Kampala, Uganda | MELINA RAQUEL PLATAS | This was an odd election. On the one hand, the opposition seemed both weaker and more straight-jacketed than any election in decades. On the other hand, the brute force of the state suggested sincere concern about an electoral upset. No one seemed able …
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 »Bobi Wine says entire family has fled Uganda
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Former Ugandan presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu says his family have fled Uganda. He has also spoken out against what he calls a “violent military dictatorship” in Uganda. Kyagulanyi, who has been in “hiding” since January 15th, delivered a video message to the Geneva Summit …
Read More »What’s Next for Museveni?
Can President Museveni translate his immense political support from the recently concluded elections into capital to drive massive political and economic reforms that will cement his legacy? COMMENT | NNANDA KIZITO SSERUWAGI | President Yoweri Museveni won the 2026 polls with his highest score (71%) since 1996 (74%). Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi …
Read More »When voters say ‘enough is enough’
COMMENT | NANTEZA SARAH KYOBE | In Uganda’s just-concluded 2026 general elections, many prominent politicians, including long-serving lawmakers and key cabinet members, were voted out nationwide as voters chose new representatives over established figures. This event signalled a major upheaval in Parliament since the introduction of multiparty politics in 2005. The …
Read More »MUHOOZI: 2026 elections the most peaceful since 1996
Kabale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has described Uganda’s 2026 general elections as the most peaceful since 1996, when the country first held elections under the NRM government. He made the remarks at the 45th Tarehe Sita celebrations, a yearly event held …
Read More »Kasibante overwhelmed, applies to withdraw presidential petition
Supreme Court Halts Forensic Data Ruling as Kasibante Applies to Withdraw Petition Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Supreme Court has directed lawyers representing President Yoweri Museveni, the Electoral Commission, and the Attorney General to file responses to an application by former presidential candidate Robert Kasibante seeking permission to …
Read More »LC III elections in slow start across the country
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The election of LC111 and municipality division chairpersons and councillors is witnessing a slow start, as voters stay away across the country. Voting is taking place in much of Uganda, except for Kampala and other cities that concluded their polls last week. Our reporters …
Read More »PFF demands audit of 2026 general elections
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The People’s Front for Freedom has called for an independent audit of Uganda’s 2026 general elections. They accuse the Electoral Commission (EC), the military and state security agencies of presiding over what it described as an “industrial-scale electoral failure” characterised by violence, abductions and …
Read More »Museveni & Muhoozi vs Bobi Wine
Uganda’s power struggle enters a new phase COVER STORY | IAN KATUSIIME | What will Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, do next? Will he emerge from hiding, and if so, when? These are the questions on many minds as the 2026 presidential candidate enters his third week in …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price