Uganda’s shrinking wetlands Uganda’s capital Kampala may face an environmental disaster as wetlands give way to economic and population pressures Uganda’s capital, Kampala, sits on the shores of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater body. The lake provides the city with water and fish, such as the gigantic Nile perch, tilapia and silver fish. But Kampala is struggling to cope with pressures exerted by its rapidly expanding population: its wetlands are disappearing as environmental protection falls prey to broken and corrupt politics.Kampala could face a future of severe flooding, shortages of drinking water and disappearing fish—as well as a plethora of…
Elias Biryabarema
Uganda’s far-flung troops Politics and personal ambition fuel the risky adventures abroad of this east African nation’s army Uganda has about 5,000 troops putting out fires in neighbouring South Sudan and the Central African Republic. These latest operations follow a long trail of controversial interventions in other countries in the region, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Somalia. For ordinary Ugandans, struggling with low salaries, collapsing infrastructure and runaway corruption, the huge cost of these missions is hard to swallow. “Why is our military all over the place—even in countries that haven’t attacked us?” asked Cissy Kagaba, executive…
Uganda’s youth unemployment Ugandan politicians are using the country’s jobless young people as pawns to advance their own ambitions Ugandan politicians are playing a dangerous game with the country’s legions of unemployed youth. Instead of tackling the problem, leaders on both sides of the political equation are exploiting jobless youngsters for their own ends. In doing so they risk sending the east African nation into a spiral of political and social upheaval. Uganda has the world’s youngest population, with 78% of its 34m citizens below the age of 30, according to a 2011 report by the International Youth Foundation, an…
