Who is a moral candidate for parliament: the candidate who promises electricity or one who distributes cash to voters? THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Someone sent a quote allegedly from a one “Prof.” PLO Lumumba to an internet chatgroup I belong to. Lumumba seems to have run …
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Why government needs to think differently about where it needs to invest in order to effectively contain the pandemic THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | COVID has returned with a vengeance and is now ravaging Uganda. In March and April, the virus seemed to disappear. Out of …
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The president’s choice of ministers and what it tells us about the factors that shape the character of cabinet THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | President Yoweri Museveni’s recent cabinet has excited a lot of debate. Many pundits question its competence to manage the country and lead it …
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How Uganda’s tax policy on real estate has destroyed the once thriving sector and stifled economic growth THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | This week, the government will read the 2021/22 budget. Given the poor performance of the economy, government is proposing new taxes. For instance, it has …
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How the former parliamentary speaker made a series of blunders that may sink her otherwise great political career THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Rebecca Kadaga is a lady of many parts. For twenty years, she held sway over Uganda’s parliament: first as deputy speaker (20001-2011), and then …
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How social media promotes radical extremism with a high potential to undermine democracy as we know it THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Democracy is in crisis. Globally. The risk is not the effort of tyrants. It is the naivety of liberals. For a century, two institutions underpinned …
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How the president’s criticism of the electricity distributor is likely to undermine investor confidence in Uganda THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | President Yoweri Museveni recently repeated his claim that officials of the government of Uganda who negotiated the Umeme concession sold the country. It is a …
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How the Christian faith has influenced Western intrusions into other countries to promote democracy THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | I complained in this column last week about Western efforts to force their ideals, especially democracy, on other countries and societies without any consideration of time, context and …
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How Western interventions in African affairs, even when well intentioned, produce bad results THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | On April 16 the U.S. government imposed travel restrictions on an unspecified number of unnamed Uganda government officials including members of their immediate families. The justification was their …
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Why she chose to base book on interviews with Kagame’s enemies but not give his side THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | The fundamental error of Michela Wrong’s book was to listen to one side in the Rwandan story. Consequently, she ended up sanctifying Patrick Karegyeya and …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price