How government may have opened a Pandora’s box by creating huge salary disparities among its employees THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | There seems to be haphazardness in the government of Uganda that is hard to fathom. One case in point is the way they have caused a …
Read More »Aiding the enemy Part 2
America’s opportunities and main challenge as it seeks to contain China from dominating Asia THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | In the April 17th column (see: “Aiding the enemy: How US involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is helping the rise of China to surpass America as the world’s …
Read More »How to broaden political appeal
Lessons for Uganda’s opposition from the repositioning of the National Front, France’s far-right party THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | On February 8, 2022, BBC’s Steven Sucker hosted Marine Le Pen on the Hardtalk program. Le Pen is the leader of the National Front (FN), a right-wing …
Read More »The risks of the war in Ukraine
How America’s current leadership is leading the world into a slippery slope towards nuclear war THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | The war between Russia and Ukraine has brought important insights. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the U.S. has become a bull in a …
Read More »Uganda’s Prisoners’ Dilemma
Why public investments and appointments are economically inefficient in multi ethnic societies THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Game theory has the concept of the “Prisoner’s Dilemma.” This refers to a situation where two members of a criminal gang (John and David) are arrested by the police and …
Read More »Museveni’s Umeme mistake
Why the refusal to renew their concession is not a big loss to Ugandan workers and investors and a boom to foreigners THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | For some strange reason(s), President Yoweri Museveni has a very hostile attitude towards Umeme, Uganda’s main electricity distributor. Sources …
Read More »On America’s sense of self
How self-righteousness is far more dangerous than self-interest and leads to human disaster THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Rolling Stone magazine in the U.S. published a story claiming former president Donald Trump wanted to close every embassy in Africa. This is revealed in a new book …
Read More »Uganda’s pursuit of modernity
Why every modern asset should be respected for its functionality and not merely its symbolism THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | Whatever its critics say, capitalism remains the most consequential system (and ideology) of organising human affairs in history. Born in Western Europe, it has spread across the …
Read More »The real problem with Vinci
The power, influence, exorbitant dubious deals and the inevitably coming fall of Enrica Pinetti THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | There is a fundamental problem with Enrica Pinetti, the “foreign investor” behind the controversial Vinci Coffee Company. She is also the promoter of Lubowa Hospital. She has been given …
Read More »The real problem of Uganda
Educated Ugandans can’t see they don’t need a perfect policy environment to become prosperous THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | There are two suffocating beliefs among the vast majority of educated Ugandans. The first is that a university degree (does not) just provide someone an opportunity to search …
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