THE LAST WORD

By Andrew M. Mwenda The current political system based on patronage has developed a vast array of vested interests with a stake in its perpetuation Acommon narrative holds that President Yoweri Museveni enjoys unlimited power in Uganda and that this is a major source of our nation’s problems. This view …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why supporting Salva Kiir may turn out to be Museveni’s most ill-advised military intervention The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) recent military adventure into South Sudan follows a pattern that has made our country a regional military hegemon and our president, one of Africa’s most influential …

By Andrew M.Mwenda Museveni’s biggest problem has been to overpromise and under-deliver hence the recurrent frustrations of his utopian supporters This week, President Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Movement (NRM) will be celebrating 28 years in government. In a moving inaugural speech in January 1986, he promised that “This …

By Andrew M.Mwenda Understanding the popularity of Museveni and Besigye through evolutionary science To understand the incentives that drive citizens who vote and the politicians who seek their votes, we may need to appreciate the lessons of evolutionary psychology especially in regard to male-female sexual relations. (I am sorry for …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Attempts to make Mandela a secular saint and set his actions apart from the general experience in Africa distort history Two weeks ago, I committed “sacrilege” on my television show on NTV when I said that many of the things former South African president, Nelson Mandela, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Uganda needs social reform built around collectivities and not another constitution per se The year 2014 is going to be the year that sets the tone for the 2016 elections. The politician with an argument for the future of Uganda is Beti Kamya. She has been …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why the opposition leader cannot dare seek a compromise with Museveni because he would be accused of selling out Now that we have finished mourning and burying Nelson Mandela, we can celebrate his life by asking ourselves: can opposition leader Kizza Besigye act like him? If …

By Andrew M. Mwenda It’s possible to risk one’s political career and compromise without being compromised The younger Mandela was a militant who believed that apartheid could only be defeated through armed struggle. As he grew older, Mandela re- alised that this would be a long and costly route. He …

By Andrew M. Mwenda As mayor, he needs to strike a balance between the competing demands of his electoral base and his job Last week, Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago was impeached by 29 to three votes in the Capital City Council. However, the High Court later declared his impeachment hurried …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why Parliament and government should be kept out of business to allow private investors to deliver electricity Two weeks ago, an ad hoc committee of parliament recommended government cancels its contract with Umeme for the distribution of electricity in the country. The committee raises many complaints …