The Independent Uncensored News Views And Analysis

I agree with this article, I feel the main issue was not really addressed, and it is still the same old promised from the west.

I was a little disappointed by Obama's perceptions, ideologies and above all the Verbosity of the speech that offered absolutely no new dimesion to the way Africa has been percieved. Ma anger was flamed further by a proffesor who sought it better to print out copies of Obama's speech and distribute them to students as if this was the best speech he has ever come across, all in the name of solidarity?

Concur with Andrew that it was more of a lecture than a speech and nothing new about the ills of Africa. Nonetheless, it is important that world leaders keep reminding us of our predicaments.

Mwenda,this is the shoddiest journalistic piece I have read in a decade.....you obviously failed to understand the speech and all that you have talked about in your article is what Obama addressed......sorry...next time be keen.

Andrew am honestly disappointed by your take on that now famous speech. The statement that someone else will come and help us sort our problems is blanketing it and missing the point. By adding his voice to what Africa's problems are, Obama gives those who daily challenge these regimes belief in what they are doing. I recall him saying it is not going to be easy but America will stand by those who aspire for these ideals. You have in the past held the view that freedoms will not be given but are struggles often involving sacrifice. My own joy at this speech is the fact that he dispels the widely held view that his own election would result to a windfall for African countries. Admittedly,the speech was big on rhetoric,but then again that is what we have come to expect every time the man speaks. Atleast i now know that we need strong institutions and not "strong-men"

Obama was too soft on the bones.Many, an African leader would have got it right the much cherised victorious election he won and the excitement he stirred in this logged continent.By choosing to be too diplomatic looking at the current trends of democracies-political strifes,wars(Somalia/Chad), regional instabilities in Africa, Obama actually lectured/rehearsed the usual White House stuff towards Africa.He never sounded hard enough.Leaving many of the dictators and genociders at large.Yes, Africa must handle its problems, but certainly strong signals from our major donors(funders of repressive) governments should flex in to cause meaningful gains towards equal opportunities for the common people of continent and the continent's development.

Mwenda I do not agree with you, rulers are leaders; show me a good leader and I will show you a stable government with good policy in a healthy country. wooh unto a blind man who will voluteer to lead... I gree that, African leaders should change their perception of governance, rulership and power. Yes, Obama might have over emphasized or call it rhetoric but the truth is, they "the leaders" need to hear of Obama's speech atleast six times more

They are often vilified as bad leaders who only cling to power for selfishness and greed. Sadly one point often missed is that they are in some cases hostages of generally dysfunctional artificial creations called countries. Africans should have been left to form countries along the old tribal lines. Leaders would be more patriotic and less fearful. Those states would have had more internal cohesion and strength. With that internal cohesion, they would be in a better position to form multinational coalisions leading to bigger federations. Eg an East African Federation made up of 50 or so willing tribal states would be stronger than each of the 5 impositions!. And we would then not need lectures from Obama & Co.

African leaders i thought are put where they are by foreign forces! The "democracy", "accountability", the man speaks of are engineered to keep us where we are. It is like eating hot peppered food while you complain how hot it is! Who prepared it in first place? Have we not seen good leaders being deposed by the West. Nkrumah, Lumumba, Sekou Toure, et al. And i would not read that much into the man's speech, rather what he is there for. To set up Africom, to enshackle us further. But alas the genie is out of the bag!

Good work Andrew.

You are very wright and logical but what about the uncontrolable desire to to be in power for life time, yes the westernerners might have done their worse by trying to enslave the continent called Africa; Is it not yet time for our leaders to alarm a wake-up call and put an end to this everyday insalt in the form lectures and refurbishement from the same people we stand to blame? what about lothing and insatible desire to enrich the western worl through their selfish interest. leaders like Abacha of Nigeria... name them. The rulers are supposed to eleviate their people not imprison them in the shackle of those who intended doom for African

Tekiwomera matama abiri! Andrew is entitled to his opinion about Obamas speech and also entitled to not have understood what Obama said but in all the whole purpose of Andrew writing this whole article was in the last paragraph....................you have guessed it right..........to say(read heap praise)on Rwanda(read Kagame) for which he is perfectly entitled

Andrew, I have always been your fun and I like your well researched and articulation in your writings. I will however, request you on serious note to abandon Rwanda in all your articles. It's really disgusting to read praises on Rwanda, the country whose whole top leadership was indited to answer the charges of crimes against humanity. This lows your journalistic grad and gives less value to your articles. Please, we know that you get lots money from Rwanda in order to promote them in your paper, so stop or else move your independent to Kigali.

