Uganda, March 30 -- Last week, I sketched a rough draft against Dr Busingye Kabumba's argument for an ethnic-based federal system in Uganda, advanced in the pages of The Observer, a paper celebrating 20 years this week. In a tumultuous media environment, especially under a decidedly authoritarian political setting, The Observer has stood tall and firm, making invaluable contributions to our civic square.

I owe a personal debt of gratitude having written for the paper a good five years. Its editors, particularly the effable Richard M Kavuma, took a gamble on me back then as a young graduate student without any credentials. I still have no credentials to write about, to be sure, but my Saturday Monitor editors too have stuck to the gamble!...