By Michael Madill Rift Valley Railways (RVR) is off the rails. The January 15 deadline for RVR to meet a Shs100b ($50 million) investment commitment expired, triggering action by Kenya and Uganda to revoke RVR’s concession and to negotiate the construction of a competing rail line. Though RVR is fighting …

By Patrick Kagenda Traders say Finance ministry should not stick to blue skies strategies in the global financial storm On February 16, the Ministry of Finance had five ministers: top minister Ezra Suruma and his four ministers of state: Salim saleh (micro- finance); Semakula Kiwanuka (Investment); Kagimu Kiwanuka (Economic Monitoring), …

By Patrick Kagenda Simon Rutega, CEO of the Uganda Security Exchange, tells The Independent’s Patrick Kagenda that the absence of the National Social Security Fund distorts and depresses the long-term funds market How has the Uganda Securities Exchange been faring under the global economic slowdown? A global recession will obviously …

By G. Pascal Zachary Democracy has taken root in Africa,’ says Princeton Lyman, an analyst with the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington DC. And from the perspective of history, it does seem that the people of sub-Saharan Africa have entered a robust period of democracy. The trend toward multi-party …

By Mahmood Mamdani In this four-part series, renowned Ugandan scholar Professor Mahmood Mamdani examines the historical causes of Zimbabwe’s political crisis. It is hard to think of a figure more reviled in the west than Robert Mugabe. Liberal and conservative commentators alike portray him as a brutal dictator, and blame …

By Rosebell Kagumire Questions about the clandestine operations of Ugandan security agencies have once again been raised after a Canadian court denied asylum to a former worker of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO). Fahad Huthy Mutumba, 35, a Montreal resident, claims to have worked as an office clerk with ISO …

By Onghwens Kisangala The upheavals that preceded the FDC delegates conference over the partys suspension of Rubaga North MP Beti Kamya summed up one of Uganda’s core challenges: democracy and the question of Buganda.  The Independents Onghwens Kisangala discusses the issues with Prof. John Jean Barya, a top scholar in …

By Independent Team At the recent National Consultative Budget Workshop, Finance Minister Ezra Suruma spoke tough over corruption and inefficiency. To improve performance, he said, his ministry would improve communication, publish releases of funds, and clearly name and shame the poor performers. “In instances of chronic poor performance of an …

By Agnes Asiimwe Dr William Muhairwe became managing director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in November 1998 and has since turned the formerly rundown organization into an efficient operation providing consultancy services to water utilities on the African continent. How did you transform NWSC into an efficient organisation …

By Obiageli Ezekwesili Last week in Addis Ababa, African leaders agreed on the need to develop and improve Africa’s infrastructure. Better infrastructure” water, transport, electricity” can increase growth rates in Africa by more than 2 percent, raise productivity by 40 percent, and create jobs for its burgeoning youth population. This …