Fola, what are the real issues you are talking of!? Africa's problems is that of " LEADERSHIP CRISIS", nothing else. If we can sort out that, all will fall in Line!

What is your definition of a speech?? It really depends on what you understand by a lecture and a speech!! For me, president Obama hit all the right notes on Africa. Yes, they are the old same problems! If we don't want others to tell us about the same old thinhgs, then we must get rid of those things by solving them effectively. But years in years out, these all things are here with us in Africa!! It then tells us volumes about the type of Leaders we have. Africa has a leadership crisis which is unfortunately becoming chronic!!

Not again yank!! I'm utterly sick of Mwenda sugar coating Rwanda talk about your country not bloody Rwanda again, u know what they did in kisangani stealing and fighting to steal..huh take ur paper to Kigali or else sh**t up, we thank you for ur paper but don't mix issues who doesn't know Kagame, kabarebe, the munyavumba you name them are just dictators of all, lets wait and see if Kagame ll build castles,

Thank you.

Considering the articles i have read on this webisite criticizing meseveni's regime on corruption, rule of law, nepotism, judiciary system, weak institutions, accumulated wealth by the first family, freedom of media..etc this is not what i expected from Andrew.
Africans celebrated Obama's presidency as if he was president of Africa and when he comes to address the issues african governments have failed to improve, you come up with " he needs to study more about Africa"? Are you out of your f**kin mind?
Please have somebody translate Obama's message to you in the language you understand better.

Hi "Retired Gen. (PGB), and hi Mr "Wooo"; whereas you may be sick and tired of Rwanda, and the "praise" the country gets from Mwenda; you need to understand that Rwanda as a country is way ahead of most African countries, least of all Uganda. I was born in Uganda, lived there for 30 years. I lived in Rwanda for 5 years, and i now live abroad. I therefore have first- hand experience about what i say. Rwanda doesn't even need Mwenda's praise; the money coming in from Europe and the USA, is a testament of how far they have come. Do some research. No one is saying that Kagame is perfect. But; i'll take his style of leadership any day!!!

About Obama; i think he was subtly telling Africans that he knew which countries were corrupt, and which were on the right track. If you can over throw the bad leaders any which way you can; he'll help you. He said your destiny is in your hands!!!

mwenda never talk about things you hear from Romours. i personally work in Rwanda its Education and Health sectors are stinking.
Why dont you seek citizeenship in Rwanda after all they even pay people and force them to become citizeens

Guys, lets give credit where due. lets learn from the best practices of our neighbors and friends.

We are the ones to sort out and correct our mistakes other than wait for Obama to lecture Africans.

Obama is a new president of the only supper power in the world at the moment. His country’s relationship with the rest of the world therefore matters a great deal. If he can redefine USA/African relations for the better as he has hinted, he will surely make history for a record second time. Unfortunately in the past the US has on occasions positioned itself on the wrong side of history. Take for instance US support for the apartheid regime in South Africa, the labelling of Nelson Mandela as a terrorist until recently, support of dictators like Mobutu Sese Seko, the double standards of condemning one leader as a dictator while supporting another who is even more oppressive and brutal. Indeed the USA should support countries that are showing commitment to democracy and the rule of law like Ghana while taking a hard-line towards oppressive and undemocratic regimes.
When a tyrant knows he has support of the donor community he can tell ordinary citizens to go to hell! That is not the way it ought to be.
Most of these dictators would not be able to hold their citizens hostage for so long if the didn’t have the support of the developed nations. Africans are often stuck with a rotten regime ruling over that is not so easy to boot out because they are prepared to use all criminal means imaginable to cling onto power.
Considering that he also has African roots Obama might actually care and do positive things for Africans.

Obama exposed his ignorance of Africa. Do not blame the west...' he said so who should we blame for decades of apartheid in South Africa? UK and USA refused to enforce sanctions because they wanted a 'constructive engagement' approach so why not the same for Zim when the opposite was happening i.e. majority blacks oppressing minority whites. UK and USA have shamelessly refused to 'constructively engage' Mugabe. Some more questions Obama.. who ****ed Lumumba and the Dag the UN Sec General? why is Antwerp the Diamond Capital of the World when they do not have a stone in the ground? who partitioned africa? why do some of us speak French, others English other Portuguese - who divided Africa like this? and who took our brothers and sisters through the gate of no return? Now for Andrew Agreed this not a speech but dude Rwanda is not glittering as you suggest. This is country that no one can have a dissenting voice, they all say things are ok and the city is clean. well things are not ok, come take a walk in the top areas of Kigali and see the sewage run free, stand behind KBC one evening and enjoy the stench of open air sewage and then go back to free Kampala and write the songs of praise. Oh btw did you see a very negative story that appeared on New Times Website 15/7 and then was pulled off and the paper reprinted? You cannot open you mouth here the way you do at home.

