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 …

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 …

How Africans have been mentally enslaved to hate everything about themselves and how Rwanda is defying it THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda |“In these bloody days and frightful nights when the urban warrior can find no face more despicable than his own, no ammunition more deadly than self hate …

Hubris of The Economist: How this British newspaper ignores Rwanda’s context in its neocolonial desire to define that country THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | According to The Economist, a United Kingdom-based highly opinionated newsmagazine, President Paul Kagame runs a tight autocratic political system in Rwanda. The Economist …

How the central bank’s handling of the problems of Crane Bank showed lack of imagination and strategy THE LAST WORD |Andrew M. Mwenda| I have always had high respect for Bank of Uganda (BOU) because of its management competences. Since the collapse of Uganda Commercial Bank in 1999, BOU has …

Why Museveni is most likely going to succeed in amending the constitution to remove the age limit The Last Word | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Uganda is entering a major political battle that will show us the balance of political forces between President Yoweri Museveni and his opponents. A section …

  Why attempts to provide too much too fast are the cause of corruption and institutionalised incompetence The Last Word | ANDREW M. MWENDA|  Last week I moderated a World Health Organisation panel on providing universal healthcare in Africa. These ambitions assume that poor countries have the ability to deliver the set …

  THE LAST WORD: How Ugandans get angrier as government does the right thing when it comes to spending money THE LAST WORD |Andrew M. Mwenda| Two contradictory things are happening in Uganda. First, large sections of the public, especially the elite public, are angry, very angry with government. They …

  How ignorance and prejudice combine to undermine the truth about Kagame running for president this year Rwanda | Andrew M. Mwenda | The Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) on June 17 nominated Paul Kagame as its presidential candidate in this year’s elections. Although he was unopposed, the RPF still conducted …

THE LAST WORD: Why other political parties in Rwanda have endorsed the candidacy of Paul Kagame The Last Word | ANDREW M. MWENDA|  The government of Rwanda has been working with a concept called “Ndi’omunyarwanda” i.e. I am a Munyarwanda. It seeks to facilitate people to see themselves as Rwandans, not …