Charles Onyango-Obbo is Editor of The Monitor, Uganda's only independent daily and most influential newspaper. The Monitor is owned by The Nation Media of Kenya, the largest media house in Africa outside South Africa and Egypt. Onyango-Obbo and five of his colleagues who all work for the paper, own 40 percent of the paper.

He writes a popular column, Ear To The Ground, every Wednesday, and a second column in the prestigious regional weekly, The East African, published. He is also Uganda's leading political commentator, and appears on a lively Saturday morning talkshow on Capital Radio, and is regularly interviewed by international media on Uganda and regional affairs.

Onyango-Obbo specializes in security and democracy issues in the Great Lakes region. Born in the town of Mbale in eastern Uganda in 1958, he studied at Makerere University in Kampala, The American University in Cairo where he obtained his Masters degree in journalism, and he went to Harvard University in 1991 on the prestigious Nieman Fellowship.

When he runs out of modesty, he says he no longer counts how journalism awards he has won. Onyango-Obbo is married to Patricia Onyango, and they have two wonderful daughters, Charlenne and Sharon - and two "vicious" dogs, Biko and Tido.

He has published two books, Ear To The Ground, and Uganda's Poorly Kept Secrets.

Charles Onyango-Obbo can be contacted at:

The Monitor,
P.O. Box 12141,
29/35 8th Street,
Industrial Area,
Kampala,
UGANDA.

Tel: 041-231541/232376/236939.
Fax: 041-232369.
Cellphone: 077-200571 and 075-757560.

E-mail: cobbo@monitor.co.ug
©2000 Charles Onyango-Obbo & Worldwide EP Inc. All rights reserved.