By Joshua Masinde 7th phone firm promises cheaper calls Ugandans have a reason to smile. They have a seventh telecommunications operator to choose from. Aptly called Smile, the new company which launched operations last week promises cheaper call rates. Smile CEO, Irene Charnley said its target is the segment of …

By Patrick Kagenda Bank of Uganda last week issued a Shs 60 billion 10 year bond and will issue another bond of a similar magnitude at the beginning of December. The Independent’s Patrick Kagenda talked to Stephen Kaboyo the director Financial Markets Department at the central bank. What financial instruments …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati John Okumu was recently recruited as a guard with Saracen Uganda Limited, a private security firm. Okumu says his financial situation has been harsh ever since he began his job. After the six weeks of training Okumu and his colleagues spent  footing the rent and feeding …

By Okello Lucima I have been wondering what in military parlance and war tradition, it would mean for a private to single-handedly slay a general on the battlefield. Would one be promoted from private to, say, Captain; Major; Lieutenant Colonel or Brigadier? Surely, those who understand military customs and practices …

By Bob Roberts Katende Margaret Namuyanja, 60, lives in a one-room house with her grandchildren along Salama Road in Makindye, a Kampala suburb. It is midday and she is hurriedly preparing food for her two grandchildren, who are about to come home from school. Namuyanja finds her life troubling trying …

By Onghwens Kisangala All elections in Uganda since independence have been marred by rigging and other malpractices perpetuated mostly by state agencies such as the Electoral Commission and security organs. However, for the first time, civil society has joined the fight against election malpractices and misinformation under their platform Citizens’ …

By Joshua Masinde Essar had earlier paid US$ 3 million in licence fees to receive Uganda’s sixth mobile licence Warid Uganda could have been sold by the end of the week if everything went according to plan. Essar Group, one of the largest Telecommunication industries in India is the intending …

By Independent Team MTN’s Average Revenue per User (ARPU) which describes how much money each subscriber spends on average on the network has declined, according to its latest figures. Following on a pattern set in the past, Ugandans have continued to spend less on phone calls as they make shorter …

By The Independent Reporters Paul Wade, World Bank Senior Economist and Chair of the Joint Budget Support Framework Task Force explains how the newly agreed Joint Assessment Framework (JAF) works. What challenges is the Joint Assessment Framework (JAF) addressing? The JAF is a tool for helping the government of Uganda …

By John Njoroge Your next caller could be a fraudster Sometime in August, operatives attached to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) arrested one of Uganda’s biggest fraudsters ever.  The 21-year-old Michael Mugarura had for over three years been impersonating President Yoweri Museveni by imitating his voice. He would use …