The Kagame's also need to answer for crimes committed in Uganda while they were refugees but in military uniform.

Andrew, I agree with your analysis but please, who makes or pushes for bad policies? why is their brain drain that causes lack of s****ed personnel? Political will makes a huge difference in the formulation and implementation of good policies. May God help our leaders

possibly due to our deep routed superstitious ways we never think scientific and more pragmatic.e.g that a leader to qualify to be good a score card must be in place to judge whether he/she has delivered as promised. sadly though our leaders use mystical figures of GDP, and other figures to reflect false growth.they lie and we listen as if it were gospel truth.how sad.

take it or leave it, Africa's single most problem is the absence and blatant lack of leadership. a leader should provide a vent through which a people's aspirations are realized, a leader finds pragmatic solutions to people's problem not the kleptomaniacs whom we mistakenly call presidents,MPS,PMs etc across Africa.

if Obama can provide the incentive to good leadership and postpone the USA's overriding economic objectives in Africa, both Africa and the West would benefit the more in future.our leaders suffocate us, that's why we are lost and hopeless

indeed no amount of US dollars or GB pounds can ever lift Africa from her slumber.

all we need is some leadership acupuncture to awaken our dead nerves.Obama can do this through his great speeches and personal charisma and global influence to aspire the African youth who indeed hold the future, and then isolate and paralyze our despots,robers,murderers, and naked maniacs. the greatest aid we need is spiritual,solidarity,motivational,and comfort from the West to help with a transition from the dark ages to a modern 21 century.Obama has the capacity to impact positively onto Africa so that the ideals of democracy,peace,prosperity,technological innovation, can emerge from within.Africa must rise now or else it will forever remain a scar on the world.after all,the are more incentives for the cream Dela cream of Africa to flee for better opportunities elsewhere since they are global citizens.there must be a reason for them to stay.

People deserve the leaders they get. if we continue being timid we will stay with the kind of "leaders" that we have today. We must prepare to sacrifice something. These guys dont respect anything else

during the URA's open minds forum, an expert on leadership, prof. Adei did comment Rwanda's leadership and said that almost in the whole of Africa Rwanda has potential to be a model developed state.was he an agent of Kagame????

first we need to rid our selves of the culture of conservatism and false pride.it is in Africa that people think culture is stagnant,fixed and unchanging.so must we talk of USA,Britain,Russia or to be precise the G8?

it is easier to compare Rwanda and Uganda, or even Botswana and Uganda.

truth be told, soon or later Rwanda will become a regional power and its then and only then our naked pride will be unearthed. i am not a Rwandan but a African citizen where deep in my heart consider myself a citizen of any African state.our redemption lies in accepting that we are on the wrong course of history,then start a change for the better.our politics should not be interpreted like a love affair that is based on emotional flatter. we need better minds.period .

The commentary and the language command in wooo, and PGB's views come very similar to Emperor's; what else would one expect from emperor other than his usual nosense?

Andrew, you seriusly errored here and missed the point. You mean fixing the policies obama talked about , still the elites would easily generate rent like they do without these policies? You tell me.

Obama is clearly addressing the right issues and one can only wonder what mwenda is going on about. In life they are many ways of getting to the top. In americas music industry an up and coming rapper 50 cent attacked(lyrically offcourse) Jay-z( a giant in the same industry), it worked and got him the radio airtime he needed to become a household name shortly afterwards. Fast forward a few years later and and an unknown ugandan journalist provokes the well known president yoweri museveni to cause his arrest and detention,the journalist is propelled to celebrity status overnight. A few years go by and with some international audience this journalist attempts to take on the US president, it is a good try but this is ultimate stage and one one has to do more than that.

While the article exudes intellect, What on world Mwenda do you want Obama to do? There's not so muc he can do for us if we can not help ourselves as people. Look at the solidarity amongst these dictators under their umbrella organisation, the "AU." It's the citizens of Africa who must rise up first, then the developed world can come and assist.

So the point of this article is that Mwenda can lecture about Africa but Obama cant. The difference between African leaders who quit power like Mandela and the Musevenis’ could be the structure of their moral incentives. Kagame saw his people face near extinction and that experience must have changed his moral compass likewise Mandela’s years in jail must have changed his moral compass. They say Mugabe changed when his first wife died. His first wife was described as morally strong while his second wife is described as corrupt.
If that is true, then Mugabe's change in behavior cant be explained by monetary incentives because they did not change. But his moral incentives changed. So both economic and moral incentives affect the style of leadership. Incentives don’t have to be monetary, so you cant dismiss Obama's moral argument if he made a moral argument.

