tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28464501931784031572011-10-03T00:54:10.612+03:00news, politics, development and other tid bitsMelinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.comBlogger751100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-76105829318374001492009-07-06T12:59:00.001+03:002009-07-06T13:02:48.898+03:00

Hi everyone, sorry for the absenteeism...parents' visit, Rwanda trip, etc... but I will be back up and running beginning this week, though I am moving on to Wordpress. Please visit me there: http://mplatas.wordpress.comThanks for reading!Melina

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-40621494778800505712009-05-26T09:49:00.003+03:002009-05-26T09:56:44.314+03:00

Below is the last column Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem wrote for the Daily Monitor, which he had written last week before a car accident took his life on May 25, 2009.Govts discourage enterprise and penalise those fighting povertyThe irony of Africa being a very rich continent but Africans being some of the poorest peoples in the world is no longer lost to anyone. While we can argue about the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-26450966356725080102009-05-25T21:26:00.005+03:002009-05-26T05:38:48.413+03:00

First of all, Happy Africa Day (yes, it is today, however underpublicised it may be). It was a good day for Afrobarometer to launch their Round 4 Results for surveys they have been conducting in 19 countries across the continent. I attended the Kampala release event today at the Serena Hotel, where Robert Sentamu of Wilksen Agencies delivered a presentation of the main findings, covering such

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-85398865523415993362009-05-25T20:50:00.006+03:002009-05-26T08:34:21.518+03:00

Road carnage claimed yet another victim today -- this time a renowned Pan-Africanist, Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, who was rushing to Jomo Kenyatta airport in Nairobi when he was killed in an automobile accident. Alex de Waal has an excellent in memoriam post in honor of Dr. Tajudeen:Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, the most irrepressible Pan Africanist of his generation, died in Nairobi on 24 May 2009.

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-43149254487330333472009-05-25T16:56:00.004+03:002009-05-25T17:16:14.576+03:00

So my parents visit in one week and, as luck would have it, the first NYT Uganda travel article in four years (I think the last was in 2005?) was published Sunday. What timing! (and good looking out Mom!) Unfortunately the whole thing was about rafting, which my beloved mother and father are not particularly keen to do. Not to mention, rafting was the only activity of consequence in Uganda,

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-81996838786869302762009-05-23T22:10:00.000+03:002009-05-25T16:12:49.874+03:00

Asks a Tanzanian doctor in a Times article Sunday.Well, cause someone would steal the money anyway. No? Ok, how about because the international community is preoccupied (is obsessed too strong a word?) by the much more exotic sounding tropical and infectious diseases (a virus that turns your insides to mush = exciting/terrifying, bleeding to death giving birth = boring). Not everyone gets Ebola

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-52517339529442907902009-05-21T09:35:00.006+03:002009-05-21T11:19:14.232+03:00

"...apart from questions over its investments, the Gates Foundation has received little external scrutiny. Last year, Devi Sridhar and Rajaie Batniji reported that the Foundation gave most of its grants to organisations in high-income countries. There was a heavy bias in its funding towards malaria and HIV/AIDS, with relatively little investment into tuberculosis, maternal and child health, and

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-4474198653005688382009-05-12T13:36:00.003+03:002009-05-12T14:32:52.931+03:00

I just finished (finally) reading Michela Wrong's latest book, It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower. I'm not going to review the book, per se, but I do recommend it to anyone interested in East African politics, corruption, foreign aid, diplomacy, etc. More than anything, it has made me think more deeply about this problem we have called corruption.What has really been

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-87825729613994629772009-05-11T16:42:00.003+03:002009-05-11T16:59:51.511+03:00

We appreciate support from the outside, but it should be support for what we intend to achieve ourselves. No one should pretend that they care about our nations more than we do; or assume that they know what is good for us better than we do ourselves. They should, in fact, respect us for wanting to decide our own fate.Says Kagame in his op-ed last week in the Financial Times.While I am concerned

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-23482652362173113902009-05-03T13:14:00.003+03:002009-05-03T13:27:50.228+03:00

