Participation is secured, but profitability and prudence remain under scrutiny Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | For more than 50 years, Uganda depended on its eastern neighbour, Kenya, to transport the fuel that powers its economy, but had little influence over the infrastructure and pricing decisions shaping that supply. That dynamic …
Read More »When Uganda’s emergency crises become cash cows
Despite laws in place, predictable emergencies are still being exploited, revealing gaps in planning and accountability Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In Uganda, disasters ranging from seasonal floods, landslides, to public health emergencies—rarely spare ordinary citizens. Families displaced by floods can spend weeks in makeshift shelters, while overstretched health facilities …
Read More »Cruising on the Mokoro inside the Okavango Delta
Guided by local polers, an intimate canoe safari reveals why this inland wetland sustains both wildlife and community Boro Mokoro Station, BOTSWANA | RONALD MUSOKE | From the air, the Okavango Delta in southern Africa, appears as a blue-green mirage spilling into desert– a fan of water dissolving into sand. But …
Read More »New AfCFTA-AGRA alliance targets farmer-centered intra-African trade
Despite Africa’s comparative advantage in agriculture, it accounts for the smallest share of global agricultural trade NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | The African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) have sealed a new partnership aimed at accelerating intra-African agricultural trade, in …
Read More »Are disabled Ugandans being left out of digital ID system?
Gaps in Uganda’s digital ID rollout could exclude people with disabilities from critical public services SPECIAL REPORT | RONALD MUSOKE | When on Feb. 9, Claire Ollama, the friendly and polyglottic Registrar of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), declared the nationwide digital ID registration and renewal exercise “successfully concluded,” …
Read More »Washington’s critical minerals gambit
Inside Trump’s plan to rebuild global supply chains without China NEWS ANALYSIS | RONALD MUSOKE | On Feb. 4, delegations from more than 50 countries streamed into the U.S. Department of State for a summit that Washington D.C views as foundational to the next era of industrial power. Foreign ministers, …
Read More »Ugandan travellers and US visa crackdown
The US$15,000 visa bond places travellers under sharper scrutiny as Washington tightens enforcement COVER STORY | RONALD MUSOKE | When U.S. Ambassador William W. Popp stepped-up to address the press at the American Centre in Kampala on Feb. 5, he was carrying a message that blended diplomacy with warning. The United …
Read More »Green Deal or Green Wall?
Inside the EU’s climate rules and the hidden costs they impose on African economies Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In mid-December 2025, under the chandeliers of a conference hall in Speke Resort Hotel-Munyonyo, in Kampala, a familiar tension surfaced in unfamiliar language. Delegates from across Eastern and Southern Africa …
Read More »How data centres are reshaping Africa’s power market
From Johannesburg to Kampala, Africa’s digital ambitions are now inseparable from the strength of its power grids Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Africa’s digital economy is beginning to recast the continent’s electricity landscape, with data centres emerging alongside households, factories and mines as a significant new source of power demand. …
Read More »Are Ugandan farmers trading coffee beans to Europe for data?
Access to European markets increasingly depends on surrendering precise farm data under EUDR rules Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | In the lush highlands of eastern and western Uganda, coffee farmers have long relied on fertile soils, predictable rains, and generations of agricultural knowledge to sustain their livelihoods. Today, however, …
Read More »
The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price