Why I think Singapore would have transformed even with a less able leader THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | There is a widespread myth that Lee Kuan Yew, the legendary prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, was singularly responsible for the transformation of that island city-state …
Read More »A return to Rwanda – Part 2
In Rwanda’s case, here was a man (Kagame) willing to impose harsh discipline on his lieutenants. They were willing to accept it because the alternative of living forever as refugees was not appealing to most of them THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | Post genocide Rwanda is …
Read More »Uganda’s inflation a fetish
Why government policy to control inflation at 5% under whatever circumstances is misguided THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | A fetish is an inanimate object (like a small stone or wood curving of something like an animal) that is worshipped for its supposed magical powers. That is what …
Read More »The illusion of free speech
How the war in Ukraine demonstrates the poverty of freedom of the press and speech in Western liberal democracies THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | The war between Russia and Ukraine (actually better described as the war between Russia and the Western world in Ukraine) is a classic case study …
Read More »Apartheid at Uganda’s immigration
Inside the discrimination, humiliation and mistreatment of Ugandans of Kinyarwanda culture THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | By And so it was that while going through the Ugandan section of my library this week, I picked a copy of President Yoweri Museveni’s autobiography, Sowing the Mustard Seed; the …
Read More »IN THE INDEPENDENT: Chasing militants in DRC or money?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | These are the top stories in this week’s THE INDEPENDENT. COVER STORY Chasing militants or money?: Investigation questions UPDF mission in DR Congo THE LAST WORD Aiding the enemy Part 2: America’s opportunities and main challenge as it seeks to contain China from dominating Asia …
Read More »How to broaden political appeal
Lessons for Uganda’s opposition from the repositioning of the National Front, France’s far-right party THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | On February 8, 2022, BBC’s Steven Sucker hosted Marine Le Pen on the Hardtalk program. Le Pen is the leader of the National Front (FN), a right-wing …
Read More »The real problem of Uganda
Educated Ugandans can’t see they don’t need a perfect policy environment to become prosperous THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | There are two suffocating beliefs among the vast majority of educated Ugandans. The first is that a university degree (does not) just provide someone an opportunity to search …
Read More »Behind the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Why the U.S should beware of the law of unintended consequences THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M MWENDA | There is a huge misunderstanding of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Many people see it as an unprovoked act of aggression by a megalomaniacal President Vladmir Putin against a small …
Read More »Africa’s politics of fiction
It is incredible how politics in our part of the world is far removed from reality THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | What determines the governance strategies elites employ in any given country? The philosopher, Karl Marx, argued that the way people organise themselves to solve their basic …
Read More »