Afrobarometer recently released the findings from it's 2008 Round 4 Survey of Uganda. There were a number of interesting results. Among the most interesting to me were those on trust in government institutions, a major increase in support for presidential term limits since 2005, and the lack of NRM support in urban areas."Museveni not likely to win clear majority in 2011 elections" was the Daily

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-50198529724312042652009-04-28T08:54:00.004+03:002009-04-28T17:27:15.416+03:00

I am sure the Rwandan government will be blasted for their recent suspension of BBC broadcasts in Kinyarwanda, accused of being authoritarian and repressive. But before anyone jumps to conclusions I would like to see what was actually said, specifically by Faustin Twagiramungu, the former Prime Minister who now lives in exile in Belgium.This is as much as I could glean, as reported by the AFP:

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-15162096884292871962009-04-24T15:00:00.006+03:002009-04-24T15:37:17.407+03:00

I hate to harp on this, but the whole LRA/Northern Uganda/Invisible Children issue is still grating on my nerves (is that the phrase?). I just came across an article by Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy in the Huffington Post on Invisible Children's "Abduct Yourself" event tomorrow. I don't especially want to get into another debate on IC and the work they do/have done, but I want to say that how you

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-74731848467488464942009-04-23T22:17:00.003+03:002009-04-23T22:27:13.088+03:00

So the results are mostly in for South Africa's national elections, held yesterday. The ANC has won nearly two thirds of the votes counted so far, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) picking up close to 20%. Cope, it seems, however, is not coping so well, winning less than 10% of those counted so far.The biggest lesson to be drawn from the early results is that Cope, which so many South Africans

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-73485103603504070182009-04-21T21:13:00.001+03:002009-04-21T21:33:21.863+03:00

But the challenges are far from over. African Union troops are physically disarming 21,000 fighters from Burundi's last active rebel group, the Forces for National Liberation (FNL). It follows a weekend ceremony where FNL leader Agathon Rwasa symbolically surrendered his own weapons to the AU. A grenade attack killed six people but the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-27858714104191113952009-04-20T09:03:00.004+03:002009-04-20T09:20:44.722+03:00

So government (or at least Musa Ecweru) has finally realised that workshops are a waste of time. But only in Karamoja apparently. In Kampala, where you could find no less than 30 workshops (at least) per day, they are...productive? At least they are a good place for free snacks, tea and coffee...and lunch if you're lucky!I like that government is making an effort (however feeble) to regulate NGOs

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-57413421463849821302009-04-18T14:46:00.003+03:002009-04-18T15:13:11.749+03:00

This has to be my favorite national anthem (this version with Miriam Makeba). In fact I once tried to turn it into a title for this blog, but it proved far too lengthy/difficult to remember how to spell...Anyway, back on the subject of elections, South Africa is next week (April 22) holding its national elections, with the African National Congress (ANC) set to win by a landslide (again) and

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-40777270966122552242009-04-17T19:03:00.004+03:002009-04-17T19:24:56.469+03:00

in the big sea of democracies... look at India!India's general elections are currently underway, occurring in 5 phases over the course of a month. The number of voters in Uganda during the country's 2006 presidential and national elections -- 7 million -- was just slightly higher than the number of staff reported to be working on India's election (6.5 million, though some estimates go up to 10

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-18760263630213339642009-04-15T20:28:00.004+03:002009-04-15T21:07:44.055+03:00

There is already a lot of heat surrounding the latest book by Ugandan-born Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, Saviors and Survivors. Those whom have been involved in Save Darfur and similar campaigns have taken offense to Mamdani's harsh criticism of their involvement in Sudan. I have just gotten my hands on a copy and so cannot make an informed opinion of the book, but I am excited

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-3168149352425643052009-04-15T07:13:00.002+03:002009-04-15T07:31:34.931+03:00

