By Andrew M. Mwenda How Uganda’s elite pundits are misunderstanding the election dynamics and why Mbabazi should worry There is a widespread perception among a large section of the Ugandan elite class that former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi has overtaken Kizza Besigye as the main opposition candidate for next year’s …
Read More »About our collective delusions
By Andrew M. Mwenda Besigye’s messiah complex and the triumph of power over values in The “Democratic” Alliance For most of the last week of September, leading opposition figure, Dr. Kizza Besigye, was a subject of vitriolic attacks by many of his former admirers. All because he refused to endorse …
Read More »Putting corruption in perspective
By. Andrew M. Mwenda Stealing public funds. About 80,000 children die of preventable diseases each year in Uganda because public officials have stolen money for immunization Kampala. Two weeks ago, I said on the NTV News Night show that the existence of corruption in a country does not automatically impede …
Read More »Divided they stand, united they fall
By. Andrew M. Mwenda Why the opposition is courting danger in seeking to field one candidate and the risks of a three horse race Last week, the opposition was involved in skirmishes regarding the selection of a joint presidential candidate under The Democratic Alliance (TDA). The alliance seemed biased on …
Read More »Nyakairima and UPDF’s soul
By Andrew M. Mwenda How Nyakairima took UPDF out of headlines and has left a professional respected military Sometime in 2003, President Yoweri Museveni chaired a meeting of the army high command to discuss highly sensitive matters. The proceedings leaked to me. I was happy to publish a story about …
Read More »Give Rwandan politics a chance
By Andrew M. Mwenda Why opponents of removing term limits should listen more to Rwandan citizens than their own theories and the preaching of America Last week, the United States issued a statement calling on Rwanda not to amend the constitution and remove term limits on the presidency. America carries …
Read More »On the FDC presidential debate
By Andrew M. Mwenda Why our frustration should’nt lead us to behave like a drowning man who clings onto a crocodile And so it was that on the night of August 30, NTV treated us to a debate between Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) contenders for party presidential flag bearer, …
Read More »Putting corruption in perspective
By Andrew M. Mwenda Those arguing against corruption are not wrong but neither are the leaders who depend on it Recently, I said on my NTV show that the existence of corruption in a country does not automatically impede its ability to develop. With those words, I let loose the …
Read More »Lessons for opposition from opinion polls
By Andrew M. Mwenda Ugandans seem unhappy with Museveni but they don’t seem to be willing to accept his opponents either. Here is why We are exactly six months away from elections and recent opinion polls are already giving us a glimpse of things to come. The polls reveal that …
Read More »The dilemma of Africa’s reformers
By Andrew M. Mwenda How corruption becomes a necessary vice for successful politicians who win elections by denouncing it Here is a thought experiment. Imagine you are a presidential candidate for the 2016 elections in Uganda. You have all the good policies and ideas. And you want to build a …
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