Why Rwanda’s election campaigns are different and what others can learn from it THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I am in Rwanda for the presidential election campaigns. The campaigns here are different. There are no billboards everywhere of candidates and posters do not litter city walls and buildings. Rallies are …
Read More »Rwanda, 30 years later
What the July 15 presidential elections tell us about how Rwandan citizens view President Kagame THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Yesterday Rwanda celebrated its 30th year since liberation. It has been an incredible journey. In 1994, no one gave this country a chance. The state had been dismembered, the economy …
Read More »Using mobile money to buy and sell across Africa – a fast track to economic integration
COMMENT| Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko | For over sixty decades, from the Mali Empire through to the OAU Summit of May 1963 and incrementally to date, African unity has remained but a collective dream. One that has been sustained more by a recognition of its essence rather than a conviction for its …
Read More »Ruto’s shambolically risky gamble
Why the Kenyan president may have opened the pandora’s box that will grievously impair his government THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Many people have hailed President William Ruto of Kenya for yielding to popular pressure not to sign the controversial Finance Bill. A friend in diplomatic circles in Kampala texted …
Read More »Kinyamatama: Newest poster child of SUSU – Steal from Ugandans, Share with Ugandans
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | The member of parliament (MP) position is so exalted and privileged that elected MPs automatically earn the title of ‘Honourable’ before proving their capacity for honour. Over the past week, Rakai District Woman MP Honorable Juliet Kinyamatama has faced a baptism of fire and brimstone owing …
Read More »Hacks on how to kick out school fees pressure
COMMENT | JULIET BAGGYA NSIYONA | As a parent, one of the greatest challenges to your resolve and financial planning skills is managing school fees payments. While school fees payments may appear to be due only at specific times of the year, managing these periods requires deliberate planning and discipline. …
Read More »Challenge of the Congo
Why Congolese leaders should be wary of US and UN involvement in their country’s affairs THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | We begin from where we stopped in this column last week. Staff at the U.S. embassy in Kampala deliberately distorted my discussions with them regarding M23 rebels. They claimed I …
Read More »State of the Nation Address and the preacher who successfully preached nothing
COMMENT | Olivia Nalubwama | Years ago, probably after the sun-kissed year of 1986, I heard a story that tickled me. Dear reader, I present to you an embellished version of the story. One Sunday, a preacher stood at the church pulpit, looking back at the expectant congregation. Unbeknownst to the …
Read More »USA and the abuse of the UN
How America uses the United Nations to falsify information in pursuit of its ulterior designs for the world THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Sometime in March of this year, I received a telephone call from an anonymous number. I rarely pick calls from numbers I do not know. By a …
Read More »Good to see President promising action on corruption
COMMENT | CRISPIN KAHERU | The most striking part of President Yoweri Museveni’s State of the Nation address was his firm stance on corruption. Declaring proof of a corruption racket within the government, he vowed to crush these malpractices without granting amnesty. This statement resonates with the public’s demand for …
Read More »