Cover Story

By rukiya makuma & joan akello IMF, donors withhold support for Uganda Rachel Kimono could not hide her excitement on the eve of the Feb. 18 general election.  She was waiting for money promised by mobilisers for the ruling NRM party in her Nakaloke village in Mbale district to potential …

By Andrew M. Mwenda and melina platas Election issues, trends, numbers In the heat of the midday sun, a tall young man holds two bundles of shoes in the middle of the street in Mbarara town in western Uganda. Around him is a crowd of other youths; all in their …

By rukiya makuma On Friday Feb. 11, history was made in terms of elections for a political office in Uganda. One of the most successful innovations was the first ever live debate broadcast on television, radio and live-streamed on the internet. The hotly contested Kampala Mayor race was the guinea …

By Dicta Asiimwe Forget the Kabaka, just look at the money The relationship between President Yoweri Museveni and the King of Buganda, Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi is fated to be acrimonious. What else could have led Museveni to be campaigning in the controversial district of Kayunga on Feb.2, just a …

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Campaigns on vote-rigging, ethnicity President Yoweri Museveni’s traditional political stronghold, western Uganda looks like the wrong place for an opposition candidate to spend two precious weeks at the end of an election campaign. But the Interparty Cooperation (IPC) candidate, Kizza Besigye took the gamble on Feb.2 …

By Eriasa Sserunjogi Mukiibi A possible referendum on the future of opinion polling in Uganda? On the morning of Feb. 8, Ofwono Opondo drove from Buliisa district where he says he was doing campaign work to attend the release of the   results of the latest Afrobarometer opinion poll. Upbeat, the …

By Melina Platas Three factors that could determine if Besigye or Museveni wins As ears ring with protests calling for the end of an era, longtime rulers shift uncomfortably. Amidst palpable unease, the run-up to the 2011 elections has been eerily calm. Seasoned analysts debate whether President Yoweri Museveni’s vote …

By Independent Reporter Police chief says he is ready to battle opposition party militias Badru Kiggundu, the soft-spoken Chairman of the Uganda Electoral Commission, knows something about disasters; at least theoretically.  He is a specialist in geotechnical materials and, even as Dean of the Faculty of Technology at Makerere University; …

By independent reporter Rwanda, Uganda ties strained as Gen. Saleh and Rwandan dissidents are accused of training mercenary force The meetings and their plans have already raised concerns in the region because the African Union (AU) already has a force led by Uganda and Burundi in Mogadishu propping up the …

By matthew stein  A homegrown system that places participation and responsibility above criticism In the majority of countries across the world it is expected for opposition parties to act and speak in a certain manner. Especially during election time, criticism and rebukes, even delivered with vitriol, are accepted. Candidates spend …