In The Magazine

By G. Pascal Zachary In a dusty remote village in eastern Uganda, I stare across a mud-hut at a retired government worker who echoes the millions of people across of Africa, young and old, women and men, who want Barack Obama, the next American president, to be their leader too. …

By David Tinyefuza Last week, we published views of seven generals (both retired and serving) on Operation Lightning Thunder. They criticised the ongoing operation against Kony’s LRA rebels as poorly planned and likely to achieve nothing significant. Coordinator of Intelligence Gen. David Tinyefuza who commanded Operation North in ‘90s writes …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Next week, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) will celebrate 23 years in government. The NRM revolution was born in a moment of great hope. It is difficult for me to capture the emotional tone of that moment. But there was great hope in most of this …

By John Njoroge The Independents John Njoroge spoke to the outgoing US Ambassador to Uganda Mr. Stephen Browning on what the election of President Obama means to Africa and the world. The election of Obama has brought hope and excitement worldwide. Will the Obama presidency fulfill these expectations especially as …

By Charles Onyango-Obbo A Ugandan analysts whose views I respect, told me recently that the ‘Opposition to the [President Yoweri] Museveni is getting exhausted, and it would seem many people now believe he cannot be removed’. He anticipated that while Museveni’s rule is discredited daily by corruption and incompetence, and …

By Patrick Matsiko Wa Mucoori One time two Bahima friends left their small village in Nyabushozi and went for shopping in Lyantonde town on the Masaka-Mbarara Road. They entered a restaurant for breakfast. When tea was brought, one of them, Rwetsiba, tasted and turned to his friend Rucurumbukana and said: …

By Andrew M. Mwenda On December 14, 2008 the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) launched Operation Lightning Thunder on the camps of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Later President Yoweri Museveni, in a national broadcast aired on radio …

By The Independent Team Here, The Independent talked to Maj. Gen. Zed Maruru, former army chief-of-staff under Gen. Tito Okello’s short-lived government. Maruru is an air force pilot trained in Czechoslovakia and at Bracknell Staff College of the Royal Air Force of United Kingdom, one of the world’s most respected …

By The Independent Reporter The Independent talked to two retired military officers; one from Britain, one from the United States. Both have worked for the Special Forces of their respective countries. According to these experts, the way UPDF employed its Special Forces in the operation demonstrated a lack of understanding …

By Andrew M. Mwenda A common joke about our roads in Uganda goes like this: If you see someone driving zigzag, then you know he is sober; and if you see someone driving straight, they must be drunk. Why is the logic of driving inverted? Because we have too many …