Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | A team from the Electoral Commission (EC) led by its chairman, Justice Simon Byabakama paid a visit to The Independent on March 26 as part of its ongoing efforts to engage the media on the 2021 election road map. Accompanying chairman Byabakama were …
Read More »Fortune favours the bold
Why government of Uganda should heavily invest in Kiira Motors even in the face of many impediments THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Uganda wants to manufacture cars. It doesn’t have any comparative advantage in this field. It does not produce iron ore from which to make …
Read More »URA’s unnecessary headquarters
THE LAST WORD: Why government of Uganda’s approach of owning buildings to save on rent is economically unproductive THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Last week President Yoweri Museveni officially opened the new Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) head office building in Nakawa. As a work of art, the …
Read More »Museveni’s land politics
Why the president’s defence of squatters is humane but economically retrogressive THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | During his New Year speech, President Yoweri Museveni reiterated his commitment to defend squatters being evicted by “land grabbers”. Yet he also promised to protect the ownership rights of title holders. In …
Read More »Museveni and African hairstyles
THE LAST WORD: Why the President’s emphasis on hairstyles to assert the African identity addresses the form and ignores the substance THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On December 30, 2018, President Yoweri Museveni tweeted thanking Miss World Africa, Quiin Abenakyo, for heeding his “advice” to keep her hair …
Read More »Uganda’s performance paradox
How Museveni behaves like his critics in undermining the credibility of his own government THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | There is a suffocating sense among a large cross-section of educated urban Ugandans that our country is falling apart. In my frustrated moments, I too feel the same way. …
Read More »Role of trust in prosperity
THE LAST WORD: Why many Ugandans are stuck in poverty and unemployment even in the face of opportunities THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I have lately been arguing in this column that one of the most important drivers of prosperity is human capital. The better the human …
Read More »The destiny of nations
THE LAST WORD: Why some nations prosper and others stagnate and what we cannot do about it THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has 187 countries in its list of nations whose Gross Domestic Product (GDP) it captures. Of these, 39 are listed as …
Read More »THE LAST WORD: Chasing the wind
ANDREW MWENDA: Why the belief that Ugandans are angry because youth lack jobs and other economic opportunities is mistaken THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | Last week, President Yoweri Museveni inaugurated a $600 million fertilizer and aluminum plant in Tororo. A few days before, he had opened a new $150 …
Read More »The future we must fight for
Why our democracy will not be strengthened by a violent contest but dialogue and compromise THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The current struggle between President Yoweri Museveni on the one hand and the two most popular opposition groups to wit Defiance led by Dr. Kizza Besigye, and …
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