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Many Ugandans, through various social networks, have expressed skepticism over the 100 combat troops the US deployed to Uganda to help stamp out the rebels of Lord’s Resistance Army currently operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central African Republic (CAR) and parts of western South Sudan. They think what they are actually here to do is secure for their country Uganda’s newly found oil. a photo i took on Wednesday morning at Entebbe International Airport.
Talking Africa Nobel Peace Prize winners with Al Jazeera posted on October 14, 2011 - 2:54pm
Last week, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gobwee won the the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Tawakkul Karman from Yemen for their work of bringing peace in non-violent ways in their countries. I met Leymah last year at the Man Up Campaign conference alongside the World Cup in South Africa. I have interviewed President Sirleaf twice. I thought it was very significant for African women to be recognised in the area of peace and security. Most often the image of African women is that of a victim of war and not a participant in bringing about peace. Here is what I shared with Al Jazeera Newshour the day the winners were announced on Friday 7 October.
This week I am in Kigali, Rwanda where I am taking part in a meeting with Echenberg human rights fellows, a program coordinated by McGill University to bring together youth from around the world to discuss various human rights issues. On the list of people to meet was Rwanda’s First Lady Jeannette Kagame whom the group met yesterday October 10. Shortly before I left Kampala on Sunday President Museveni had given a medal to his wife Janet Museveni who is a minister and member of parliament, for her part in the fight to ‘liberate’ us. This  was given out as Uganda celebrated 49 years of independence. It was yet another controversial medal taken care of by the controversial medals budget from State House.
Today, Kampala is very colourful. Lately it’s only this colourful on events like these. It’s two days before Uganda ‘celebrates’ it’s 49 years after independence but those years seem to mean nothing much this friday as Uganda plays Kenya tomorrow October 8. This game means so much for Ugandans. It has been 33 years we have have waited to make a come back to the African Nations Cup. The world and many in Uganda may be used to seeing the name of late President Iddi Amin next to words like monster, killer or beast but for many Ugandans he was a great man. His reasonable actions in other fields might be overshadowed by his rogue side but Ugandans know it was a year before he was ousted that Uganda last competed in the continental tornament where it only lost to Ghana on the final.  And his leadership and backing of sports had something to do with that historic appearance.
A speech that Ugandans long for posted on September 23, 2011 - 1:14pm
It’s really emotional to read through this. To read the farewell speech of outgoing Zambian President Rupiah Banda who has conceded defeat in this week’s election to opposition leader Michael Sata. There’s not much you can add to it. With all his weakeness and policy flaws, Banda has given Zambians what many old men on the continent have denied us- a respectful power transition and political maturity. I say this is the speech that many Ugandans would love to see some day-hopefully soon.  I have seen great quotes from Banda that resonate to many Ugandans and others on the continent. Zambia is another show for Africa that we live above the politics of division, election violence and clinging to power against all odds. “Zambia must not go backwards, we must all face the future and go forward as one nation. Not to do so would dishonour our history.
Ethnic politics and maternal mortality posted on September 20, 2011 - 12:42pm
For the last week i was on a break in Addis Ababa visiting friends but i kept an eye on news in Uganda.  Two  things struck me most.
Apart from generating media hype, I doubt many policy makers in the West are genuinely interested in the DRC. I happened to be listening to an interview with Gerald Prunier recently and his conclusion was not that different: our perspective of the DRC conflict are clouded by racism. No one wants to address the politics. Instead, the image of total chaos is encouraged. The tragic consequence is that many more continue to die and suffer. Much as I support efforts by Panzi hospital, I am unsure whether the entire project exists to help the women or as a rallying ground for sympathetic westerners. In other words, is the humanitarian focus enough to solve the conflict? I guess, one may say, the two are not mutually exclusive. Besides, who am I to be asking such a question? Except, I was in those same places not so long ago.
Faces of Panzi posted on August 24, 2011 - 4:53pm
A few months ago there was a report that put DRC  as one of the worst places in the world to be a woman. I found this kind of description troubling even in the face of what many of the women and Congo as a country have gone through. I even wondered how Dr.Denis Mukwege, the director at Panzi hospital, a man who has dedicated himself to the care of  sexually violated women, would think.
Twitter revolt in Uganda? posted on August 12, 2011 - 2:15pm
Today we woke up to the words of the Uganda Security Minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa saying the opposition is using social media to pyschologically prepare youth for armed insurgency. It couldn’t have been better timing looking at what’s coming out of UK government after the riots. Such claims also came out as the opposition was launching new round of walk to work protests. The first day on Wednesday August 10, the police disperse peaceful opposition supporters in Masaka led by the FDC leader Kizza Besigye. Mukasa’s allegations of a twitter revolt is based on these renewed efforts by opposition to stage protests despite government crackdown. This claim was discussed well among Ugandan tweeps who mostly wondered if the minister really knows how twitter works. Top tweets in Uganda are not even from politicians but rather individual youths looking for forum to discuss issues affecting their country and their lives.
Last year the Observer reported that in some areas in Uganda the school dropout rate for girls is about 84 percent. Reports have shown that the national primary school dropout rates for girls in Uganda is at 20% annually and about four times more in some districts in the northern and eastern parts of the country (mostly affected by the 23 year war.)