists and human rights activists COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | In July this year, investigative journalist, Canary Mugume of NBS Television, was attacked on his way home from work. It was late at night when a group of men …
Read More »Behind Museveni silence on Muhoozi’s behaviour
President’s strategic ambiguity exposed COVER STORY | INDEPENDENT REPORTER | All indicators point toward a highly volatile and potentially violent general election in 2026, according to two Ugandan scholars; Dr. Gerald Bareebe, who is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at the University of York in Canada and …
Read More »Buganda next after NRM fire in Busoga primaries
Violence to hit high in Parliamentary elections COVER STORY | JOSEPH WERE | A pattern of campaign violence, candidate harassment, and voter bribery that has emerged during the just concluded NRM primaries will likely spill into the 2026 general elections. That is the view of many expert election observers and analysts. …
Read More »‘Tax the super-rich’
Oxfam report warns of danger ahead as gap widens between rich and poor COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | In 1990, just one in 10 people living in extreme poverty around the world lived in Africa. In 2024, it was seven in ten. Since 2020, the number of people living in …
Read More »Most well-off East Africans revealed
So why are Ugandans the most angry? COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT | When Ugandans are asked to evaluate their life based on quality of life, happiness, and fulfillment on a ladder with steps numbered from 0 (the worst possible life) to 10 (the best possible life), the average rank …
Read More »Moses Ali versus Nambassa
How NUP and NRM sit at opposite ends of political spectrum COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | The unfolding generational divide between candidates of the ruling NRM party and its archrival, the National Unity Platform (NUP) could become the leading marker of the 2025-2026 election season currently playing out. A …
Read More »The Iran-Israel war
The calculations and the fears COVER STORY | AGENCIES | Facing a massive attack on its homeland, the Islamic Republic’s response has been restrained, driven by vulnerability and the need to avoid U.S. intervention. Its strategy appears aimed at preserving deterrence and diplomatic options while managing internal fallout amid mounting civilian …
Read More »Uganda among world’s top 10 neglected crises
Introverted, nationalistic donor policies are worsening the neglect of people in crisis and displacement-report COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda is Africa’s largest refugee-hosting country, and continues to serve as the region’s pressure valve, absorbing the fallout from multiple neighbouring displacement crises. However, its ongoing struggle to fend for close …
Read More »Inside Uganda’s plan to end HIV/AIDS by 2030
The government is now targeting 15,000 Ugandans for new HIV/AIDS data study COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On May 29, the Ministry of Health launched the third round of the Uganda Population-Based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025) survey, a study that is geared towards gathering vital statistics on the progress …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price