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 …
Read More »How data centres are reshaping Africa’s power market
From Johannesburg to Kampala, Africa’s digital ambitions are now inseparable from the strength of its power grids Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa’s digital economy is beginning to recast the continent’s electricity landscape, with data centres emerging alongside households, factories and mines as a significant new source of power demand. …
Read More »The tragedy of Bobi Wine
Why is very difficult for Uganda’s opposition to self correct and contribute meaningfully to the country THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Uganda’s opposition has missed many opportunities to contribute meaningfully to our national development. This is because they have adopted a wrong strategy in their politics. They …
Read More »Museveni & Muhoozi vs Bobi Wine
Uganda’s power struggle enters a new phase COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | What will Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, do next? Will he emerge from hiding, and if so, when? These are the questions on many minds as the 2026 presidential candidate enters his third week in …
Read More »Are Ugandan farmers trading coffee beans to Europe for data?
Access to European markets increasingly depends on surrendering precise farm data under EUDR rules Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In the lush highlands of eastern and western Uganda, coffee farmers have long relied on fertile soils, predictable rains, and generations of agricultural knowledge to sustain their livelihoods. Today, however, …
Read More »Swapping antibiotics for cannabis in chicken feed
As demand for organic chicken rises in Morocco, researchers in the country are launching a study to examine the potential use of cannabis as a healthier alternative to antibiotics in poultry farming. Earlier studies have suggested that cannabis by-products could reduce mortality, improve the meat quality and gut health …
Read More »Internet shutdowns are increasing dramatically in Africa
This form of social control is a growing trend in the continent according to a new open access source book. One of the authors explains why they are happening COMMENT | TONY ROBERTS | How do you define an internet shutdown, and why do they happen? Put simply, an internet shutdown is …
Read More »Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi
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 …
Read More »A political obituary of Bobi Wine 2
What Uganda’s opposition lacks and how it has relegated them into a position of perpetual sore losers THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | In our column last week, we argued that how to challenge President Yoweri Museveni in an election has to respond to the specific ways in …
Read More »The cost of Uganda’s internet shutdown
Freedom of speech, constitutional rights, electoral transparency and business loss Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | On the evening of Jan 13, two days to a highly anticipated presidential election, Uganda went off grid as the government through the Uganda Communications Commission shut down the internet leaving millions of people …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price