Rwandan president Paul Kagame's recent trip to the U.S. has got people talking, particularly about his emphasis on technology and education investment.It is still too early to judge, but I am enthusiastic about the present Rwandan government investment strategy to initiate the necessary infrastructure to take the technological momentum and unlock the private sector possibilities- building of a

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-64679041432119482009-04-14T10:48:00.003+03:002009-04-14T15:22:21.741+03:00

Starting a conversation about Rwanda is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Observers of the small East African nation are often polarized in their views of the country's governance -- either President Paul Kagame is an inspirational genius getting things done in a country that was hacking itself to death just 15 years ago, or he is a brutal dictator, quashing the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-3518435379094319622009-04-11T12:10:00.005+03:002009-04-11T13:07:28.220+03:00

This has been circulating around a bit, but I found it so outrageous/hilarious/absurd that I had to share here as well. Wronging Rights stumbled across a recent press release from Weyone, a "a public information outlet for the ruling All Peoples Congress political party" in Sierra Leone, in which the APC refutes allegations that women were raped by security forces last month at the headquarters

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-27398721643764517002009-04-10T10:02:00.003+03:002009-04-11T13:17:46.470+03:00

From the Great Lakes Peace and Security blog, an extended interview with the author of the HRW report on torture in Uganda, Maria Burnett.

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-6195030308764981732009-04-08T16:43:00.004+03:002009-04-09T11:04:34.144+03:00

Torture has been a sensitive subject for the government of Uganda, and has led to the arrest of journalists who cover the topic. Human Rights Watch today released their 89-page report, "Open Secret: Illegal Detention and Torture by the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force in Uganda."An article highlighting information related to the killing of four suspects can be found here.A summary of the report,

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-83556616791867466702009-04-07T13:01:00.004+03:002009-04-07T13:21:39.301+03:00

This morning in Mulago hospital, a young man lay on a stretcher in the emergency ward, the side of his head split open over a lump that had swelled to the size of an apple. "Mob justice," explained a nurse. "They were found beating a woman, and so they were beaten." In the hall outside the room, two police officers waited for their suspects to be released. In the next room, patients waited to

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-47235162315596325662009-04-06T09:04:00.004+03:002009-04-06T21:57:35.658+03:00

Uganda has long been hailed for its success in fighting HIV/AIDS, bringing prevalence rates from a high of 20-30% (depending on estimates) to 6%, where it has remained for the past several years. The success was attributed, among other things, to the ABC campaign -- abstinence, "be faithful" and condom use. Well, I'm not sure about either the abstinence or the being faithful bit (though a new

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-3677791193710390592009-04-03T11:15:00.003+03:002009-04-03T11:23:02.134+03:00

Nobody likes to say "No, Mr. President." So three years ago, when Costco CEO Jim Sinegal got a call from shareholder Dan Cooper, a partner in Chicago's Fox River Financial Resources, asking if he'd have lunch with Rwandan president Paul Kagame, he agreed. That meeting in New York led to a presidential stop at Costco HQ near Seattle. Which led to Sinegal's promise to visit Rwanda. "I made it in a

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-51192219928103277682009-03-31T17:01:00.003+03:002009-04-03T11:01:06.162+03:00

When you think of Rwanda, if you think of genocide, you should think again. Not that we should forget the horrors of 1994, but Rwanda is moving on -- and it wants your investment and tourism, not your sympathy.Though it is difficult to rebrand the country (especially after movies like Hotel Rwanda), the government is certainly working hard to do so, and investors are listening. One way Rwanda has

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-49922337748639994852009-03-30T18:38:00.004+03:002009-03-31T14:01:14.588+03:00

I've just returned from a week in Kigali. Unfortunately my power adapter blew out the first night so I was basically computer/internet-less for the week (especially since internet at Bourbon Cafe is 4000 francs after the first hour!!! That's about $7). All that means is that I have a lot to catch up on. The most exciting thing for me was to visit King Faisal Hospital, Rwanda's main referral

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-11461942697151346532009-03-23T07:14:00.002+03:002009-03-23T07:30:40.855+03:00

