Three years on, calls for accountability unanswered ANALYSIS | LUKE MELCIORRE | November marks a sombre anniversary in Uganda’s recent political history. In 2020, leading opposition politician, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, was arrested. He was on the campaign trail ahead of the 2021 presidential elections. Mass demonstrations demanding the release …

COMMENT | DAVID LUKE | African governments are seeking an extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beyond 2025. The law was enacted in 2000 to “encourage increased trade and investment between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa”. The Conversation asked David Luke, who specialises in African trade policy …

New focus is on the economy, instead of civil and political rights Kampala, Uganda | DICTA ASIIMWE | For years, Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has produced annual reports with various variations of this excerpt from its 2020 report: “The government was reluctant to investigate, prosecute, or punish officials who committed …

Zimbabwe’s renowned stone sculpture tradition dates back to Great Zimbabwe, a mediaeval city known for its iconic stone walls, and from which Zimbabwe derives its name. Dominic Benhura has made a livelihood from his translations of this tradition, since the age of ten. ART | BIRD AGENCY | Armed with a small …

UHRC shouldn’t be lamenting like the rest of us about human rights violators when it can bring them to order COMMENT | PETER NYANZI | I read Uganda Human Rights Commission Boss Mariam Wangadya’s article titled, ‘Let’s depoliticise human rights’ (New Vision, October 26), with mixed feelings. Of course given that …

When governments make nationalist mistakes, it is primarily their own people who pay the price COMMENT | DANI RODRIK | With the United States leading the way, the world seems to be entering a new era of economic nationalism, as many countries prioritise their domestic social, economic, and environmental agendas over …

Both Arabs and Israelis must think carefully about what their policies and actions are likely to accomplish COMMENT | MUHANNAD ALAZZEH | The October 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s remorseless military response have once again revived a seemingly unending cycle of violence in the Middle East. As matters stand, there are …

Traditional perinatal care workers save lives and shouldn’t be marginalised Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Governments should review their positions on traditional birth attendants and recognise and support their work, including by ensuring they are paid and resourced adequately. That is the position of the international research and advocacy NGO, …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Centenary Bank, the largest commercial microfinance bank has joined the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), to mark the Banking on Values Day by urging banks to ‘Think Bolder’ in addressing social and environmental issues. GABV held a global virtual panel discussion with leaders …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |MTN Uganda has rolled out over 35 sites starting in Kampala for the last quarter and are all actively supporting communication activities for its clients, it said on Nov.9. In a bid to augment the benefits of 5G, executives have also gone ahead to further …