By Andrew M. Mwenda The assumption behind a lot of literature on democracy is that people would care more about their welfare in elections Africa’s poor performance at delivering public goods and services impersonally to anonymous citizens is often attributed to the continent’s democratic deficit. Democratic theory expects that if …
Read More »Why Museveni needs to reform
By Andrew M. Mwenda Since April, Ugandans have sustained protests over many issues including wages, commodity prices and foreign exchange rates Here is widespread discontent in most of Uganda against President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM. The mainstream opposition should, however, not think that this automatically means there is widespread …
Read More »Why NATO overthrew Gaddafi
By Andrew M. Mwenda MI6 was spying on Libyan dissidents in Britain and passing the information to Gaddafi New revelations of the secret relationship between Libyan intelligence under Maummar Al Gaddafi and America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Britain’s MI6 are shocking but not surprising. America and Britain have always …
Read More »Col. Muzoora’s death
By Andrew M. Mwenda & P. Matsiko wa Mucoori Was the opposition planning to use him in post-election uprising? The government intelligence alleges that renegade Col. Edison Muzoora who died mysteriously on or around May 27 this year, was at the centre of an opposition plan to create post-election violence …
Read More »HRW report misunderstood Gacaca
By Andrew M. Mwenda In the last 14 years and with US $2.1 billion spent, less than 50 cases have been heard in the Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any ideas of them …
Read More »Inside Uganda’s democratic contests
By Andrew M. Mwenda The disastrous collapse of public services under NRM is a product of the way in which democracy has evolved rather than its absence On Saturday September 24, I went to my old school, Busoga College Mwiri, to attend celebrations marking its 100th birthday. It was a …
Read More »Gaddafi’s fall
By Andrew M. Mwenda What does it mean for Museveni? Sometime last year, the then Libyan strongman, Muammar El Gaddafi sent an emissary to President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. According to sources inside State House, Gaddafi’s messenger carried an ultimatum to Museveni: if you do not support my project of …
Read More »Gaddafi is gone, what next?
By Andrew M. Mwenda I hope that my prediction is wrong because future generations of Libyans will be happy that I was wrong. I am writing this column on the morning of Monday August 22nd. By the time it is read, Libyan leader Muammar El Gaddafi might no longer be …
Read More »When is a group marginalised?
By Andrew M. Mwenda In an ethically diverse state, change in government is not change in governance; it’s replacement of one looting coalition by another. A lot of studies show that societies, nations and communities that have high levels of ethnic, racial or religious diversity tend to be poor at …
Read More »Give ordinary peasants a voice
By Andrew M. Mwenda Politics everywhere tends to be rigged in favour of the powerful. But in Uganda it has been made worse. Last week, the mass media reported that the vast majority of rural Ugandans are at risk of malnutrition, especially in the northern region. It was a simple …
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