THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda How Trump won not because he violated American values but because he upheld American vices This week, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton to win the US presidency. This is especially intriguing because Trump had been vilified by America’s powerful weapons of mass propaganda; …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Lesson for Central Bank from the experience of the takeover of Crane Bank This week, the government injected Shs 200 billion into Crane Bank to bolster its liquidity position. This is only 40% of the Shs 500 billion needed to bring the bank …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew Mwenda What the war between Paris and Kigali over Habyarimana’s death tells us about the two nations Once again France and Rwanda are locking horns over who killed that nation’s former genocidal president, Juvenal Habyarimana. I have followed this debate for 15 years and every …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew Mwenda Why Museveni has not transformed agricultural Uganda into an industrial economy and what can be done President Yoweri Museveni’s stated objective is to transform Uganda from an agrarian to an industrial nation. He has been in power for 30 years, the period South Korea …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew M. Mwenda Why foreign direct investment is overrated and why Africa needs to cultivate local businesses There is a fad in Africa. It is called Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Across our vast continent, foreign investors are the most treasured visitors. Practically every country is obsessed …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew Mwenda While NRM is a corrupt government, FDC has evolved into an extremist antidemocratic party Most commentary on politics in Africa tends to revolve around the analysis of the actions and motivations of incumbents in power. A narrative has consolidated: those in power in Africa …

OPINION: By Andrew Mwenda Why criticising MPs for demanding more benefits is misguided and what can be done about it Our MPs want Shs200 million each to buy cars. They want their wages and allowances increased. They also want Shs68 million spent on their funeral when they die. The public is …

THE LAST WORD: By Andrew Mwenda Why East African governments need to involve local firms in big infrastructure projects The East African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda are involved in massive investments in infrastructure. They are contracting companies to build roads, railways, bridges, airports, seaports, dams, electricity lines, …

  THE LAST WORD: Andrew Mwenda The postcolonial state needs to transform not replicate existing social arrangements Lately, I have been thinking about the postcolonial state inAfrica, and this column reflects these growing thoughts. Why do our states and their political leaders fail to do the things we expect of …

 Danger of expecting leaders of poor African countries to govern like the rich Imagine a romantic relationship between a poor young guy and a demanding girlfriend. They live in a community with former school and classmates all of whom are rich kids living in posh neighborhoods, driving fancy cars, wearing …