TODAY NOVEMBER 19, IN UGANDA HISTORY: FDC presidential candidate for life, Kizza Besigye, first declared his intention to run for president for the first time on October 28, 2000. On November 19, only three weeks later, ANDREW MWENDA wrote this article for The Monitor. Kampala, November 19, 2000 | Daily …
Read More »Lessons for Museveni from Mugabe, and for Uganda, from Zimbabwe
COMMENT: Lessons for Museveni from Mugabe, and for Uganda, from Zimbabwe COMMENT | Andrew Mwenda | The fall of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe has been welcomed by many Ugandans with excitement. For many people tired of President Yoweri Museveni’s long rule, Mugabe’s fall gives hope that their nightmare is …
Read More »Crisis of the state in Uganda
How foreign interests have captured Uganda’s politics thereby turning our people from citizens to clients THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Police recently raided the offices of some Non-government Organisations (NGOs) including Action Aid Uganda and Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies (GLISS) and froze their accounts. The government …
Read More »Uganda’s misguided debate
Why many Ugandans are addressing the wrong issue in the debate on lifting age limits THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week the NRM caucus did the expected and recommended the removal of age limits on the presidency so that President Yoweri Museveni can rule for …
Read More »The false gospel of governance
THE LAST WORD: How Africa’s obsession with ‘governance’ issues is too much ado over little or nothing THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Let me articulate a heresy: the argument that Africa’s failure to prosper economically is fundamentally due to “governance” i.e. that our leaders are greedy, selfish, …
Read More »Museveni’s dilemma, Africa’s crisis
THE LAST WORD: How the obsession with our internal weaknesses has obscured the international dimension of Africa’s problems Andrew M. Mwenda | THE LAST WORD | Now in his 32nd year as president, Yoweri Museveni faces a dilemma. Uganda is still a very poor rural agricultural economy in spite of …
Read More »Trump’s mirror to America
How the U.S. president has exposed the hypocrisy of his nation’s media and academia Andrew M. Mwenda | THE LAST WORD | Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump did what he does best: hold a mirror to his country. And the American elite hate the image they see of themselves. …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: A new Mulago arises
A new Mulago arises: The challenge the new hospital will face and what can be done to protect it from Uganda’s politics THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, I visited the new specialised maternal and neonatal center being constructed at Mulago Hospital. With a built up …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: The Kenya, Rwanda elections
KENYA, RWANDA: How voting in these two East African nations reflects our understanding of democracy THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | East Africa has recently witnessed two presidential elections – in Rwanda and in Kenya. The two nations are different. Rwanda is a small country with one …
Read More »RWANDA: Why Kagame won 99%
How Rwandans reacted to the west’s war against the symbol of their nation’s success Rwanda |Andrew M. Mwenda| Last week, Paul Kagame won presidential elections in Rwanda by 98.6%. Historically, such margins have only been won in countries like Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which was under the tight grip of a …
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