That's what senior doctors are paid by the government of Uganda at Mulago hospital, according to the latest article on Mulago in the Daily Monitor. New recruits make only Ushs 626,181 (about $315 dollars) a month, still better than the Ushs 200,000 a month new teachers are paid (about $100), but it is not hard to see why doctors who have invested much more time and money in their education would

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-69979120196459774552009-03-21T12:27:00.003+03:002009-03-21T13:17:42.737+03:00

It seems Uganda's Ministry of Works and Transport is tired of taking all the heat for the country's shabby roads and high road accident rate. Daily Monitor writes today:All motor vehicles in the country must be compulsorily tested for road worthiness, the Ministry of Works and Transport has revealed. In a new law that seeks to reduce road carnage, the ministry has proposed strict electronic

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-86892247431456190132009-03-21T11:56:00.005+03:002009-03-21T12:25:27.516+03:00

"President Obama's nomination of Johnnie Carson to be Assistant Secretary for African Affairs is a strong choice. Carson is an accomplished career foreign service officer with an excellent track record on African issues spanning many decades and a range of positions. Carson has a deep understanding of our diplomatic capacities and the importance of regular interagency collaboration. I look

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-89090440036223162072009-03-18T17:10:00.002+03:002009-03-18T17:22:18.227+03:00

"Mr. Politician" came out last year, by the talented Nakaaya Sumari. It is currently my favorite song...as those around me can attest to...We stand for the 30 million walking these roads you never fix, We sick and tired of hearing these lies, games and tricksInstead of looking up to these fake ones for hopeRemember Amina the next time you vote...Amen.Check it out here on Museke, "home of the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-29420731257212489502009-03-18T14:17:00.006+03:002009-03-19T06:21:37.811+03:00

This is essentially what Pope Benedict XVI has suggested while on his current visit to Africa, where he will visit Cameroon and Angola. Regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has killed and affected millions, the vast majority living in sub-Saharan Africa, the Pope told reporters that it is "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-42341422610051399392009-03-16T12:53:00.003+03:002009-03-16T13:17:30.120+03:00

It's official. Uganda has oil.But how much and what kind? What does it mean for Uganda's future? Who is calling the shots? Will it boost development, or will the oil curse strike again?For answers to these questions and more, please attend a groundbreaking roundtable on Uganda's oil sector, sponsored by Kampala-based think tank Fanaka Kwa Wote and the U.S. Embassy Kampala.What: Oil RoundtableWhen

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-53212085506381789772009-03-15T22:07:00.004+03:002009-03-15T22:24:17.507+03:00

Way cool -- news/blogging via blackboard in Liberia:Apparently blogger Alfred Sirleaf reaches 10,000 people daily in Monrovia, capital of Liberia. Seems like a stretch, but even if it's half of that, that's pretty amazing. Thanks WhiteAfrican blogging on Afrigadget.

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-66633444600515395582009-03-15T10:37:00.002+03:002009-03-15T10:55:32.914+03:00

We shall kill them with...a laaaaaazerrrrr. Yes, that's the latest plan for mosquito, and thus, malaria, destruction. At least according to astrophysicists."A quarter-century ago, American rocket scientists proposed the "Star Wars" defense system to knock Soviet missiles from the skies with laser beams. Some of the same scientists are now aiming their lasers at another airborne threat: the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-16732319804455833212009-03-14T18:26:00.006+03:002009-03-14T18:40:25.501+03:00

This is the goat to put your money on in the next Royal Ascot Goat Races. The Museveni/Kabila convoy is a distant second, followed by lots of sprinting men in suits...(Source: New Vision, story here)

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-64406261316746168552009-03-13T13:00:00.002+03:002009-03-13T14:08:37.321+03:00

There is a family that takes care of our compound in Kampala. David* and his wife, Susan*, take care of cleaning our flat, washing our clothes and letting us in and out of the compound gate. They have three children, two boys and one girl, aged 10, 7 and 5. They had two other children, but they died when they were very young.Recently, David has not been around, and I assumed he had gone to the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-79676421884629306492009-03-12T10:51:00.004+03:002009-03-12T11:35:05.719+03:00

