In The Magazine

By Andrew M. Mwenda  In this column last week, I argued that after every successive election in Uganda, the quality of government has tended to deteriorate. Many Ugandans think this is because our nation has a sham democracy. ‘Were we to have genuine democracy,’ my friend Erias Lukwago, MP for …

By Andrew M. Mwenda & Molly Lister Did minister Onek touch a live wire? Sometime early this year, then minister of state for micro finance, Gen. Salim Saleh, went to meet the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Keith Muhakazi. He had a couple of documents with him …

By Andrew M. Mwenda It is difficult to conduct a debate on anything in Africa whose premise is the reality on the ground. Most debate ‘ whether on public policies or political institutions, on democracy or accountability ‘ uses as its reference point, the experience of the Western world. Take …

By Onghwens Kisangala About three weeks ago, President Museveni on a local TV talk show strongly defended the quality of government services as he whipped out the growth of health sector from a few hundred hospitals in the 1980s to thousands of them today. However in an interview with The …

By Isaac Mufumba On Sunday June 7, Prince Edward Columbus Wambuzi, backed up by three of Busoga Kingdom’s 11 hereditary chiefs, a host of musclemen called Kanyamas and some followers from his native Bulamogi County, installed himself as Isebantu Kyabazinga of Busoga when he took the crown from the head …

By Melina Platas In my constituency,” says Gilbert Bukenya, “no one listens to Mengo.” It is late Thursday morning and the Vice President has just strolled in to his third floor Parliament office. Wearing a pale yellow shirt and slacks, he looks relaxed as he eases in to his chair, …

By Joseph Were Since President Museveni announced on July 12 while appearing on WBS television that he would never grant Buganda Kingdom the federal system of government, the sense of the Rubicon being crossed has become pervasive. A headline story in the government-run Sunday Vision newspaper the same day did …

By Joseph Were Museveni has not spoken publicly on it, but a common anecdote tells how in February 1993, President Museveni held an Army Council meeting in Gulu and high on the agenda was the proposal to restore kingdoms in Uganda. These   had been abolished by president Milton Apollo …

By Zohran Kwame Mamdani Thirty-seven years ago on August 4, 1972, Ugandan Asians woke up to very grim news: President Idi Amin – allegedly inspired by a dream of ridding the country of exploiters, hoarders and economic saboteurs announced that all Asians must leave the country within the next 90 …

By Rosebell Kagumire Govt drafts law to save the President from prosecution Uganda has officially become the second African country after South Africa to block a visit by Sudanese President Gen. Omar al-Bashir. Bashir faces a similar situation in 28 other African countries and more than  90 others worldwide which …