Kenya-Uganda in final discussions with Chinese bank The Uganda government, which plans to start construction of a multi-billion dollar rail project to Kenya, has to wait until its neighbour agrees to extend the railway line to the border at Malaba for the financier to avail the funds, according to the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Uganda Martyrs day
A celebration of faith by people from all walks of life On June 3 every year, the usually slow paced Namugongo village on the edge of Kampala becomes a hubbub of activity as millions of pilgrims from all over the world converge on it to celebrate the Uganda Martyrs Day. …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Scramble for Shs900bn oil deals
Ugandan firms in fight against foreigners Uganda’s nascent oil and gas sector is entering an intense three-year development phase, or what everyone is calling phase II since it follows phase one of exploration. As excitement builds, so does anxiety. “I hope to approach this phase differently. It is much …
Read More »Bank of Kigali seeks foreign listing
Nairobi, Johannesburg, London under consideration After a 5-year wait, Bank of Kigali appears set for another big move; this time a listing on one of the top bourses either regional, continentally or globally. If the deal goes through, it will make the bank the first company out of Kigali to …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: The future of liberty in Africa
This column is a slightly edited version of a speech I gave at a conference of liberals in South Africa on May 24, 2017 By Andrew Mwenda I want to argue that liberty is taking root in Africa. Not as fast as we would like. But this should not discourage …
Read More »COVER STORY: Pipeline politics
Behind Museveni, Kenyatta, Magufuli moves in US$ 3.5bn deal In what has become a tension and release pattern, the plan to construct Africa’s longest heated oil pipeline from Uganda to the Indian Ocean coast hit a milestone with the signing on May 26 of a construction agreement deal between …
Read More »THIS WEEK: No more direct taxes, Finance Minister says
There will be no more levying of direct taxes on individuals due to the cumbersome nature of collecting them. Finance Minister Matia Kasaija says government is now only looking at indirect taxes because they are easy for the government to collect. Kasaija told some journalists days before the budget was …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Police face wrath of Kaweesi murder suspects’ families
Relatives and wives of Kaweesi murder suspects stormed Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court and threatened to dump their children at the court premises saying they were unable to feed the children since their fathers were locked up. There was panic at court premises as magistrates could be seen rushing to their …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Katumba Wamala defends ministerial appointment
Minister of State for Works, Gen Katumba Wamala, has dismissed efforts by some people who went to the Constitutional Court challenging his ministerial appointment while still a serving army officer. Wamala the immediate former Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) referred the petitioners to section 38 (2) of the UPDF Act …
Read More »THIS WEEK: Government registers farmers to boost OWC
In order to improve the services rendered by NAADS and Operation Wealth Creation, the government has decided to register farmers groups to put farmers be at the centre of the two organisation’s activities. The creation of National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) in 2001 was meant to boost farmers activities but …
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