Does lack of electricity lead to more sex? Which leads to more babies? This is the argument Uganda Planning Minister (Ministry of Finance), Ephraim Kamuntu, has recently made according to the BBC's "Uganda Blackouts 'Fuel Baby Boom'". Without TV or other entertainment, Ugandans are falling into bed and making babies, leading the country to hold one of the highest population growth rates in the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-89630274476732219762009-03-11T19:51:00.004+03:002009-03-11T23:11:10.298+03:00

Ok, I don't understand Museveni's psychology enough to take a legitimate stab at why he seems to overestimate his own abilities. But a recent article in TIME (by the way, did you know that TIME is an acronym? "The International Magazine of Events") discussed precisely this issue -- namely, why people in powerful positions (from Obama to Putin to M7) tend to overestimate their own capacity.The

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-55449450210198446682009-03-10T23:28:00.003+03:002009-03-10T23:44:48.233+03:00

I know, this should be obvious. The point of Museveni reshuffling cabinet was not primarily to ensure that the most qualified people become ministers of their respective ministries, but to secure votes for the not-so-distant 2011 presidential election. I know, but does government have to blatantly admit it?In a recent interview with Uganda's Independent magazine, the Vice President of Uganda,

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-64148836012626330482009-03-10T15:20:00.003+03:002009-03-10T16:00:20.262+03:00

Cancer is not captivating. Or, at least, in sub-Saharan Africa it doesn't seem to be when compared with, say HIV/AIDS or malaria. Why is that? Is it the sheer numbers? The assumption that you are more likely to die of a communicable disease before you will ever develop cancer in this region? Or maybe, like global warming, it's a scary topic that it is easier to put off thinking about until

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-66638155760438949332009-03-09T12:48:00.004+03:002009-03-09T14:08:33.862+03:00

Smart, sexy, Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo has recently published her first book, Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How there is Another Way for Africa. When I read her interview in the Feb. 19th issue of the NYT Sunday Magazine, I immediately shot an email to Andrew Mwenda telling him to pick up the pace with his own long awaited book, which will likely make some similar arguments to that of

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-33557185226647863132009-03-08T15:50:00.003+03:002009-03-08T16:17:55.354+03:00

In his excellent new blog, Aid Watch, William Easterly has posted a video of Andrew Mwenda speaking at a recent conference at NYU. Sadly, my Internet connection is currently too slow to watch it, but I have spent enough time with Andrew at The Independent and around town that I am pretty sure I know what he is saying...essentially that foreign aid makes governments accountable (if at all) to

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-6803431200579942522009-03-08T12:39:00.003+03:002009-03-08T13:00:06.391+03:00

Last week I noted the seemingly unusually frequent news stories related to First (and former First) Ladies around the world. I almost added at the end, "Who's next, Mugabe's wife?" Close, as it turns out. But instead it was Susan Tsvangirai, wife of the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe (Morgan Tsvangirai) who died in a car crash in Zimbabwe last Friday, March 6.There has been some speculation that the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-24068959365270431832009-03-04T22:19:00.002+03:002009-03-04T22:25:51.661+03:00

I'm sorry, I have no words for the absurdity/insensitivity of Invisible Children's latest merchandise aka "Rescue Pack" (and thanks Julia for the tip).

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-85097573577543887562009-03-04T09:42:00.003+03:002009-03-04T12:08:39.859+03:00

Is it just me, are are there an awful lot of first ladies in the news these days? There are Michelle's biceps (which you too can get with the help of CNN!), former Zambian first lady Regina Chiluba convicted/imprisoned on corruption charges, former Nigerian first lady Oluremi Obasanjo kissing and telling in her new book "Bitter-Sweet: My Life with Obasanjo", Ugandan first lady Janet Museveni

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-32170218504994756042009-03-02T10:54:00.003+03:002009-03-02T12:43:57.615+03:00

