unshackling

By Ouma Alex Okello The riots in Kampala following the government’s blocking the Kabaka from visiting Kayunga and the recent youth demonstration against civil servants in Amuru District over what the youth perceived as misuse of government resources have shown the power of a democracy where citizens demand for what they believe are their rights. What will the government do to stop future uprisings over regional inequality? According to a Human Development Index (UNDP 2008) report, Uganda remains one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 145 out of 177 countries despite making significant development progress over the last two decades. In 2008, per capita income was estimated at $340. Although Uganda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, many critics have said the rapid economic growth and development is limited to the south, western and central regions. Northern and eastern remain backward. Poverty decline has not been experienced uniformly across the country acco...

By Ouma Alex Okello The news around the emerging rebel groups in Uganda, the return of Olara Otunnu and the involvement of “some Acholi” members of Parliament including Gulu’s Chairman Norbert Mao in rebel activities has raised the political stakes much higher ahead of the 2011 elections in Uganda. It’s nearly 47 years since Uganda gained its independence from the British but to date, numerous questions continue to be asked in relation to whether the country’s current leadership structure manifests the true principles of democracy. In a democracy, Abraham Lincoln once noted, “dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but its effects.” To sum this all, Uganda’s Supreme Court Justice George Wilson Kanyeihamba was quoted in a local daily describing the country’s democratic journey as taking “reverse strides for the worse.” The experienced judge’s comments came in the wake of the recent release of a watchdog report that assesses the overall perfo...

by Alex Ouma Okello Growing food insecurity has become a serious concern in north and eastern Uganda over the recent months, caused by high food prices due to limited supply and overwhelming demand, quarantine on animal movement as a result of foot and mouth disease and prolonged dry spell. The World Food Day this year will also mark the ninth commemoration of the global millennium target, following the signing of the UN Millennium Declaration by 189 heads of state in New York in 2000. Two of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) centre on hunger fight and poverty eradication and increasing access to Universal Primary Education by 2015. Leaders who attended the Millennium Summit 2000 committed themselves to reducing the number of people experiencing extreme hunger and poverty by half, come 2015. Development analysts, however, look at this projection as a myth. They argue that such a goal can only be achieved if governments commit themselves to revitalising their economies and i...