COMMENT | Samson Tinka | Just over 90 years ago, on 1 January 1914, a gentleman named Abe Pheil became the world’s first airline passenger on a 21-minute flight from St Petersburg to Tampa, Florida in the USA. A phosphate miner, he sat on an open bench in the cockpit …
Read More »The rot in Local Government projects
COMMENT | Samson Tinka | In early August, Minister of State, Office of the President for Economic Monitoring Peter Ogwang started touring districts to check on government projects. What he came across was shocking, and was characterized by gross misuse of government funds, signs and symptoms of fraud, corruption and shoddy work. …
Read More »COMMENT: Germany needs to work more closely with China in post-Merkel era
COMMENT | Ren Ke & Zhang Yuan – XINHUA | After 16 years in office, German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes off duty after a new German federal government is formed after the Bundestag election. No matter which party will govern after the election, China policy is one of the top …
Read More »Utopian dreams of Ugandan elites
Why the goal to eliminate corruption is delusional, self-deceptive, and downright hypocrisy THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | In 2002, Kenyans voted into power an opposition presidential candidate, thus ending President Daniel arap Moi’s 24 years rule which was seen by many as one of the most corrupt in …
Read More »Our anti-corruption pretense
How poor countries indulge in rituals of fighting corruption even when it is the glue that holds things together THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | December 09 was anti-corruption day. Elites in media, academia, “civil society” and government were grandstanding in self-righteous indignation, condemning the government for …
Read More »Uganda’s Congo adventure
What Kampala needs to think about regarding our latest military adventure into the DRC THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Uganda has returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for military operations. Only this time we have some developmental agenda as well – to build some roads …
Read More »THE FACTS: The Uganda Airlines grasshopper comedy
COMMENT | Samson Tinka | Last Friday night, Uganda Airlines flight to Dubai had some of its passengers engage in what I would descirbe as comedy. The drama had a one Paul Mubiru selling Nsenene ( fried long-horned grasshoppers) to his colleagues and other passengers on board. The short stunt which was …
Read More »Dealing with multiple moralities
How to grapple with complex dilemmas especially when some actions really offend one’s moral sensibilities THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Recently, a friend told me an intriguing story. His friend, a doctor, was once working at a hospital in northern Uganda. A male patient was brought to …
Read More »FOCAC and the resilience of China-Africa ties
COMMENT | Ronald Kato | The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) ministerial meeting which starts next week in Dakar, Senegal comes at a critical time for both China and Africa. The pandemic has left countries reeling, economies faltering and communities troubled. It has reset global politics, widened the gap between the …
Read More »Emergency contingency plans critical for business continuity
COMMENT | Samson Tinka | The twin bomb blasts that rocked Kampala on Tuesday 16th Nov 2021 sent everyone pacing especially those that were in the city centre. A number of people died whereas other were either critically or slightly injured. Businesses like banks and shops closed, transport was also paralyzed. …
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