NEWS ANALYSIS

Founder and project lead for AirQo explains why it works for African cities | THE INDEPENDENT | In Uganda, even though air pollution is a big challenge in parts of the country, there is hardly any air quality monitoring. Engineer Bainomugisha – along with other scientists at Makerere University – …

Pundits offer party ideas on 2021 elections and Besigye’s Plan B Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Uganda’s biggest opposition party, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) will have a weak candidate on the presidency ballot in 2021, according to pundits who have spoken to The Independent. The comments followed party …

From July 2021, Kiira Motors Corp is to begin production on 5,000 electric buses and other EVs a year, according to the CEO Paul Isaac Musasizi in an interview published by Clean Technica of Remeredzai Joseph Kuhudzai. | THE INDEPENDENT | Production will start as soon as the production facility …

They are serious political actors, not mere acentric characters | ANAÏS ANGELO | All-powerful presidents are an essential part of a stereotypical representation of African politics controlled by a few individuals, rather than by institutions. This view has been reinforced by a literary tradition sanctifying the biographies of “great men” …

An the hurdles for the opposition trying to unseat him | SAKWA M JAMES | In 2021, at least 15 million Ugandans will queue in their respective polling stations to choose their preferred leaders, and as always the greatest attention will focus on the presidential race. The last time this …

Secret dirty deals could end as govt signs transparency initiative Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | Uganda’s recent admission into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) is a “step in the right direction,” according to local civil society. But many also remain cautious. Gerald Byarugaba, the extractive industries coordinator at …

August infections are highest so far, but September could be worse Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government officials are warning of likelihood of a return to a harder lockdown if the numbers of COVID-19 infections continue going up very fast. The Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, on …

Making sense of ‘crossing’ MPs Kampala, Uganda | MUBATSI ASINJA HABATI | Kyadondo East MP Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine was four years old when the current parliament system under President Yoweri Museveni’s government was set up in 1986. Now Bobi Wine appears set for a major role as …

Lebanon’s only way out must tackle sectarianism and corruption | NABEEL KHOURY | According to the old Phoenician legend, Lebanon dies but repeatedly rises from the ashes. After historic fires, foreign invasions, and civil wars, this adage seems to ring true, especially for the Lebanese who have always thought of …

Local scientists join other Africans using international connections to boost their countries’ virus-fighting capabilities. | LINDA NORDLING | In February, Prof. Moses Joloba, a Ugandan microbiologist who usually works on tuberculosis diagnostics, received an unusual offer from a collaborator in the United States. The collaborator’s institution, Case Western Reserve University …