By Stephen Kafeero A girl’s dreams illuminate the struggle of families coping with loss and injustice Wakuma Frank had promised his daughter a bike for her 6th birthday. She never got it. Exactly a month before that anticipated celebration, on 14th July, 2010, he was buried. A devastating bomb blast …
Read More »Politics of a hybrid regime
By Eriasa Mukiibi Sserunjogi Experts say the special mix of dictatorship and democratic rituals has made citizens lose hope in elections As Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga announced the return of protests on July 4, he acknowledged the odds his campaign is up against, but dismissed them. “The notion that …
Read More »The lies, truth of creating new districts
By Mubatsi Asinja Habati New districts were intended to improve services. But they with shrunken revenues, they have achieved the exact opposite James Kule, a Grade III primary school teacher in Kasese district, excitedly lists the benefits a new district will bring to his people. Jobs will be created; health …
Read More »Post-national football?
By Ian Buruma The contest of devoted nationalism and enlightened self-interest is what made the European Championships so beautiful to watch Some of the more hysterical German newspapers blamed Germany’s defeat against Italy in the semi-finals of the European championship on the fact that few players bothered to sing the …
Read More »Burying the hatchet
By Andrew M. Mwenda Museveni and Kagame’s reconciliation about year ago was a diplomatic coup for the history books. After 13 years of rivalry and mutual distrust, with accusations of mutual sabotage and assassination plots, they rebuilt their friendship relying on the most rudimentary of diplomatic props, yet the simplest …
Read More »Mrs. Museveni’s life’s journey
By Andrew M. Mwenda If anyone wants a slice of the intimate life of the Museveni family, his wife’s autobiography delivers it I have spent eight months trying to shape my views on Mrs. Janet Museveni’s autobiography, My Life’s Journey. An autobiography is an attempt to tell others that: “This …
Read More »Selling citizenship?
By Stephen Kafeero Frustration as corruption, incompetence delay issuance of national IDs Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka’s proposal that individuals pay for national identity cards has been equated to selling the Ugandan identity. In her Budget Speech on June 14, the Minister said “economically active Ugandans” would be allowed “to pay …
Read More »Caught unprepared, again
By Rukiya Makuma Bududa survivors cannot bury their dead and now there’s nowhere to go As they wait to bury their loved ones and perform final rituals for the dead, survivors on the Bududa landslide are staying with relatives or in temporary camps. Many are waiting to be relocated to …
Read More »Ugly face of hacking
By Mubatsi Asinja Habati URA hackers awaken Ugandans to reality of Internet crime On June 20, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) arrested four men suspected of hacking into its systems for a year, causing revenue losses amounting to Shs 2 billion. Richard Kibalama, an Information and Communication Technology specialist, Guster …
Read More »DR Congo conflict sucks in Rwanda
By Andrew M. Mwenda Kinshasa accused of breaching agreement and process of integration of rebel CNDP By the beginning of April 2012, tensions were mounting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between the government in Kinshasa and many of its erstwhile commanders in its eastern regions. To defuse the …
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