Data is now Airtel Africa’s main revenue driver, overtaking voice, while mobile money continues to grow in importance Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Airtel Africa has reported a sharp rise in annual profit, with profit after tax more than doubling to $813m in the year to March 2026, …
Read More »Museveni VII
The long running show adds another season COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | At exactly 11:50am, beneath Kampala’s unforgiving midday sun, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took the oath of office at the Kololo Independence Grounds for another term as a 21-gun salute cracked across the capital, announcing not so …
Read More »Muhoozi’s anger at corruption
How the abuse of the public trust through looting of public funds is going to cause a terrible backlash at the perpetrators THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has been tweeting his frustration with mass and endemic corruption in Uganda’s public sector. Many …
Read More »Botswana’s Ex-President Festus Mogae, who tackled H.I.V., Dies at 86
The democrat was considered the architect of the Southern African country’s economic rise and a pioneer in the fight against AIDS Gaborone, Botswana | AGENCIES | The political career of Botswana’s ex-President Festus Gontebanye Mogae can be summarized under one heading: “good governance.” During his time in office from 1998 …
Read More »Uganda’s inhaler gap leaves asthma patients exposed
Asthma is responsible for more than 450,000 deaths globally every year, many of which are preventable Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s response to asthma is facing growing scrutiny as health specialists warn that thousands of patients are still unable to access essential inhalers, even as global treatment …
Read More »Uganda government backs off foreign funding bill, but is the risk fully gone?
Parliament passed a softened but still controversial sovereignty law targeting foreign-funded political activity NEWS ANALYSIS | AYENAT MERSIE | Uganda just passed one of the region’s most closely watched pieces of legislation this year — and even in its watered-down form, it’s leaving a mark. On May 5, Parliament …
Read More »MAKANO: More like a Basquiat ‘protégé’
COMMENT | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | MAKANO has just returned from Zambia for the opening of his debut solo show, Red Flags 2026, in this Central African Republic. He looks relaxed and is not showing any sign of anxiety that one would expect from an artist of his age …
Read More »Ending malaria in Africa: 5 essential reads on gains and challenges
In 2024, Africa accounted for 95% of malaria cases (265 million) and 95% (579,000) of malaria deaths NEWS ANALYSIS | WALE FATADE | Malaria, a life-threatening disease spread to humans by some types of mosquitoes, is preventable and curable. The World Malaria Report 2025 shows that in 2024, there were …
Read More »Uganda’s sickle cell patients at risk as asthma goes undetected
The country-specific data remains limited, but the scale of sickle cell disease suggests the implications are considerable Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | For two weeks, a 16-year-old girl living with sickle cell disease was treated for what appeared to be a stubborn chest infection. She had …
Read More »Young South Sudanese models ‘take up space’ in quest to showcase talent
Longing to stride down runways of international fashion weeks often collides with realities of conservatism and lack of structural support. ARTS | MAURA AJAK | Growing up, Khloe Nyanda and the women and girls around her were taught “to be small and not take up spaces”, the 21-year-old says. …
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