Profile

Uganda’s lost opportunities at next year’s big international conferences and what can be done to salvage the situation THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | January next year, Uganda will host two big international conferences back-to-back: the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) summit and the Group of 77 (G77) summit. This is an important …

A visit to Russia and witnessing the lost opportunities for cooperation with the West THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | This week, I landed in St. Petersburg, my first time to visit Russia, to attend a BRICS conference. There were very few people at the airport, so I went through immigration …

How Netanyahu and Hamas have worked hand-in-glove to undermine the peace process in the Middle East THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Israel’s genocidal bombing of Gaza continues with merciless impunity. Thousands of innocent children are being bombed in their homes, in hospitals and restaurants. Meanwhile, Western leaders, who spent most …

How Hamas and the hardliners in Israel politics need each other for their political survival and success THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The successful attack by Hamas on Israel last week illuminates the folly of the human mind. Israel has been boasting of having built an “Iron Dom” to protect …

How and why Kagame’s enemies have been successful at branding him a tyrant THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I asked a young friend to visit Rwanda and assess the state of the country. He returned last week completely mesmerised at how a poor country can have such excellent infrastructure, a …

Lessons for NUP from the continuing crisis in Uganda’s previously largest opposition political party THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) continues to tear itself apart. This is perhaps the final phase of the party’s existence. When time comes to write its postmortem, what would have …

Why democracy crusaders should worry less about Putin and more about its home front, the West THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, the liberal democracies of the West have been on a “moral” crusade against President Vladmir Putin. According to them, Putin is a tyrant, …

Why the big crowds at his rallies are misleading indicators of actual voter behavior at the ballot box THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | As expected, police have “suspended” the countrywide mobilistion tour by Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine. After pulling large crowds across the country, I am sure government got …

The transformation of democracy from a political form to a religious movement THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda |  Last week, I had an encounter with a democracy jihadist called Jeffrey Smith during a debate on Twitter (X) Spaces. The next day, he took to Twitter (X) accusing me of supporting despotism …

The most likely costs and consequences of attempts by the international community to impose a political solution on any country THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Africa seems to be going back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s when military coups and civil wars were a regular occurrence in many countries …