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’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 »Falling aid, rising debt
Uganda confronts new development reality Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Declining global aid flows and shifting geopolitical priorities are forcing a rethink of how Africa finances its development. Participants at the ninth Kampala Geopolitics Conference said this week, warning that traditional models are becoming increasingly unsustainable. The conference, held at …
Read More »Uganda, China and FAO close decade-long agriculture partnership, shift focus to scaling gains
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | A flagship agricultural cooperation programme between Uganda, China and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations formally entered its close-out phase, with officials signalling a shift from implementation to scaling and sustainability of results achieved over more than a decade. The …
Read More »Training farms drive a new poultry economy in Eastern Uganda
Bugweri, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Every Saturday afternoon, farmers converge at the home of Nathan Mununuzi, turning his compound into an informal training ground where poultry is taught not as subsistence activity, but as a structured rural enterprise. What is unfolding here is part of a broader shift under the Food …
Read More »Fast-growing goat breed signals new push for livestock productivity and exports
Mbarara, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s livestock sector has long been constrained by slow-growing local breeds and inconsistent market supply. At the Mbarara Zonal Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MBAZARDI), scientists are evaluating the Jianzhou big-eared goat, a Chinese breed introduced under the FAO–China South–South Cooperation (SSC) Project. Preliminary findings suggest …
Read More »Inside Karamoja’s high-stakes livestock vaccination mission
Moroto, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | In Karamoja, livestock is not just an asset class; it is the operating system of the local economy. Cattle and goats function simultaneously as savings, insurance, food supply, and social capital. It is within this context that vaccines often treated as a narrow veterinary …
Read More »UBOS data exposes scale of child vulnerability as 2.9 million Ugandan children orphaned
New census monograph highlights regional disparities, school access gaps, and rising risks prompting calls for targeted policy action Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Fresh data from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) is sharpening the country’s understanding of child vulnerability, revealing both the scale of orphanhood and the systemic …
Read More »Pharma pulls back as antimicrobial resistance threat grows
Currently, drug-resistant infections are responsible for over one million direct deaths per year, with AMR contributing indirectly to more than four million additional fatalities annually NEWS ANALYSIS | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to expose deep structural weaknesses in global pharmaceutical markets, with …
Read More »UBOS deepens partnerships with cultural institutions to strengthen grassroots data systems
Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Uganda’s national statistics body is moving to formalise its collaboration with cultural institutions as part of a broader strategy to improve data collection, quality and use at the community level. The Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) hosted a delegation from the Tooro Kingdom on Wednesday …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price