Why Uganda is still point of turning wheel in globalised thinking and economic re-imagination

Why Uganda is still point of turning wheel in globalised thinking and economic re-imagination

Every newly elected NRM Member of Parliament is required to undergo a week-long induction at Kyankwanzi before being sworn in. Critics have described this ritual as a process of being “proselytized into Musevenocracy” – a diluted brand of democracy contrary to Western conceptions, where MPs become “yes‑men and women to the whims of the kleptocratic gerontocracy”.

Read more
Globalisation, global village and global digital culture: Situation in Uganda after rapid espousal of one world

Globalisation, global village and global digital culture: Situation in Uganda after rapid espousal of one world

In the year 2000, Uganda made a historic and audacious decision: it became the first country in Africa to formally embrace globalisation as the primary pathway to development for the 21st century and beyond.

Read more
‘Who told you?’: It makes sense to say the spirit of Raila Odinga continues to thrive and bring joy in Linda Mwanainchi initiative

‘Who told you?’: It makes sense to say the spirit of Raila Odinga continues to thrive and bring joy in Linda Mwanainchi initiative

Ever since Jaramogi Oginga died on January 20, 1994, only three politicians from his geographical space have risen to a level qualified to be presidents of this country. All three are well known, respected nationally and internationally, and are ideologically rooted: They are Raila Odinga, Prof Nyong’o and James Orengo.

Read more
Mediocrity slur: ODM faction leader Edwin Sifuna is making some necessary noise but words have a way of turning truth on its head

Mediocrity slur: ODM faction leader Edwin Sifuna is making some necessary noise but words have a way of turning truth on its head

In a beauty contest, it’s the ugly spots of the opponent that score points for you. In the Oburu’s faction’s thinking, “mediocrity” is not just a distortion of reality but an insult to a leader. The debate and the ensuing criticism of Sifuna’s “ugly” word provokes reflections on the power of words and small things that sometimes lead to disproportionate and unintended impact.

Read more
Can Ugandans ‘reclaim our cultural capital, our ecological belonging and collective identity from Museveni before money curse renders us extinct?’

Can Ugandans ‘reclaim our cultural capital, our ecological belonging and collective identity from Museveni before money curse renders us extinct?’

The weaponisation of money has systematically devalued these forms of capital. The elder who holds the clan’s history is now ignored in favour of the youth with a motorcycle purchased through political patronage. The community leader of proven integrity is overlooked for a leadership post because they lack the money to “grease the wheels” of the political machine.

Read more
Letter from Middle East: You’ll never realise the risks you are always exposed to until war comes to your doorstep

Letter from Middle East: You’ll never realise the risks you are always exposed to until war comes to your doorstep

As the day went on, the sounds of interceptions rang out sporadically. News reports said fragments from intercepted missiles and drones had landed near the Palm Jumeirah, causing fires close to well-known landmarks.

Read more
Uganda: Where ‘biometrics of deceased voters’ and ‘ghosts’ vote for President Museveni and Electoral Commission deems it ‘democratic’

Uganda: Where ‘biometrics of deceased voters’ and ‘ghosts’ vote for President Museveni and Electoral Commission deems it ‘democratic’

When the National Resistance Movement (NRM) captured state power in January 1986, President Yoweri Museveni – whom I shall refer to by his full clan name Tibuhaburwa – addressed the nation with words that have now acquired a bitterly ironic resonance. “No one should think that what is happening today...

Read more
Museveni’s sterile policies: Uganda continues to export raw coffee, minerals and cheap labour while richer countries sell finished goods, control trade

Museveni’s sterile policies: Uganda continues to export raw coffee, minerals and cheap labour while richer countries sell finished goods, control trade

The foundation of this system lies in what Karl Marx termed “primitive accumulation” – the original theft that precedes capitalist exploitation. In Uganda’s case, this is not a historical phenomenon confined to colonialism but an ongoing process. The deceptively rich have acquired their wealth not through hard work or productive enterprise but through the systematic theft of public funds.

Read more
Kizza Besigye: Case study in military justice and President Museveni’s rescindment of judiciary

Kizza Besigye: Case study in military justice and President Museveni’s rescindment of judiciary

Following the Supreme Court’s January 2025 ruling, Besigye’s case was transferred to a civilian court. The military charges were dropped and replaced with treason charges in the civilian system. Yet by the end of 2025, Besigye had been denied bail four times and had spent over a year on remand.

Read more
East Africa’s Ogre that eats own children: Museveni’s court martial and laying bear loopholes in Uganda’s 1995 constitution

East Africa’s Ogre that eats own children: Museveni’s court martial and laying bear loopholes in Uganda’s 1995 constitution

The drafting history reveals that delegates agreed courts martial were indeed courts of judicature – but the history is maddeningly silent on whether they could try civilians.

Read more