COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | In a little over a week, on May 12th, Ugandans will gather at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds and before their television screens to witness the swearing-in of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for an unprecedented seventh term. When he was first sworn in on January 29, 1986, Uganda …
Read More »Kenya’s next election is being built now, and Gen Z is driving it
Kenya’s Gen Z is converting protest momentum into voter registration. With millions of new voters entering the roll, youth-driven campaigns like ‘Niko Kadi’ are beginning to reshape the country’s electoral arithmetic. NEWS ANALYSIS | BIRD AGENCY | By mid-morning on a Wednesday, the voter registration desk at Moi Primary …
Read More »Data, democracy, and Uganda’s 2026 elections
Unwanted Witness report exposes personal data misuse in the past election cycle COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On May 12, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 81, will take the oath of office once again, extending a presidency that has shaped Uganda’s political landscape for four straight decades. His victory in …
Read More »A look back at six terms of Museveni’s presidency
As Museveni takes the oath for his seventh term, let’s reflect on his achievements over the past six terms. COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | On May 12, 2026, Yoweri Museveni will take the oath of office for a seventh time as president of Uganda. Statistics show that 75% …
Read More »Thrones wobble?
Anita Among’s carefully built dominance faces its first real political stress test as Nobert Mao and others join the race for speakership COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | The once-seemingly impenetrable fortress surrounding Speaker Anita Among is showing its first visible cracks. The first signs emerged months ago …
Read More »Hungarian PM Orban admits defeat in parliamentary elections
BUDAPEST | Xinhua | Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conceded defeat in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, as partial results showed the opposition Tisza party securing a majority. Peter Magyar, leader of Tisza, said on social media that Orban had called to congratulate him on the party’s victory. With 81.49 percent of the …
Read More »Kitara to Mao: I am not dying to go to Parliament
Gulu, Uganda | URN | Tony Kitara, a former parliamentary candidate for the Laroo-Pece Division, has insisted that his decision to challenge the election of Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao is purely legal and not driven by personal ambition. Kitara, who contested on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) …
Read More »Kitara petitions court to nullify MP Norbert Mao’s election
Gulu, Uganda | URN | The election of Laroo-Pece Division Member of Parliament Norbert Mao is being challenged in the High Court in Gulu, with petitioner Tonny Kitara alleging widespread electoral irregularities that he says affected the outcome of the January 2026 polls. In the petition, in which the Electoral Commission …
Read More »Bobi Wine and exile life; reading from Kizza Besigye failed script
COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | Imitating a political idol can offer several perceived gains, ranging from personal psychological benefits to enhanced social or political engagement. However, these benefits often come with significant risks of compromising personal autonomy, as identified in literature on idolization and social learning. This clearly plays …
Read More »President Museveni’s victory and the gradual fragmentation of Uganda’s multiparty system
COMMENT | DR JUDE KAGORO | The 2026 general election in Uganda followed a familiar pattern. As in the previous six elections under President Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent again emerged victorious. Yet interpreting the result simply as another reaffirmation of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) misses a deeper …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price