A Ugandan teen made famous by the Disney movie “Queen of Katwe” has died, according to the school she attended in Gayaza, a community just a few miles north of Kampala. “Fare thee well Nikita Pearl Waligwa,” the school said in messages that followed news accounts of the 15-year-old actor’s…
The word “hirwa” means “lucky one” in Kinyarwanda, a language shared across regional borders in a pocket that includes parts of Rwanda, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Uganda. Yet misfortune has struck nonetheless for the Hirwa mountain gorilla family living in the Virunga conservation area. Four of…
A Ugandan advocate for women and children has been named as one of two recipients of the 2019 Ginetta Sagan Award, an honor Amnesty International gives each year to women who work to protect the most vulnerable in areas where human rights violations are widespread. Victoria Nyanjura, the founder of…
Uganda’s Bobi Wine says he and his People Power movement members were released late Monday following yet another police detention for the popular singer and presidential hopeful. Wine, who plans to challenge President Yoweri Museveni for the office next year, was detained at the Naggalama Police Station while others were…
Human rights organizations in France say two Ugandans are now in danger after they testified against oil major Total last month for alleged human rights and environmental violations linked to its Tilenga project. Fred Mwesigwa, a farmer who says he has faced numerous threats since May 2017 because of pressure…
Two Ugandans are set to appear in court in France on Thursday as a legal case advances against French multinational petroleum company Total, which stands accused of violating the human rights of people living near its Tilenga project and harming the environment. Fred Mwesigwa is a farmer who says he…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
A “Fridays for the Future” press conference, led by climate activists Greta Thunberg of Sweden and Luisa Neubauer of Germany on Monday, intentionally focused not on their highly visible voices but rather those activists who hail from the Global South. Among them was Hilda Nakabuye, a climate activist from Uganda…
The death toll has risen to 37 in Kenya, where authorities continue to deal with heavy rains and landslides in West Pokot, a county along the border with Uganda. Saturday’s massive downpours complicated the rescue efforts, isolating communities because of closed roads and leaving “already remote areas virtually unreachable,” according…
Most African nations adhere to the “One China” policy of Beijing and are careful to avoid offense when the policy comes into diplomatic question. The South African kingdom of eSwatini, for example, is the only nation on the continent that maintains its diplomatic ties with Taiwan; the Dalai Lama of…
Uganda’s Bobi Wine says he and his People Power movement members will continue to wear their trademark red berets, despite the fact that the government has banned them – a move, he said Tuesday, that leaves no question over who is being targeted. It’s Wine, who plans to challenge President…
President Yoweri Museveni, true to his pan-African convictions, said Thursday that unity is the key to ending the continent’s many conflicts and businesses contribute to the cause of peace by establishing stability. “Thriving businesses cause social transformation which changes society,” said Museveni, speaking at a session of the World Economic…
Another Ebola case was reported in Uganda on Thursday as the ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo reached the new milestone of more than 2,000 fatalities. Uganda’s Ministry of Health said a 9-year-old Congolese girl traveled into the nation’s Kasese district at Mpwonde (above) with her mother, in order…
Uganda’s Winnie Byanyima will serve as the new executive director for UNAIDS, overseeing the efforts of some 11 different United Nations agencies and their global partners united in the fight to end HIV/AIDS. Byanyima said she’s pleased to accept the position at such a critical time for UNAIDS. “The end…
Ugandan politician Bobi Wine, a popular musician who recently announced plans to challenge President Yoweri Museveni for his office, detailed on Monday what he says are multiple incidents of repression and silencing of the country’s political opposition. His comments came following the death of Kalinda Michael, above, another musician who…
Uganda’s Bobi Wine says he plans to challenge President Yoweri Museveni for the presidency in 2021, but he expects ongoing threats as the government continues to shut down opposition politicians. Wine, a popular musician elected to parliament in 2017 whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, made his case in an…