Read a such story!
http://allafrica.com/stories/200907150413.html

Trifflin Mwenda.Speech or Lecture I dont remember seeing Obama breaking out the Blackboard or White board like Mwendas Boss M7 does. Frontin dogma.

Africans never seize to amaize me and to be more precise,Ugandans of them all.First of all Obama owes us nothing.He spoke his mind and i must add he is human so he ain't perfect.He was absolutelly right about one thing though and thats about our leaders and from all the responses i read,its very easy to see why our leaders take advantage of our foly perherps thats where Andrew derives his argument but the bottom line is whether the people are stupid or n ot that should not be an excuse for our leaders to make a fool of themselves in power

Comeon mr. Mwenda, you should have saved another time to write your praises about Rwanda with all its problems. we all know you are a good friend of the regime there but what obama was saying is not strongmen like your friends but strong institutions. It is these institutions that will serve our countries after all the strongmen are gone as they surely will. Try to look beyond your personal friendships.

Andrew,
Today i think am not with you as regards Obamas speech. Obama to me was clear in terms of what the undenieable african problem is...leadership. however he encourages africans particulary the young generation to take charge of their future by confronting leaders of decadence. That is what is clear when he says africa's future is up to africans. this reminds me what Winnie Byanyima said a couple of years ago that Its Ugandans who will have to sort ugandans problesm and not outside forces.

I dont know about all you guys, but what I know is that african problems WILL be solved by africans period! if africans cant have good governance, fight corruption to the born etc then its going to stay stagnant as always. african countries need functional institution. without good governance and civilized institution africa is operating in negatives.eg
if we can have functional institution then we will have free and fail elections, term limits and may be 1/8 of corruption. i think its the same line President Obama was addressing.
as regards to president Paul I think I like his kind of leadership even though its not the best. he is almost better than most african leaders so far. he has marketed his tiny country, fought corruption, educating rwandans of all races, check out this link
http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/28/news/companies/pluggedin_Gunther_Rwanda.fortune/index.htm

I was extremely dissapointed in Mwenda's take on President Obama's speech. He even went far to describe the leader of the free world as "old wine in new bottles."Much as he says president Obama did not disect the real issues affecting africa, i feel the president stressed that the major problem in africa is "TRIBAL POLITICS". Even if Mwenda considers this a lecture, its the truth. In our own backyard Uganda the baganda against the northerners, bagandaVswesterners, Northerners Vs baganda/westerners.With this state of affairs Uganda will always remain a geographical location without any national sense of pride and unity. Rwanda a country he always praises are struggling hard to address the tribal issue that disabled them so badly. What the elite like Mwenda should do is to team up with good leaders like president Obama and help amplify what he says inorder to get real solutions for Africa instead of siding with dictators who have disabled and saffocated Africa. If Mwenda continues with this school of thought i can only say he's fast approaching his decline stage and vacate the dance hall.

It is very simple, African presidents do not like proper democracy; where parties stand up stating policies of critise the ruling goverment ones.

In Uganda, you can not do this and if you try Police will block you to address people.
Museveni is a good third world military leader as far as controlling ruthless mistreatment of citizens.
One would be given to think that the main aim of Museveni with his looting mates is to amass wealth at the expense of fellow citizens.
They have no interests whatsoever the build the Country rather than giving land away, public assets etc.
There is no coherence planning to develop the country. For example; look the so call professor, minister of diseaster preparedness not even being aware of serious problem less than 200miles. Is that person suitable to runing a minister if not for personal connection?

African problems require African solutions. Africa alone cannot lift itself from poverty and bad governance because it is linked to the international economic system and decisions made by the G8 affect it. Revolutions happen becaus of facts/actions in a particular content. Countries learn from and copy revolutions in other parts of the world or in history. Obama should have paid attention to US meddling in African affairs, esp by the CIA and support of dictatorial regimes: Samuel Doe, Mobutu etc. Obama himself came from among the oppressed/marginal class in USA and in his speeches is trying to inspire others to think positive (yes we can) and change the world. Capture this friends?

