Uganda is sliding from managed democracy into open authoritarianism as electoral manipulation, institutional capture and elite capitulation deepen, stripping voters of even the minimal power once preserved through the performance of competitive politics. That President Yoweri Museveni has, over the past four decades, favoured authoritarianism over democracy is not in serious dispute. His early engineering of a one-party system after taking power, alongside the deaths of alleg

Uganda is a country in motion. I, and I believe most Ugandans, would hope for it to be forward motion and not regression. But it takes more than hoping. For the good ideals that drive a society forward (e.g. checks & balances, recognition of bodily autonomy, valuing lives, democracy) do not sprout from a vacuum.   They come from a number of background applied philosophies interacting. So if we only try to propagate great ideals without grounding them in the concepts they're d

I am a social conservative. That does not mean I agree with everything said by all entities that ascribe this label to themselves. Rather, I am one of many varieties within that broad philosophy. And broad it is; for reasons among which are the varying contexts in the different locations where social conservatives find themselves. We shall mostly concern ourselves with Uganda, in this piece. That many Ugandans are something akin to social conservatives, in some sense, is clea

Uganda's economic outlook just got cloudier. Moody's Investors Service downgraded the nation's long-term local and foreign currency issuer ratings to B3 from B2, citing escalating debt pressures and a deteriorating external position. This move pushes Uganda further into "junk" territory, signalling heightened risk for investors and potentially increasing borrowing costs for the country. Moody's report highlights several key indicators underpinning their decision: Rising Debt

It's good to be free. Of course, it is hard to claim it isn't without seeming contrarian just for the sake of it. On that, almost everyone agrees. What does being free mean in practical terms, though? That's where it gets tricky and the answers diverge, depending on who you're asking and where their life is lived. The concept provokes varying pictures in our minds, based on our interaction with it.   Freedom is like good food. If you have a taste of it and it proves delightfu

Caring is a great thing, in and of itself. It is seldom ever good for one to become apathetic about what is going on around them. However, the thing about interesting ourselves with issues in our surroundings is that it births ideas in our minds about how to respond to or resolve them. And since a society is made of many diverse groupings, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that these ideas differ from one another, hence the presence of passionate disagreements around public dis

Is it possible to collaborate with President Yoweri Museveni and his inner circle without succumbing to personal interests or exploiting the Ugandan taxpayer? Can shunning President Museveni and his allies lead to a more accountable and just Uganda? These are questions we at Public Square have grappled with extensively. We conclude that there may be more effective approaches to achieving a just and equitable Uganda than shunning President Museveni, a strategy adopted by many

Punishment, at its best, is not cruelty; it is not a failure to "turn the other cheek"; it is moral restoration. It is the way that a society says, "We still believe in right and wrong." Uganda's tragedy is not excessive punishment but rather its arbitrary application, especially its absence where it is needed the most. This is how we got here.

Punishment, at its best, is not cruelty; it is not a failure to "turn the other cheek"; it is moral restoration. It is the way that a society says, "We still believe in right and wrong." Uganda's tragedy is not excessive punishment but rather its arbitrary application, especially its absence where it is needed the most. This is how we got here.

If one were asked to pinpoint the exact moment in history that one-shotted the activism landscape in Africa, it would be the 1896 Battle of Adwa, when Ethiopian forces under Emperor Menelik II defeated the invading Italian army. It was a major African victory against an invading European power at the height of the scramble for Africa, preserving Ethiopia's independence. The symbolism of Adwa—it became a beacon of resistance and pride for the African resistance—was one of grea

Kampala, Uganda | August 2025 Uganda Must Act: Public Square Welcomes UN Resolution Linking Corruption and Human Rights Public Square welcomes the recent adoption of the United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution on The Negative Impact of Corruption on the Enjoyment of Human Rights during its 59th Session. This landmark resolution underscores the undeniable reality that corruption is not just a governance failure; it is a human rights crisis. It systematically deprives ci

The 1960s started as a decade of great promise for the African continent. From Algiers to Gaborone, Dakar to Mogadishu, independence songs were sung. Africans prepared themselves for social and economic reforms that would spur prosperity for all peoples. The freedom fighters were celebrated, and monuments were built to honour the fallen fighters who did not live to see independence dawn. Self-rule, a core prerequisite for autonomy, was now seemingly in the hands of the Africa

Banks and telecom companies have sold themselves as so pivotal to our economic engine that dislodging them would supposedly spell doom.

Mr. President, We, the concerned citizens of Uganda, write to you not as adversaries, but as your constituents deeply troubled by recent revelations. The #UgandaParliamentExhibition campaign has exposed a concerning lack of transparency and accountability within our government. These issues cannot be ignored.   We, the people who entrust you with our hard-earned tax shillings, deserve better. The campaign has shed light on alleged corruption, wasteful spending, and nepotism –

Ibrahim Musana, commonly known by his TikTok name Pressure 24/7 was on March 7, sent back to jail, after the state asked for time to review his sureties. Musana who prior to his arrest had been a mental health patient at Butabika Mental Hospital will now spend eight more days in jail, as he awaits a decision on whether the state and the magistrate think his sureties are substantial enough to warrant his release.  Just as was the case with his arrest on February 17, and his su