New American sanctions target the commercial networks that turn Congo’s conflict minerals into global business NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | For years, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s wars have been fought with rifles, rockets and militias. Increasingly, however, Washington believes the conflict is being sustained somewhere else …
Read More »Martha Karua, Dr Kizza Besigye and the case that crossed borders
Kenyan constitutional lawyer and veteran politician Martha Karua embraced the brief to defend Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye after his abduction from Nairobi in November 2024. Nearly two years later, she finds herself barred from entering Uganda, in a legal and political saga that is testing the boundaries of justice, …
Read More »Uganda leads regional push to strengthen vaccine research and manufacturing
CONNECT-VAS project brings together four African countries to build stronger vaccine systems and reduce reliance on imports Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | When scientists, policymakers, regulators and development partners gathered in Kampala on June 11 for the inception meeting of the Collaborative Network for Vaccine Research in West …
Read More »As aid budgets shrink, refugees in East Africa show a path to self-reliance
From Bidi Bidi in Uganda to Dollo Ado in Ethiopia, refugee families are proving that economic opportunity can be as important as humanitarian assistance NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | When Viola fled South Sudan with her one-year-old daughter, survival was her only concern. The journey to Uganda’s Bidi …
Read More »How unsafe food became normal in Uganda
The dangerous everyday habits behind the country’s growing food safety crisis Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | The young man making your morning Rolex barely notices the cloth anymore. Darkened by grease, flour, charcoal dust, and countless washes and rinses, it hangs from the side of the stall …
Read More »Human Rights Watch renews scrutiny of US-Africa health deals
Concerns growing over the privacy, security, and sovereignty of Ugandans’ health data NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | A new report by Human Rights Watch has renewed scrutiny of a new generation of health cooperation agreements between the United States and African governments, raising concerns about data-sharing provisions, pathogen …
Read More »Dr Diana Atwine: Ebola’s most visible face in Uganda
Why Uganda’s Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary is carrying the pressure of a regional epidemic crisis COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | Over the last decade, every time Uganda has had an Ebola outbreak, it has always found Dr Diana Atwine, Uganda’s Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of …
Read More »Why Africa’s solar revolution is about resilience, not power
Across Africa, engineers and entrepreneurs are redesigning renewable energy to withstand weak infrastructure, limited financing, and unpredictable conditions NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | In the northern reaches of Uganda, where the road from the provincial capital, Gulu, stretches toward the South Sudan border and the landscape opens into wide, …
Read More »Ebola’s long shadow over the World Cup
As the football jamboree approaches, a rare Ebola type in Central Africa is testing global vigilance COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | On May 30, as football fans around the world counted down to the start of the FIFA World Cup in North America and airlines prepared for the annual …
Read More »Journalist Gerald Tenywa and his long fight for Bugoma forest
SPECIAL FEATURE | Long before Bugoma Forest became a national political issue, Gerald Tenywa was writing about it. Through years of encroachment, contested land titles, illegal logging and institutional hesitation, the veteran journalist refused to abandon the story. Today, as the government moves to convert the tropical forest into …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price