I think the article "Obama in Africa: A Major Disappointment" on this web link below sums it up well sums it up well:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090720/caplan

I like to think, a speech and lecture are synonimous Mr. Mwenda. You do contradict yourself here, Mr. Editor.President Obama's comments on African democracy are authentic and one needn't look far to confirm that-you'd get an answer from your backyard! I get intrigued the more when you mention the hopelessness/surrender of africans as a reaction, it just exposes the rot in african political systems.
Until our leaders or our people get to understand that Africa's Hope is in Africa, we'll still have a long way to go. African leaders must stop the vote stealing- it's a actually a question of morality!And how will you make a seasoned vote poacher make sense out of this if its not through a 'lecture' Mr. Mwenda? and not a speech for that matter!

Andrew what you went around without acknowledging honestly is that;Obama may have given some African dictators jelly legs. Yes it may have been the same message but the truth is; the direct approach Obama used means that direct punches could be on the way for the continent's tyrants.

The slogan of homegrown solutions to dictatorship and bad governance cannot be reliable because the strength that African dictators has been derived from the patronising West. Only when the West turns its back on these destroyers will it become possible for Africans to dislodge them.

I'm sure as a Ugandan you fully understand what I mean.

Mwenda, I think we need to understand Obama in context. Like Reverand Amos Kasibante has argued, in telling Africans to confront their own issues, is reflecting on his own background and the fact that "possibility thinking" among the down-troden masses is a key factor in raising a new generation of leaders. As John Maxwell put it, "everything rises or falls on leadership'. Even the systems, policies, and debilitating incentives you are talking about did not come from nowhere. They have been induced and propagated by a certain character of leaders. In my view, we need to go deeper than the incentives you are talking about Andrew. Bottomline is, African leaders are driven by FEAR. The violence (covert and overt) African leaders exercise over their subjects is merely a reflection of a deep-seated sense of inner powerlessness. Mandela and Jerry Rawlings embody the charater of a truly empowered leader, and that other African leaders can learn to do it. I think President Obama's address needs to be understood in this perspective.

Aouple of points for me. While i do enjoy Andrew analysis alot, I do think that currently there is too much PR for Rwanda. Great in your opinion, everything seems great as regrads health care and Educationaly systems. As of the main issue, Obama is an American President with an African name. He is not African, whatever his opinions, is meant to reflect the current American policy and perception of Leadership in Africa.

Opinion is like an a*****e. Everyone has one, but it is common sense that we should know when and where to use it. Unfortunately, Mwenda, through your education and career has invested heavilly in his and at a time when we all expect him to know when and where to use it.. he does the exact opposite.

Andrew, for a long time in the early stages of your career, you were a beacon of hope for many Ugandans. The epoch of journalistic independence, with demonstrated commitment to the democracy, free speech and anti-corruption activism. You have since degenerated to the exact opposite much to the disappointment of many who took you seriously and saw your potential. I will not go on to breakdown the details as to why but if you read the comments made besides your stories.. If you try and see beyond the vanity that is covering your eyes.. the same one that makes m7 thinks he is the only one with a vision.. you will see what I am saying. CHANGE TODAY.

Whilst it gives us great pride in being African and seeking solution without outside help , it's impractical to say the least.
- The A.U sits on it's hind , toothless against Bashir , Mugabe et al.
-We go cup in hand for aid (read global fund) and end up doing what we know best.

Mzee not only has ruled the longest, he's about to break the record for ruling longer than all past ''swine'' combined
-the funniest was when he said ''i will not allow that one'' referring to the lifting of age restriction set at 75 in the constitution.
-when has a lion rejected it's prey ?
- it was indeed fundamental change not a mere change of guards ( read wajinga)

Yes a lot has been said though repeatedly ask yrslf is it not true,our problem is known -greed for power than actual delivery of services.We very much pushed for independence,now now we re the very people running to Europe to woo investers to come and do what ?? that already shows something is lacking among us. For Uganda,we had a vibrant railway now it is nowhere,tell me of a hospital bigger than Mulago ever built by any of post independence govt? the list is long whether it is Obama anybody ,just take the point forget of individuals by the way the pp of US decided and knew Obama will manage their country thru the ballot box so if u re here busy rediculing ,just go and sleep.

