COLUMNISTS

By Andrew M. Mwenda President Yoweri Museveni claims he appointed his wife as state minister for Karamoja because ‘elites’ were rejecting the job (never mind only one person, Tom Butiime, turned it down). He also justified the appointment of his family members, e.g. his brother, Salim Saleh, to government positions …

By John Njoroge & Obed Katureebe President Museveni lays trap that will finish off the opposition In June 2008 the Ugandan government proposed an amendment to the 2005 Political Parties and Organisations Act to provide for public funding of registered political parties. The amendment declared that funds would be allocated …

By Caroline Kasondondo Your persistence of writing about the first family and those remotely related to them has not only bred sectarianism among Ugandans, but has caused unnecessary antipathy yet in actual sense it is just an illusion. Timothy Kalyegira, in his article ‘The dynamics behind Museveni’s family rule,’justified why …

By Jeffrey Love Five markets have burned in Uganda in the past two weeks. Two dozen schools have been reduced to embers in the past month. Three buildings have recently collapsed in the capital. Hundreds of Ugandans are dead, billions of shillings lost, and a government is thoroughly embarrassed. Theories …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Charles Onyango-Obbo disagrees with my argument that multiple checks and balances on tendering and contracting in Uganda tend to increase rather than reduce corruption. His arguments are convincing theoretically but wrong empirically. I am hostile to the current obsession by many people in this country with …

By Rosebell Kagumire Two years before the presidential and parliamentary elections, there is increasing concern over whether the judiciary is capable of ruling against the government, should allegations of wrongdoing in the presidential election arise again. The judiciary has demonstrated some independence in recent years, especially in the settling of …

By P. Matsiko wa Mucoori I am now under no illusion that no political party is immune to internal intrigue. The only difference perhaps is in the scope. The opposition used to laugh at NRM when infighting was, or is it still, threatening to tear the party apart. Before they …

By Asuman Bisiika On March 15, Uganda started withdrawing its troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This was three months since December 14, 2008 when the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), with the support of the Congolese and South Sudanese armies, launched a military offensive against the Lords Resistance …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Finally, we are coming to the coronation of Yoweri Museveni as a presidential monarch. First, it was amendment of the constitution to remove term limits on the presidency so that he can run for president in perpetuity.  It turns out that is not enough to ensure …

By Henry Zakumumpa A growing body of evidence suggests that oil, far from being a blessing to African countries is a curse. Without exception, every developing country where oil has been discovered has seen its standard of living decline and its people suffer, while its less endowed neighbours have gone …