Members of the Parliamentary Committee on the National Economy want the banking industry to do something about the sky-high lending rates. The MPs made the appeal at a meeting with the Uganda Bankers Association in Kampala on Oct.03. The MPs organised the meeting to understand why interest rates in Uganda …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP |  South Africa and Kenya vowed Tuesday to “soften borders” between the two regional powerhouses by easing trade and visa barriers, part of ongoing efforts to boost low levels of commerce within Africa. While both nations are economic giants in their respective regions, South Africa’s Jacob …

Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday snubbed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s criticism of the presence of Turkish troops in Iraq ahead of a planned operation to retake Mosul city, urging him to “know your place”. “He is insulting me personally. You are not …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  “How do you calculate a lost childhood?” That was the question Tuesday before war crimes judges trying to set the amount of landmark reparations to be paid to former Congolese child soldiers. After years of hearings, trials and appeals before the International Criminal Court …

INDEPENDENCE SPECIAL: By Ngugi wa Thiong’o In 1969 Gacamba, a bicycle repairer in Nyeri, a town about a hundred miles from Nairobi, discovered some kind of engine, a scooter engine, and, using the scrap metal he could find in his backyard, made an aeroplane that he called Kenya One. The plane …

UNHCR, African host countries agree on final steps to resolve Rwandan refugee situation UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and delegations from African countries as well as the African Union, have agreed on the final steps to end the protracted Rwandan refugee situation after seven years of negotiations. This was at …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will be prosecuted for fraud, officials said Tuesday, in a move that sent the rand tumbling over concerns about political rivalry and the country’s fragile economy. Gordhan, 67, was appointed only late last year to calm panicked investors …

The High Court in Kampala has summoned the leader of the Church of Uganda Archbishop Stanley Ntagali to respond to allegations by 11 canons that he has unlawfully taken over  the episcopal jurisdiction of West Ankole Diocese. Canons led by Christopher Kisembo accuse Archbishop Ntagali of abusing his authority and the constitution of the …

Uganda’s Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA) has announced new electricity end user tariffs with a reduction, implying that consumers in all categories will pay less in the fourth quarter October to December 2016. According to a statement from ERA, the reduction in the tariffs is as a result of a reduction …

COMMENT: By Joy Asasira When religion and morality dictate reproductive health policy in Uganda, who suffers? Over the past few months, much as been said by politicians and the media about reproductive rights issues, from comprehensive sexuality education, legalisation or decriminalisation of abortion and even access to essential HIV prevention …