Mwendas article was like those adverts for Ponzi schemes which scream "You have won X millions" and go on to put u thru such a narrative and at the end tell u "to claim ua prize call no zxy......" which no is a pemium rate no.The wole point in the 1st place was to get you to call the premium rate number.This is exactly Mwendas mentality.He found himself in a position where he had nothing to say about Obamas speech(or lecture as he calls it) and it being the hottest item at the moment he had to use the subject but to say something else.
People like Mwenda think highly(read overrate) themselves and think that what they think is fact even his article was not what he thought of Obamas speech but the facts about Obamas speech.
What Mwenda wanted was for the White House to get on the phone and say"Hey Andrew ua a Stanford fellow and ua the expert on African affairs our president is making his maiden trip yo Afrrica can u write us a paper as a basis of his speech"
No such thing happened so what do people like Mwenda do-rubbish the speech(lecture)
Mwenda is fully entitled to heap praise on Kagame but he too does not seem to understand the dynamics of Rwanda.When a potter makes a good pot is it because he is a good potter and how much of it is due to the quality of the clay.Alot of what Kagame has achieved is due to the nature of the people of Rwanda.One also has to look at the state in which Kagame found Rwanda in94.Is he aware of the fact that Kigali had more than 20 sets of traffic lights and most were knocked down by the new people coming in who suddenly found themselves with brand new vehicles.Is he aware that ther were no grass thatched houses.Is he aware that one could not make a company or other stamp without it being registered-infact all the stamps were machine made.Rwanda had a few but fully functioning industries like plastics,soap ,iron sheets.All the roads from Kigali to each of the borders were tarmaced and all had been done by local contractors.
Despite the war and the genocide Rwanda was not basket case and most of all Rwandese were disciplened people.Rwanda did not even have a police force as we know it say in Uganda and this was only established after 94.The only corruption if it were to have crept in was mostly from the people who came in mostly from Uganda,Burundi,Zaire etc who came in in grabbed businesses, contracts were being done without tendering,public land was being grabbed etc.
So before u say so much you ought to have a few simple facts.

:shock:
Dear Mwenda, do you realise what provocation your article has caused? I have always appreciated your articles especially those related with development in Africa. This time I am flabbergasted by your your critic of Obama's speech or lecture whatever you may want to call lt which was based on governance. I can now understand why you are always praising Kagame of Rwanda which is still very insecure. Probably I shouldn't be stunned by your behaviour because people like Cheeye impressed us at the beginning and I thought this is a guy who was ready to go all the way knowing that jounalists in Uganda never represent us the weak and voiceless citizens. Having read your critic, am reminded of what I read in monitor few months ago when Museveni rebuffed the western leaders that he didn't need their lectures on African politics. This is an insecure guy who has used poverty to remain in power, made our education a sham and health of citizens non existent leave alone the terrible imitation of roads. Leadership in Africa is a crisis and Uganda may soon loose its identity as a nation in this boggy global economy with the type of leadership we have. I am a concerned Ugandan and can't imagine why you cant see that with a better leader our country can save to make citizens live better and with hope.

Kanyarusoke,
I do not agree with your assumption. Look at Somalia, the only country in Africa made of one tribe, one language, one culture, one religion etc. Do you call that cohesion or strong bonding through sense of belonging by virtue of tribe? In Africa we simply have very bad leaders and I mean really bad selfish ones. In this current age, how can a president leading a cabinet of 'professors' and 'doctors' claim he is the only one with a vision for the collection of tribes he leads however flawed the vision is having been tested? And non of the so called 'professors' and 'doctors' of even political science in his cabinet have the capacity to lead if and when the president 'decides' to retire!!

non-existent for our citizens leave alone the terribble imitation of roads and demoralisation of ugandans.

Woo,
People like you and the Retired Gen - PGB in next article below are clearly NRM servants no doubt. You do not like the fact that Rwanda under Kagame has put to utter shame your leader's leadership style and achievements in half the time NRM has been in power. NRM also looted in Kisangani and the UN report is there to prove this. What did they do with the loot except to enrich individuals in the army who were named in the report. I can only presume that the loot by Rwanda was used for selfless purposes given what the leadership is doing for its citezens compared to the sorry state of affairs in Uganda after 23 years of NRM. I suppose you one of those very few chosen people who travel abroad for treatment (let alone president's inners circle who use presidential jet to even deliver babies abroad)because of Uganda's poor health infrastructure after 23 years!! Mr Mwenda please keep citing the good things happening in Rwanda as many times as you can and hopefully the only man with a 'vision' for Uganda will blink!

please !! please!! the so called enlightened africans who went to school to show up how u are smart , clever , good english speaking & wring. come-on its time to start discussing issues to help africa's development, ideals that construct us in blackmans land, not critising HE kagame and his nation,people & development of rwanda,please Mwenda never hide da trueth even if people say what or which,so long as they are developing africa,my idea is that we need to start from grassroots wiz dev'pnt ,where our leader shouldn't rise their arms to where they can't touch see, here imean lets manage well what we have ie taxes, corruption ,miss manegment of offices,our resources should be sold to da apropriate contractors wiz strings attached. u can see how india came to competetive ,world just recently after ww11 we wa at da same level with it now u can see da distance from India -africa.am sorry for those who take them selves as educated and start critising .all thanks to mwenda and concerned africans like him.