This weekend should have been a time of celebration for Uganda's best performing secondary school students. Instead, the family of Isaac Bunkedeko, the best A level candidate of Namilyango Secondary School according to the New Vision, was in mourning.The young man had planned to study law at Makerere University and become a lawyer, according to today's article in New Vision. But last week he got

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-23957168928647159862009-03-01T19:43:00.004+03:002009-03-02T10:50:48.691+03:00

Invisible Children, a "movement" that has tasked itself with resolving the conflict formerly in Northern Uganda and restoring peace and prosperity in the region, is embarking on the latest in its series of adventures -- abducting themselves.Why or how you can "abduct yourself to free the abducted" is unclear. Nevertheless, come April 25th, one imagines that thousands of youngsters across the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-26010392226577002402008-11-17T16:37:00.006+03:002009-03-02T12:49:52.309+03:00

If you've been reading/watching international media recently, you've probably seen more coverage of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) than you have in a long time. In short, General Laurent Nkunda, a Congolese Tutsi, and his National Congress for People's Defence (CNDP) have been fighting the Congolese army and other militia (including some former genocidaires from the 1994 Rwandan

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-11634056032578920242008-09-10T17:41:00.003+03:002009-03-02T12:54:18.857+03:00

Foreign Policy magazine has recently published what they consider to be each of the presidential nominees' 10 worst policy ideas. Among them was McCain's support of the Global Gag Rule (excerpt from the FP article below).Supporting Abstinence-Only Education and the Global Gag RuleWhat he said: Asked on the campaign trail if he thought grants for sex education should include instruction on

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-53125444864381887872008-09-08T13:19:00.004+03:002009-03-02T12:55:35.795+03:00

I wonder how uncomfortable Condoleeza Rice felt during her recent visit with Col. Muammar Gaddafi or what either gained from the interaction. Well, we know she gained a locket engraved with his picture, according to the New York Times. And we know Gaddafi gained an intimate one-on-one (plus translators and note-takers) with the woman whom he strangely referred to as "my darling black African

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-70913790332494797862008-09-04T22:39:00.003+03:002009-03-02T12:58:19.138+03:00

For all the noise the Jeffrey Sachses of this world have made about not giving enough money to the poor, the fact is that many poor countries are being crushed under the weight of foreign aid. I recently had a conversation with an economist in Kampala working for a government that gives a lot of money to Uganda each year. Frustrated only begins to describe how this government official felt about

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-48454060936183157582008-09-04T20:58:00.003+03:002009-03-02T12:59:22.170+03:00

This is my take on the death of Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa (published in a recent issue of The Independent). The Economist also had a interesting obituary.Those familiar with the health of Levy Mwanawasa, late President of Zambia, may be saddened but not surprised by his recent death at the relatively young age of 59. He has been in a fragile state since the automobile accident in 1991 that

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-43150165375869387242008-07-18T20:20:00.001+03:002008-07-18T20:23:56.224+03:00

In the coming year, approximately 1.3 trillion shillings, close to US $780 million, will be spent on the health sector in Uganda. The official budget weighs in at about Ush 630 billion (including both domestic and external funding), and off-budget support is approximately Ush 700 billion. Yet, awash in cash, the health sector is drowning.Infant mortality stands at 76 per 1000, and under-five

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-66946191501396515792008-07-09T21:19:00.003+03:002008-07-09T21:48:17.601+03:00

In 2004/5 over US $30 million came into Uganda from education services, the fourth highest external earner after remittances by Ugandan nationals, coffee, and fish exports, according to New Vision. Although this statistic is a bit outdated, it is clear that there is an enormous investment opportunity here. In 2006 non-Ugandans made up 13% of the student population enrolled in universities, and in

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-87508608895754579822008-07-07T22:42:00.003+03:002008-07-07T23:08:30.331+03:00

Simon Mann was today sentenced to 34 years, 4 months in prison for his role in a failed coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea in 2004. Mann says that Sir Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was also involved in the plot to overthrow Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea. Matthew Green, author of Wizard of the Nile (his account of

