Column

The drivers of cleanliness, order, and the brand of dignity Rwandans are building In mid-May we were in Kigali, Rwanda, attending the World Economic Forum meetings. Across most of Kigali, there was something that has become a signature of everything in this country – order. The streets were clean to …

  COMMENT: By Andrew Rugasira Economists used to consider the informal sector a “shadow economy”, a relic from the underdeveloped past that would be replaced by formal activities and better paid jobs. Not anymore. The informal sector has in many ways superseded the formal sector and is now the face …

Great countries don’t have a great government; they have great State machinery Where is the State”? This is a common question in Uganda; and it’s a legitimate one. Is the State ensuring the common good for all? When a law-abiding citizen desperately wants medical treatment, is the State there to …

 Stop faking holiness. You supported and defended a government that banned all activities of political parties THE LAST WORD: Last week, Oxfam Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, accused me of losing my soul by “supporting dictatorship” and “defending gross human rights abuses”. I asked her to name a single incident where …

Rev Diana Mirembe Nkesiga is the Vicar of All Saints’ Cathedral Kampala the highest position to be held by a female Anglican priest. She spoke to Agnes E Nantaba Born Diana Mirembe Barlow in 1960 to Mary Nantongo and Hugo Barlow, Rev Diana Mirembe Nkesiga remains the first woman to …

Why the competition for power is always a quarrel over delusions rather than a contest over public policy I argued in this column last week that governments in poor countries cannot govern by delivering a large basket of public goods and services associated with a modern state because they don’t …

Why leaders of poor countries are not as cruel and selfish as Western media portray them In a moment of madness, I toyed with the idea of running for president of Uganda. I had the hubris to imagine I am the guy who can solve its myriad problems because President …

OPINION: Last week on Saturday, the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta participated in setting to fire 11 pyres and finished ivory goods representing more than 6,000 dead elephants. But will this action really save the elephants which are facing extinction? Many think it’s a gamble and evidence is there to …

President Yoweri Museveni is believed to have spent more than $7 million on his 2016 presidential election campaign. Amama Mbabazi and Besigye spent $951,000 and $279,000 respectively. These individual expenditures came complementary to the Electoral Commission’s own budget which continues to bloat every five years. One thing is certain, if …

Ingrid Turinawe, the 42-year old secretary for mobilisation of the opposition Forum for Democratic (FDC) is renowned for her run-ins with police during protests.  She told The Independent that she would rather die like a lion than live like a rat. Turinawe says her fighting spirit stems from growing up …