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 …

   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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

  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 …

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 …

  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 …

  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 …