Participation is secured, but profitability and prudence remain under scrutiny Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | For more than 50 years, Uganda depended on its eastern neighbour, Kenya, to transport the fuel that powers its economy, but had little influence over the infrastructure and pricing decisions shaping that supply. That dynamic …
Read More »On America’s war with Iran
How the current conflict in the Middle East is reordering the world and may risk a dangerous escalation THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | The joint USA-Israel attack on Iran has set the Middle East on fire and risks a global conflict of unimaginable proportions. It is …
Read More »When Uganda’s emergency crises become cash cows
Despite laws in place, predictable emergencies are still being exploited, revealing gaps in planning and accountability Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In Uganda, disasters ranging from seasonal floods, landslides, to public health emergencies—rarely spare ordinary citizens. Families displaced by floods can spend weeks in makeshift shelters, while overstretched health facilities …
Read More »Stanbic flies Ugandan students to South Africa after innovation win
The winning school received Shs 20 million in business capital, Shs 5 million in school support, two laptops, and a teacher’s award of Shs 2 million Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stanbic Bank Uganda has flown the winners of its 2025 National Schools Championship (NSC) to South Africa, offering …
Read More »Will Japan’s new rock star PM Takaichi deliver?
Now that she has consolidated her power in Japan’s legislature, what she will do with it? COMMENT | ADAM SIMPSON | Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has delivered her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections she called shortly after taking office. Now that she has consolidated her …
Read More »Mind and medicine
How Uganda’s group support psychotherapy is reshaping mental‑health care for people living with HIV ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | When Dr Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu speaks about depression and HIV, she does so with the measured tone of a researcher — but also with the urgency of someone who has witnessed the …
Read More »Cruising on the Mokoro inside the Okavango Delta
Guided by local polers, an intimate canoe safari reveals why this inland wetland sustains both wildlife and community Boro Mokoro Station, BOTSWANA | RONALD MUSOKE | From the air, the Okavango Delta in southern Africa, appears as a blue-green mirage spilling into desert– a fan of water dissolving into sand. But …
Read More »PART II: US-China economic war
The US has long enjoyed the world’s cheapest energy, but China is now set to take that position THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | In 2020–2021, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd (TSMC) leapfrogged US-based Intel in the production of advanced chips. All of a sudden, TSMC could produce …
Read More »East Africa’s dismal football record doesn’t match its passion – what needs to happen
East Africa loves football. From the streets of Nairobi and the markets of Kampala to the beaches of Dar es Salaam, the passion for soccer is an undeniable current running through the region. Yet, despite fan support, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania haven’t translated this enthusiasm into sustained international success. A new book that …
Read More »New AfCFTA-AGRA alliance targets farmer-centered intra-African trade
Despite Africa’s comparative advantage in agriculture, it accounts for the smallest share of global agricultural trade NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have sealed a new partnership aimed at accelerating intra-African agricultural trade, in …
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