Andrew Mwenda

By Andrew M. Mwenda A combination of sound technocratic management with a good dose of political skill will do the job I argued in this column last week that any attempt by Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to carry out transformative reforms in our city will create high political tensions.  …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The innovations KCCA needs to finance the redevelopment of the city from its own resources On April 19, Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) held a public dialogue on their plans to improve our city. I was honoured to be the main speaker even though my knowledge …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The politics of US$ 150m spent by government on evacuating top officials for medical treatment abroad On Monday, April 23, Daily Monitor reported that the government of Uganda spends US$150 million per year (Approx. Shs 375 billion) on medical treatment of its top officials abroad. When …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why South Korea succeeded where Uganda failed A common argument to explain (the better term would be to “caricature”) post independence failures in Africa is always in comparison to East Asia. It is often argued, for example, that by 1960, Ghana and South Korea had the …

By Andrew M. Mwenda What the leaders of South Sudan need to avoid as they begin the task of building a state and moulding a nation Last week I was in Juba, South Sudan on the invitation by friends from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM). It is an invitation …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How Khartoum is using South Sudan to hide a rebellion by its own people The low intensity conflict between the new state of South Sudan and the Republic of Sudan has escalated into a near full-scale war. On Monday April 9, the Sudanese Peoples’ Liberation Army …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How government politically miscalculated the threat in spite of activists having lost strategic positioning in their struggle for change As fate would have it, last week the Uganda government banned the civil society advocacy group, Activists for Change (or A4C as it is popularly known). Ironically, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How human rights groups exploit Rwanda’s positive brand to build their own and what can be done about it There has been an intense contest over “Brand Rwanda” in the international sphere. Many visitors to Rwanda are impressed by what they see. Physical observations – clean …

By Andrew M. Mwenda President should not jump from one arbitrary position to another in service of popular sentiment Since The Independent broke the story of businessman Hassan Basajabalaba’s Shs 169 billion “compensation” last year, two ministers have resigned and three members of staff at State House have been fired. …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How the documentary projects a picture of helplessness and how we can use its marketing lessons to portray a better one The dust has now settled on the documentary about Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebel leader, Joseph Kony. I was impressed by Invisible Children (IC’s) marketing …