COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Dear reader, the presidential convoy is a most curious perk — whether understated or unrestrained. In Uganda, it is a fast and furious display of grandeur. Through the presidential convoy, one can track the metamorphosis of President Yoweri Museveni’s regime. The convoy could tell the …
Read More »An ode to Besigye: Kiki kyo? Ofaaki N’ensi?
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | This is familiar territory. Opposition strongman Kizza Besigye is back in the news headlines, with yet another court case hanging over him; feels like a homecoming. There was a time when the media would breathlessly report about state security forces arresting and manhandling Besigye. The slightest …
Read More »Access to justice: “Today it’s me, tomorrow someone else”
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | An online petition by a section of Christians on behalf of embattled former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executives facing prosecution over the Kiteezi garbage deaths sent me down memory lane. The petition questioned the arrest and detention of former KCCA executive director, Dorothy Kisaka and …
Read More »“62 since 62”: Uganda at 62
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Uganda at 62 mirrors many African countries, brimming with hustle and bustle, a vibrant kaleidoscope of landscapes and cultures tethered to demigod leaders with extravagant convoys who promised them a better tomorrow, just not today. In spite of her history, Uganda trudges on like the beehive …
Read More »Museveni at 80: ‘Uganda: Starting Over’
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Luweero has its hold on President Yoweri Museveni – as the cradle, the Mecca, the Rome of the National Resistance Army (NRA) bush war which brought Museveni to power in 1986. Luweero has a special place in Museveni’s revolutionary heart and Uganda’s political history. Capturing the …
Read More »Bobi Wine’s slaps and the slippery slope of impunity
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | During the May 2 Capital FM Desert Island Discs radio show, host Flavia Tumusiime, asks her guest, National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Bobi Wine aka Robert Kyagulanyi, about his foray into politics. Her question lays the ground nicely. “You were okay, you had a family…leadership …
Read More »Dear Ugandan Taxpayers, WHY? And FOR HOW LONG?
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | The National Resistance Movement (NRM) government of Uganda is out here doing good like a shifty-eyed Father Christmas in August — sprinkling favors like tax waivers worth UGX13.391 billion to eight taxpayers. The eight taxpayers: J2E Investment Corporation Limited (J2E), Nicontra Limited, Busoga University, Nkumba University, …
Read More »Ugandans, where is this NRM relationship taking YOU
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Sometimes, it seems like Ugandan news headlines are stuck in a depressing loop – like a demented algorithm that constantly drones despair and discouragement into our ears, stoking our deep-seated grievances and insecurities. The headlines blare dysfunction and regression – the good news stories cannot …
Read More »Corruption: The road ahead is long and arduous
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | On Sunday, August 18, residents of Lwengo district gathered for a thanksgiving service. The Nile Post, an online news website, reported that the residents of Lwengo were particularly jubilant that Sunday. They were thankful for the release of their Member of Parliament (MP), Cissy Namujju, …
Read More »Dear NRM, read the room!
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Dear National Resistance Movement (NRM), the July 23 ‘March2Parliament’ against corruption might be your best opportunity yet. Think not of it as a jigger you must crush with your brute force, tear gas, and stray bullets. A true yellow-blooded NRM member in the manner of …
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