Why I think Museveni is a liberal democrat while Bobi Wine and Besigye are potential tyrants THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | Last week, police using heavy-handed methods stopped the MP for Kyadondo East, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, from holding a concert. Even President Yoweri Museveni agreed …
Read More »MP Bernard Atiku on being unselfish
‘I have witnessed street children barely two years old being exploited to beg under the scorching sun and felt so low’ Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Bernard Atiku is the Ayivu County Member of Parliament. Now in his second term, Atiku arrived in parliament in 2011 on the …
Read More »The road to serfdom
How Ugandans have cultivated a mindset that is making them servants of foreigners in their own country THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | My friend Henry Mayanja left Uganda as a teenager and lived in the UK for 20 years. He worked for the UK government earning a …
Read More »Jessica Nanyunja: On her vision for pot water
Jessica Nanyunja is the brain behind Harmony Nutri Foods Limited with its flagship brand of Harmony pot water. Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | It is a darling amongst many Ugandans who have yearned to rekindle their love for pot-smoked water. Many decades ago, most Ugandans used clay products; …
Read More »Is Uganda’s debt sustainable?
THE LAST WORD: How Prof Hyuha Mukwanason’s response to my article fails to move beyond abstract theoretical arguments THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | Prof Hyuha Mukwanason wrote in Daily Monitor of April 13 a 4,214 words-long article responding to my article published in The New Vision of …
Read More »Isaiah Katumwa: On authentic Ugandan jazz
‘Taste of music, like any other product, is not based on class but exposure’ Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Isaiah Katumwa is a renowned saxophonist and jazz promoter. For close to two decades, he has been growing enthusiasm for jazz in the country and region. He is widely …
Read More »The fall of Omar Bashir
Why the Sudanese leader is a hero not a villain for nurturing the progressive forces that removed him THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Finally prolonged popular protests have brought down the 30 years long rule of Sudanese president, Gen. Omar Al Bashir. This was inspiring news for …
Read More »Josephine Mugerwa: From child dancer to music icon
“Becoming a star despite my poor background wasn’t easy; but I am grateful that the highs and lows in life had pushed me to become stronger” Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Josephine Mugerwa also known as Phina Mugerwa Masanyalaze is a Ugandan musician and dancer. Mugerwa captivated Ugandan …
Read More »Our country’s misguided priorities
How the debate on Lubowa hospital exposes the self-indulgence of Ugandan elites and their poverty of ideas THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Two weeks ago Uganda government approved $380m (or Shs1.4 trillion) to build an “international specialised hospital” in Lubowa. On the face of it, this is …
Read More »Robert Katende on changing lives through chess
`I’m happy knowing there are people who celebrate me for making their lives better’ INTERVIEW | AGNES E NANTABA | Robert Katende is best known for taking the game of chess to the slums and attracting street kids to it. He has since expanded the game to disabled youngsters at …
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