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-84505580833155929402008-07-04T20:04:00.003+03:002008-07-07T23:15:29.557+03:00

Nicholas Kristof's op-ed, "The Luckiest Girl," was, on the morning of July 4th, the most popular emailed article in the New York Times. For some reason, this particular piece irked me when I read it this morning, and I have spent the day trying to understand exactly why. I think it is because in this piece, Uganda, the place I now consider my second home, morphs into just another "African country

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-57792296968608030302008-07-03T09:08:00.003+03:002008-07-03T09:27:37.232+03:00

The HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting was held in Kampala, Uganda last month. The following article by Sam L. Ruteikara, co-chair of Uganda's National AIDS-Prevention Committee, questions who should dictate the policies of the multibillion-dollar HIV/AIDS industry. The article ran on June 30, 2008, in the Washington Post. Let My People Go, AIDS ProfiteersBy Sam L. RuteikaraKAMPALA, Uganda -- The

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-5564216315126396992008-06-27T12:52:00.002+03:002008-06-27T13:03:12.654+03:00

Uganda was last week ranked among the top 20 countries most vulnerable to state failure, according to the 2008 Failed States Index, produced by the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy magazine. With a score of 96.1 out of a possible worst of 120, Uganda ties with Ethiopia for 16th most vulnerable, and fairs just marginally better than North Korea (97.7), Haiti (99.3) and Burma (100.3). Shocking?

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-50208266722033754652008-05-20T01:57:00.001+03:002008-05-20T01:59:35.015+03:00

Exactly one month after Joseph Kony failed on the signing of the final peace agreement between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the government of Uganda, he again failed to meet a delegation of mediators and leaders from northern Uganda who traveled to meet him at the Sudan-Congo border on May 10. At Kony’s request, the team was meant to explain to him how traditional justice and the special

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-27027663270540204072008-04-27T13:40:00.004+03:002009-03-02T13:04:25.497+03:00

PresOur offices at The Independent in Kamwokya, Kampala were again raided yesterday, and this time three journalists arrested -- Andrew Mwenda, Charles Bichachi, and John Njoroge. Andrew was literally kidnapped as he was leaving his house -- surrounded by five security operative vehicles, removed at gunpoint from his car, and handcuffed. All three were taken to police headquarters in Kibuli,

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-54937051598634869592008-04-25T12:31:00.004+03:002009-03-02T13:06:27.540+03:00

The following is a feature published in the Daily Monitor April 25, 2008, by Angelo Izama, a great friend and brilliant journalist and analyst.Angelo IzamaVisitors to Uganda who fly into Entebbe International Airport at night are often struck by how dark the place is.Night flights these days also show something else; the bright lights of the Chinese-rebuilt residence of the President which stands

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-61047994638226365252008-04-25T12:01:00.002+03:002008-04-25T12:28:30.564+03:00

It is hard to say whether there are more questions or more accusations flying around the country in the weeks since the fire that broke out at Budo Junior School, killing 20 young girls. No one wants to take responsibility and everyone has a different idea of whom to blame. The Ministry of Education points at the local government, local government at school administrators, school administrators

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-91029793360004732552008-04-16T14:47:00.003+03:002008-04-16T15:27:41.965+03:00

A fire in a dormitory at Budo Junior School in Wakiso, Uganda, claimed the lives of 18 children and 2 adults on Monday night, April 14, 2008. Much confusion still surrounds the cause of the fire, though there have been claims that it was the result of arson. The doors to the dormitory had reportedly been locked from the outside, trapping the children inside the burning building.Sadly, this is

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-74723843465356058502008-04-14T15:21:00.001+03:002008-04-15T16:32:27.264+03:00

April 10 marked yet another impasse in the protracted posturing formally known as the Juba Peace Process. Kony balked, Matsanga split, and much of the delegation that had traipsed to Ri-Kwangba to witness the signing of the final agreement of the process returned home disappointed but unsurprised. In fact, the absence of key participants on the day of the scheduled signing, including Norbert Mao,

