Andrew Mwenda

How Museveni’s victory saved Besigye from confronting the hard reality of Uganda’s politics President Yoweri Museveni has again defeated his main rival, Dr. Kizza Besigye, in an election the opposition claim was stolen. Whatever the merits of this accusation, Besigye’s defeat is also his greatest triumph. It has saved him …

How Museveni’s grassroots structures resisted Besigye’s campaign momentum Last week, Yoweri Museveni was reelected to a seventh (fifth elective) term of office as President of Uganda, defeating (or rigging – as his supporters claim) his main rival, Dr. Kizza Besigye. It was the most competitive election Museveni has faced since …

Inside Museveni’s greatest moments and Besigye’s political maturity even at great cost to himself So finally President Yoweri Museveni defied all predictions and attended the presidential debate. I can say without any fear of contradiction that Museveni did so in defiance of the advice of everyone in NRM and immediate …

Why poor countries have poor services and rich nations have better services Joseph Mukasa is a peasant in Uganda. He has been performing well in expanding the output of his three acres piece of land. From an income of about Shs5,000 per month in 1995, (which when adjusted to inflation …

How he has accepted the categorisation imposed upon him by a racial system that subjugated black people US President Barak Obama calls himself a black man. Indeed, America and the rest of the world refer to him as a black man. Yet we all know he is actually a person …

By Andrew M. Mwenda President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign in many parts of Eastern Uganda has run into serious trouble. From Jinja to Iganga, through Bugiri, Busia and Tororo all the way to Mbale, the president’s campaign is saddled with internal bickering, no clear message, lethargy, and an acute lack of …

How journalists have allowed campaign rhetoric to obscure issues that are fundamental to the election President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign strapline; `Steady Progress’ sounds like a slogan from a communist pamphlet, not a marketing sound-bite in a competitive election. With it, the President is not promising anything new or spectacular but …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Last week, we were treated to a televised debate among Uganda’s presidential candidates. Although we face an immense task of transforming our country from a poor and backward nation into a rich industrial society, our presidential candidates’ arguments fell far below what is required to achieve …

By Andrew M Mwenda Why Tanzania’s new president is doing the right thing the wrong way and why he may fail Since early November 2015, newly elected Tanzanian president, John Pombe Magufuli, has captured the imagination of many African elites on social media by his brazen actions of cutting unnecessary …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why we need to use the results of the referendum in Rwanda to think instead of relying on prejudice to judge In 2014, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso sought to amend his nation’s constitution and remove term limits so that he could run for the …