Features catergory

By Haggae Matsiko Independent reporter buys birth certificate for Shs 35,000, offered passport for Shs150,000, no questions asked It is Thursday afternoon when I arrive at the reception of the Registrar of Births and Deaths office at Amam House near the Central Police Station in Kampala. I tell the receptionist …

By Dicta Asiimwe The venue for Buganda’s 17th coronation anniversary celebrations of Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, Kabasanda, Butambala County is one of eighteen counties of Buganda. As the bevy of female traditional dancers, in colourful kikoyi wrappers and tight-tops, gyrate to the din of royal drums being beaten in …

By Brian Bwesigye On July 11th will go down in the history books as the day Uganda was thrown into a somber mood of shock, bitterness and panic. The twin bomb attacks in Kampala did not only turn an otherwise merry night into a tragic night of death and suffering …

By Rowan Emslie On the night of the attack, it seemed, everyone was in shock. Talking to a young couple who had been watching the World Cup Final at The Lions Den  a bar immediately opposite Ethiopian Village Restaurant, the site of the first blast  their faces told the story …

By Rosebell Kagumire & Maya Prabhu Rwandan refugees forced back across the border The sprawling Nakivale Refugee Settlement in south-western Uganda is home to over 50,000 asylum-seekers and refugees. At one time it represented a testament to Uganda’s reputation as one of the most refugee-friendly countries in Africa. But recent …

By John Njoroge When children play with healthcare waste, tainted blood, needles The air is pungent with urine, fecal matter and cow dung. The narrow walkways are littered with garbage and stagnant water with barefoot children running around innocently. Others rummage through the garbage piles for items to sell. One …

By Dicta Asiimwe The road from Kampala to Ntungamo, 400km away, is bumpy, especially the 120km stretch between Masaka and Mbarara which is under construction. Fortunately, as our five-car convoy snaked along, we had a police escort car with siren blaring to cut through the mass of slow moving evening …

By Mubatsi Asinja Habati The ignored agriculture transformers that the government should target The key to addressing the hunger crisis in Uganda is to boost smallholders farming, especially among women, says a new report by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency. It adds: The reason is clear; most of the hungry …

By Jocelyn Edwards UPDF pushes in more force but local leaders want Community Security System On April 24, a force of UPDF soldiers surrounded a kraal in Jie County in Karamoja and began firing on the animals and people inside.  In a cordon and search operation the army says was …

By Rukiya Makuma & Dicta Asiimwe Bad habits, poverty, and bureaucracy have turned Kampala into the pothole capital of the world There was a time when it was fun driving down Rotary Avenue or Lugogo Bypass as it is commonly known. As a dual carriage, with minimal traffic and few …