Five picks from a great year for African writing BOOKS REVIEW | THE INDEPENDENT | Leading Kenyan author, journalist and academic, Prof. Peter Kimani has listed an exciting analytical compilation of essays edited by renowned Uganda journalist Charles Onyango-Obbo among his top five picks for this Christmas holiday reading. Prof. …
Read More »Why we fall for disinformation
Based on the four key psychological mechanisms that make people vulnerable to persuasion COMMENT | MEGAN MCBRIDE | As humans evolved, we developed certain psychological mechanisms to deal with the information surrounding us. But in the 21st century media environment, where we are exposed to an exponentially growing quantity of …
Read More »2021 resilient economy
Ramathan Ggoobi Key interventions by government supported positive recovery Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Economic analysis for the year 2021 shows a somewhat positive recovery as opposed to a year before as government eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. According to the ministry of finance annual report which incorporates …
Read More »Africa surge in COVID-19 cases fastest this year
But deaths remain low ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | An 83% surge in new COVID-19 cases in early December in Africa, driven by the Delta and the Omicron variants, is causing fewer deaths than previous surges—but more waves could be building as updated forecasts warn that the continent may not …
Read More »Caring for the mentally ill
Focused on peer support yields positive results | MICHELLE M. SCHWAB | In many regions of Africa, traditional healers have treated all illnesses, physical and mental, for centuries. As the prevalence of mental illness continues to rise in Uganda, western influence impacts how those with a mental illness can access …
Read More »MTN Uganda’s new journey
The telco raised Shs535.9bn in undersubscribed IPO Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The South African telecom subsidiary in Uganda, MTN, began a new journey on Dec.06, with the listing on the Uganda Securities Exchange, and the share price surging past the IPO price during the first week of trading. …
Read More »Military intelligence chief Kandiho battles US sanctions
The United States on Dec.02 imposed sanctions on the head of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), Maj. Gen. Abel Kandiho over alleged human rights abuses. Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kandiho was hit with the sanctions over alleged human rights abuses, including for alleged torture and sexual abuse …
Read More »HIV response in Africa
Ending the inequalities driving the AIDS epidemic requires progressive people-centred approaches | AMIRA ELFADIL, WINNIE BYANYIMA AND PETER SANDS | On December 01, the African Union (AU) Commission, UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria join the rest of the world to commemorate World AIDS Day …
Read More »Top Kenyan scientist shares the joys and challenges of creating life-saving vaccines
Professor George Warimwe should be a household name in Kenya. He’s a leading scientist who has created a life-saving vaccine against Rift Valley Fever. He is also leading policy-changing work on Yellow Fever vaccines. Warimwe has now been awarded the Royal Society Africa Prize for his work on vaccine development …
Read More »Fighting cancer amidst poverty
The political elite have not understood what the poor ordinary people go through because they are not treated in Uganda Kampala, Uganda | MUBATSI ASINJA HABATI | When Zebiya Kabugho’s became diseased in 2020, she travelled about 300km from Rwenzori Mountains to the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) where she was …
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