Yes i concur with mwenda, Obama cant save you work harder for youselves.you lazy Africa ns!!

Hmm... @ those who r stressed by Mwenda's praises to Mr. Kagame; U guys try to read various media gurus esp. Africans like Dan Makokera, Onyango obbo, RIP Taju's comments on Kagame, am sure u will concede and if u want, go Rwanda for yo personal information. many guys have appreciated even the son of Mzee Kaguta, Tony Blair, Media mogul Murdoch and the list is endless. But try to read more about what Kagame is doing anyway, YKM who not always seem to thumb up for his protegees like Kagame himself has conseded. Kagame is at his prime boom so ur negativism just chill and relax it if u want to prove pop to A country of thousand hills, U shall ha ha, i tell u. the Man is at his rampage form as in Political leadership. Cool ye!!!

Like i said earlier, we deserve our leaders and it is upon us to chnage them. But first we must cgnage the way we think because our leaders are are reflection of ourselves. You go to the lower admin levels in our countries. whether a district is led by DP, NRM, etc, the ciorruption issues are the same. So fundamentally our thinking is the same.

All the points made in this article score 100% But you should not forget that most African leaders share a peasantry origin and that alone makes them think that every gold & glory should reign within their families. Unless we get leaders with Rich souls, I see no way forward otherthan chaos in Africa

That's why corruption is hard fight in Africa and if people received what they deserve interms of salaries rewarded, hopefully those corruption cases would have been few or out

Andrew Mwenda, Obama ment that Africa needs good leadership like the one you praise in Rwanda.The other form of change which you suggest can only be achieved if people like you go to villages,educate and empower villagers .People being ignorant about their rights is the desease that need to cured!

"NOT so very long ago, the earth numbered two thousand million inhabitants: five hundred million men, and one thousand five hundred million natives. The former had the Word; the others had the use of it. Between the two there were hired kinglets, overlords and a bourgeoisie, sham from beginning to end, which served as go-betweens. In the colonies the truth stood naked, but the citizens of the mother country preferred it with clothes on: the native had to love them, something in the way mothers are loved. The European élite undertook to manufacture a native élite. They picked out promising adolescents; they branded them, as with a red-hot iron, with the principles of western culture, they stuffed their mouths full with high-sounding phrases, grand glutinous words that stuck to the teeth. After a short stay in the mother country they were sent home, whitewashed. These walking lies had nothing left to say to their brothers; they only echoed. From Paris, from London, from Amsterdam we would utter the words ‘Parthenon! Brotherhood!’ and somewhere in Africa or Asia lips would open ... thenon! ... therhood!’ It was the golden age.

It came to an end; the mouths opened by themselves; the yellow and black voices still spoke of our humanism but only to reproach us with our inhumanity. We listened without displeasure to these polite statements of resentment, at first with proud amazement. What? They are able to talk by themselves? Just look at what we have made of them! We did not doubt but that they would accept our ideals, since they accused us of not being faithful to them. Then, indeed, Europe could believe in her mission; she had hellenized the Asians; she had created a new breed, the Graeco-Latin Negroes. We might add, quite between ourselves, as men of the world: ‘After all, let them bawl their heads off, it relieves their feelings; dogs that bark don’t bite.’

A new generation came on the scene, which changed the issue. With unbelievable patience, its writers and poets tried to explain to us that our values and the true facts of their lives did not hang together, and that they could neither reject them completely nor yet assimilate them. By and large, what they were saying was this: ‘You are making us into monstrosities; your humanism claims we are at one with the rest of humanity but your racist methods set us apart.’ Very much at our ease, we listened to them all; colonial administrators are not paid to read Hegel, and for that matter they do not read much of him, but they do not need a philosopher to tell them that uneasy consciences are caught up in their own contradictions. They will not get anywhere; so, let us perpetuate their discomfort; nothing will come of it but talk. If they were, the experts told us, asking for anything at all precise in their wailing, it would be integration. Of course, there is no question of granting that; the system, which depends on over-exploitation, as you know, would be ruined. But it’s enough to hold the carrot in front of their noses, they’ll gallop all right. As to a revolt, we need not worry at all; what native in his senses would go off to massacre the fair sons of Europe simply to become European as they are? In short, we encouraged these disconsolate spirits and thought it not a bad idea for once to award the Prix Goncourt to a Negro. That was before ’39." Part of the Preface to Frantz Fanon's Wreteched Of the Earth by Satre (1961).