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-88376036708470159142008-04-14T15:18:00.001+03:002008-04-15T16:39:26.037+03:00

The library of the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry (MTTI) is hot, and the paltry breeze wafting in from its windows is hardly relief for anyone who has just climbed the six flights of stairs to browse its dusty shelves. On these shelves, if you ever make it to this corner of the ministry, you will find thousands of documents, policies, manuscripts, and reports, which, after the hundreds

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-42645190927685432882008-04-14T15:15:00.000+03:002008-04-15T16:37:23.640+03:00

Two weeks after elections were held in Zimbabwe, the South African Development Community (SADC) held an all-night meeting to discuss the country’s uncertain political future. Among the chief concerns were the timing of the release of the election results and the acceptance of the outcome of these results. It is still not clear why the results have been held or what the outcome will be. But how

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-53073108949123230732008-04-14T15:13:00.003+03:002008-04-15T18:09:37.146+03:00

Dr. Addy Kekitiinwa's phone will not stop ringing. And as the executive director of Baylor College Medicine Children's Foundation in Uganda and seated at the Paediatric Infectious Disease Institute at Mulago, it is no wonder. Five minutes and as many interruptions into our interview she gets up to close the door to her office, takes her desk phone off the hook, silences her mobile phone, and sits

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-6395192782568598512008-04-14T15:12:00.000+03:002008-04-15T16:38:12.358+03:00

The government recently announced that incompetent construction companies will be blacklisted, prohibited from being contracted for public works projects in Uganda. This following years of negligent, inefficient, and careless work, evidenced throughout Uganda by roads dotted with potholes that may be more aptly described as craters. But will the creation of this blacklist have any effect on the

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-24328732378084587992008-04-14T15:04:00.002+03:002008-04-15T16:38:12.358+03:00

Q & A: Dr. Jackson Mwakali on Road Infrastructure in Uganda Faculty of Technology, Civil Engineering, Makerere UniversityMarch 20, 2008What is your assessment of the current condition of Uganda's urban roads? Rural roads?You have to isolate Kampala from the rest of the urban areas. The central business district (CBD) roads are good following Chogm (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). They

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-41896566248645725432008-04-14T15:02:00.000+03:002008-04-15T16:33:41.637+03:00

As the saying goes, when Kenya sneezes, Uganda catches a cold. So what happens to Uganda when Kenya has a fever? That frightening scenario is now playing out before the eyes of Uganda’s business community.Mr Godfrey Hategyeka, Transport Manager for Katraco Uganda Ltd, was beeped by a mysterious number at 12:30pm on January 31. When he returned the call a stranger answered, a Kenyan who informed

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-70852478668960125212008-04-14T15:00:00.000+03:002008-04-15T18:09:15.151+03:00

Uganda's absence on President Bush's itinerary last month came as a shock to few. While the U.S. president’s first trip to Africa in 2003 highlighted his commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, primarily through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), his most recent trip appeared to serve to highlight a wider array of his programs, particularly the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-75781406196206813272008-04-14T14:59:00.000+03:002008-04-14T15:00:23.399+03:00

Tribalism is the hot topic of the day, from who has which land rights to who controls the budget. Is Museveni favoring Westerners? Have Northerners or Easterners been left with mere crumbs of the national cake? One’s ethnicity may play a role in determining one’s opportunities for advancement or economic prosperity, but do you really know who is from where and belongs to which tribe?

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2846450193178403157.post-53488540327467224152008-04-14T14:26:00.002+03:002008-04-15T16:33:41.638+03:00

“For all its flaws, an example to others,” announced the headline on Kenya in a December 2007 issue of The Economist. Less than two months later, the Kenya it depicted as “a haven of stability and prosperity in eastern Africa,” no longer exists. In its place is a country where ethnic conflict has taken on a life of its own, with violence increasingly detached from the political strife with which

Melinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07235440394343251191noreply@blogger.com0