Features

By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi It’s almost as if he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth The year 198 seems to have been a wrong time to start a business in Uganda. Starting in 1966 or earlier, the economy took a plunge. Many Ugandans, especially professionals, had fled …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati The legend of the national anthem courts controversy even in death Fifty years ago Prof. George Kakoma composed a song that was adopted as Uganda’s national anthem at independence. Kakoma has not lived to hear his creative piece of music played on October 9, 2012 as …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Ugandan farmers fail to adjust to changing weather as counterparts surge ahead Forty-four year-old Regina Mbambu, a single mother of six, farms coffee inter-planted with spinach, mangoes, avocados, bananas, beans and maize on her one acre patch in Kasese district in western Uganda.  Last year, most …

By Julius Mucunguzi Shaka Ssali and Andrew Mwenda: My two mentors On Sept.20, while in Washington DC for the annual meetings of Commonwealth finance ministers, I met two men who have been my professional mentors: Dr Shaka Ssali of Voice of America, and Andrew Mujuni Mwenda of The Independent Magazine. …

By Stephen Kafeero But lack of facilities at the Special Care Unit imposes tough choices on them When you arrive at the entrance to the Special Care Unit (SCU) of Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, the personnel politely ask you to take off your shoes. It is a good …

By Julius Businge Bank of Uganda to introduce consumer protection mechanism What would make you borrow Shs 500,000 from a money lender at an interest rate between 15% and 30% per month? Many reasons but at the heart of each is on common feature; desperation – you want money badly. …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati Moses Lotyong, 19, is in P.3 at Panyangara Primary School in the remote district of Kotido in the drought- prone Karamoja. At Lotyong’s age many Ugandans from other parts of the country are in university. His 11-year-old sister is in P.5 at the same school. Lotyong …

By Mike Mahigigi Uganda lags while Kenya and Tanzania show simple ways to unlocking their potential There is worldwide consensus that youth aged 14 to 30 years are the most potentially economically dynamic segment of any population. Unfortunately in Uganda, 50 percent of youth, especially females, are not engaged in …

By Rukiya Makuma In July this year, Makerere University will be officially operating as a collegiate university. A collegiate university is a university in which governing authority and functions are divided between a central administration and a number of constituent colleges. Previously run around 110 departments, 21 academic units, Makerere will now operate under eight …

By Matthew Stein Focus on stability could be Museveni’s ticket to the region Towards the end of November, just as nominations for parliamentary flag bearers were to begin, Gulu, once home to the country’s worst internal insurgency, was brimming with election fever. In the streets, pedestrians, some wearing shirts bearing …