Not a bad article Mwenda, but your Rwanda seems to be out of this world. Can you truly be a journalist and activist with an objective sense?

hey guys africa is for all africans ,and at the end of the day africans need to solve their own problems. stop electing corrupt leaders.
And as for WOO and the RETIRED GEN you have no right what so ever to tell mwenda to move to Rwanda. if you cann't stand the fire leave the kitchen pple.
ANDREW HAS A RIGHT TO EXPRESS HIS VIEWS, IF YOU DON'T LIKE THEM, TRY ANOTHER MAGAZINE. ITS THAT SIMPLE WOO AND THE SO CALLED RETIRED GEN OKAY. You can intimidate pple in uganda , but u cannt do it on the internet its 2009 and they world is changing faster than u thought.

As for those pple who think andrew is over praising Rwanda , you just have issues . They say the truth hurts, just because u don,t anything to show in 23years is not mwendas problem. you have been sleeping for the 23years ,so get up and do something for the country.Kagame is really ashaming you guys.
Even a blind person can see who has a brain and who hasn,t.
so you have wasted enough of our money and time. We want real action.

Mr. Mwenda,

President Obama speaks of Africa in Total Knowledge and experience, and, yes, Leadership is a core challenge to Africa. This is also a good time for African Leaders to listen to one of their own and receive constructive critism, however diplomatic the rhetoric.

Everything rises and falls with leadership. Ask J.C. Maxwell. Mother Africa has everything but Leadership for development to take effect. If excellent leaders were to be added to Africa's resources and potential, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

Bravo to President Kagame of Rwanda, for he has made significant achievements because he is pragmatic on priorities, insists on value-based accountability, and has little torelance if any, for corruption. This is notwithstanding the need for him to step up efforts on post-genocide reconciliation so as to ensure long term sustenance of peace and the ongoing economic progress in the country.

Now for mother Africa, when you add the vice of corruption to the leadership gap that gives birth to it, you get poverty, conflicts, inefficient healthcare and education systems, broken infrastructure, etc, a cycle that is iterative in nature.

Leadership Development and good governance, therefore, must be top priorities for mother Africa and those that are true Friends of Africa.

May God bless Africa and provide/annoint the necessary leaders for her transformation.

Independent paper is no longer independent. Period!

The other day the owner of the so call Indenpendent paper was seen putting a hat on the head of Uganda Swine.

I have lost confidence in reading Mwenda's paper.

Tell Uganadans how much you have been bought.

I think it does not matter whether it was the former or the later, the most important is the content and fro me it was full and overloaded with substance for all African leaders both in government. business and private sector to learn. I am not sure if Andrew either just lacked clear judgment this time or desire to balance it out. Our problem is purely leadership, for the same reason it is only the leadership that has answers to African problems period. not the west not Obama not even Andrew.

In most African countries, leaders play an important role in making them what they are, something Mr MWenda is deliberating disregarding because he prefers to look at things in his own way from others. Rwanda, mentioned as an example of African countries with good health sector and praises showered on the country by Mwenda every now and then is simply a good example of good leadership, corruption free political actors and nationalistic feelings.

Looks to me that Obama's speech is not the main problem.
I think the problem was the choice of the country where he visited and thats why most africans were disappointed on this Visit.

i have to say he a gave a right speech in a wrong place with a wrong crowd.

Standing in Ghana to me means isolating the suffering Zimbabweans and ethiopians and happy but not free south africans and most african countries.

He seems to tell Leaders alone and abondoning the citizens everywhere that its our duty to change the world we leave in.

He could have gone to Zimbabwe and speak about human rights, corruption and democracy coz the message would be sent directly into the ears of Desports like Uncle Rob.


This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

finally someone else sees the so called speech for what it is, it was the same old crap we get from western leaders. there are so many things that i can say as to why mr obama's speech was sub-standard but for a guy that has became president on the mantra of change, i expected him to approach africa in a different light from his fellow western leaders.

i urge people here to pause and think about what obama said and didnt say, think about what mr,obama's plans are in dealing with africa. before you jump around saying how his speech was pause and think of the big picture and the you will know that mr obama is no different from bush when it comes to his policies towards africa.

Ma anger was flamed further by a proffesor who sought it better to print out copies of Obama's speech and distribute them to students as if this was the best speech he has ever come across, all in the name of solidarity?
club penguin cheats

nothing new about the ills of Africa. Nonetheless,ugg boots it is important that world leaders keep reminding us of our predicaments.