Cover story: Powerful Chinese lobby leaves Museveni helpless on Karuma, Isimba Bickering between officials at the Energy Ministry and Uganda Electricity Generation Company Ltd is frustrating construction work at two of Uganda’s biggest power dams, which means that taxpayers could incur an extra Shs 1.8 trillion in construction cost, enough …
Read More »Collapsing buildings: Engineers vow tough action
When an eight storey building in Kampala city collapsed on April 11 leaving four dead and others injured, various theorists started casting blame. The police faulted owner of the building, Moses Kyaseka. He was accused of being negligent and failing to take action even when he saw cracks in the …
Read More »National Chamber of Commerce in dire straits
The Uganda National Chamber of Commerce (UNCCI), the umbrella body for the business community in the country, is grappling with several issues that have made it unable to fulfill its mandate. Ahead of the next elections, businessman Andrew Rugasira, the proprietor of Good African Coffee, talked to The Independent about …
Read More »Stanbic nets Shs 150 bn profit
Slightly over a year ago, Patrick Mweheire was appointed CEO of Stanbic Bank Uganda, to become the first Ugandan to head the bank since Standard Bank, a South African financial services giant, took it over 15 years ago. On April 14, Mweheire, who presided over the presentation of the bank’s …
Read More »Ingrid Turinawe on being fearless
Ingrid Turinawe, the 42-year old secretary for mobilisation of the opposition Forum for Democratic (FDC) is renowned for her run-ins with police during protests. She told The Independent that she would rather die like a lion than live like a rat. Turinawe says her fighting spirit stems from growing up …
Read More »The Truth about Karuma, Isimba mess
Karuma, Isimba mess: President Museveni directed officials at the Energy Ministry to hand over implementation powers of the billion dollar Karuma and Isimba projects to power generator, UEGCL, in a bid save them but the officials remained adamant weeks later. Energy ministry officials defy Museveni on botched billion dollar project …
Read More »In The Independent: Truth About Karuma, Isimba mess
Cover story Truth about Karuma, Isimba mess When construction of Uganda’s largest hydropower project at Karuma started four years ago, there was a lot of optimism in the country. Now, the 650MW dam and another dam Isimba are in the news for shoddy works and negligence of duty. Now, the …
Read More »Are poor societies stuck with dictators?
Factors such as a history of war and violence, the curse of having natural resources, constitutional designs, ethnic divisions and regional neighbors contribute, writes Pippa Norris Africans recently went to the polls in Benin, Cape Verde, the Republic of Congo, Niger and Zanzibar. The outcome was decidedly mixed. In Congo, …
Read More »Museveni’s bread and bullets for Rwenzori fighters
AK-47 wielding President spends week in volatile region. But can mission cure historical grievances? April 6 found President Yoweri Museveni’s convoy traversing the western border district of Bundibugyo; all the way to Uganda-Congo border. The President who was clad in UPDF battle fatigues and carried an AK 47 rifle was …
Read More »Besweri Mulondo: Buganda’s controversial prince dies, aged 90
Buganda’s marked prince If one day can define the life of a man, then Tuesday March 28, 1995 is that day for Besweri Mulondo, who died on April 5, 2016 aged 90 years, writes Kavuma Kaggwa. Back in 1995, Ugandans were drafting a new constitution through delegates to the Constituent …
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