NEWS ANALYSIS

When Kenyan nursing graduate Ruth Apondi Omondi created Smart Mama as a simple telemedicine platform in 2024, she knew she was bridging a critical gap in maternal care. The 24-year-old launched the m-Health service in Nairobi to give pregnant women the reliable information they need to make better health decisions …

Burundi, Egypt and Fiji eliminated trachoma; Guinea and Kenya eliminated sleeping sickness; and Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness NEWS ANALYSIS | AGENCIES | Even as funding cuts, conflict and climate shocks strained health systems worldwide – disrupting essential services in many countries – governments and …

Pressure to deliver economic improvement for young people – and questions over his succession – will define the president’s seventh term if he wins as expected NEWS ANALYSIS |  FERGUS KELL | Ugandans will go to the polls on Jan.15. Two weeks after election day will mark the 40th anniversary …

Time to choose: continuity or change COVER STORY | THE INDEPENDENT & AGENCIES | When Ugandans go to the polls on Thursday, they will be voting under the watchful presence of the government, with army boots already visible on the streets of the capital, Kampala, a deployment security chiefs say …

  SPECIAL FEATURE | DAMIEN POLLARD | If you walk into a video hall in Uganda your attention will probably go straight to a person sitting at the front of the audience. Speaking rapidly into a microphone, they comment loudly and continuously, often drowning out the sound of the film …

‘Without bold investment, inclusive policies, and regional coordination, the EU Green Deal risks becoming a blueprint for poverty rather than sustainability’ NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | The Speke Resort Hotel in Munyonyo buzzed with urgency on December 11-12, 2025, as policymakers, agronomists, and trade experts from Eastern and Southern Africa …

Police have consistently served as instruments of political order rather than neutral guardians of public security NEWS ANALYSIS |  JUDE KAGORO | Uganda’s police have long faced criticism for politically charged interventions. These include episodes in which lethal force has been used in ways that observers describe as excessive or indiscriminate. …

Political intimidation, ownership pressures, the rise of AI, and economic constraints are calling into question the future of press freedom – nowhere more conspicuously than in the United States, where these forces have combined to fuel growing anxiety about the fate of an institution that has been fundamental to democracies …

Nairobi, Kenya | THE INDEPENDENT | East Africa holds a special place in the hearts of wildlife lovers and adventure seekers. Its vast savannas, mist-covered mountains, ancient forests, and shimmering lakes create a tapestry of landscapes that feel almost mythical. When people dream of an African safari, they often picture …

Africa’s startup ecosystem is bouncing back, with 2025 funding levels seen surpassing 2024 and 2023, driven largely by a surge of local investors taking charge. SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY |  Africa’s startup ecosystem is emerging from two difficult years with renewed momentum, buoyed by a funding rebound that is …