Column

COMMENT | Ronald Kato | When US secretary of state Mike Pompeo began his Africa trip in mid-February, it was clear that countering China’s influence on the continent was top of his agenda. Yet from Senegal to Angola, he had restrained himself from the hard-hitting attacks on China that have come …

  How the death of Peter Otai and the response of government of Uganda reflect our political maturity THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | On January 1st this year Peter Otai, the former minister of state for defense in the second Milton Obote government, died in London. On …

How political competition in our country is conducted on wild promises based on imaginary state capabilities THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | We are entering an election season and many things are going to go wrong in this country. President Yoweri Museveni will not initiate anything serious fearing …

How sustained economic growth influences health through nutrition and better living conditions THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | In this column last week I argued that economic growth, in spite of its many limitations, remains the most important driver of improved wellbeing. A key measure of wellbeing is …

  COMMENT | Ronald Kato | When I first traveled to China in February of 2017, two things happened. Firstly, I was the first passenger to get off the Emirates flight from Dubai to Beijing. When we touched down at Beijing Capital airport, cabin crew announced that a passenger from Uganda …

Evidence of how GDP growth has led to improved wellbeing of the majority of Ugandans THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Critics have been accusing me of being simplistic by focusing on economic growth as a major success of President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. Uganda has sustained an average …

The pros and cons of the President’s long rule and what they portend for the country he has rebuilt THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | This week, President Yoweri Museveni and his NRM celebrate 34 years in power. Museveni inherited a country whose state had disintegrated and economy …

OPINION | Ofwono Opondo | Today marks thirty-four years since the resilient and glorious National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/A) under the leadership of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni captured Kampala. The battle for Kampala, marked the defeat and retreat of UPC and UNLA remnants, which also ended the reign of terror, uncertainty, and …

   How the president’s intervention to halt the procurement of Kampala-Jinja expressway is a disaster THE LAST WORD |  Andrew M. Mwenda |  Last week, I had a meeting in Mukono, a town only 20km east of Kampala. The meeting was scheduled for 2pm. Knowing the heavy traffic on Jinja …

  How NRM politics have made Kampala a dysfunctional city and what cannot be done about it THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | As we enter 2020, Kampala has become a dysfunctional city. The heavy rains of 2019 have left most of the roads in a horrible state …