By John Njoroge Speaker of Parliament, Edward Ssekandi ‘The process of reappointing the IGG and the deputy is clearly outlined in the constitution. Article 223 (7) states that the IGG shall be appointed for a four-year term and is eligible for reappointment for only one more term. It clearly outlines …
Read More »What has Museveni sacrificed?
By Andrew M. Mwenda President Yoweri Museveni claims he appointed his wife as state minister for Karamoja because ‘elites’ were rejecting the job (never mind only one person, Tom Butiime, turned it down). He also justified the appointment of his family members, e.g. his brother, Salim Saleh, to government positions …
Read More »Who is burning the country?
By Independent Team Between April 7, 2008 and March 11, 2009, there have been at least 95 fire incidents in schools all over the country, according to police statistics. In the last three months alone, at least seven schools and six markets have been set on fire with varying degree …
Read More »Why red tape increases graft
By Andrew M. Mwenda Charles Onyango-Obbo disagrees with my argument that multiple checks and balances on tendering and contracting in Uganda tend to increase rather than reduce corruption. His arguments are convincing theoretically but wrong empirically. I am hostile to the current obsession by many people in this country with …
Read More »The trouble with Uganda’s democracy
By Andrew M. Mwenda Finally, we are coming to the coronation of Yoweri Museveni as a presidential monarch. First, it was amendment of the constitution to remove term limits on the presidency so that he can run for president in perpetuity. It turns out that is not enough to ensure …
Read More »You want freedom? It is expensive
By Andrew M. Mwenda Last week, The Independent published a list of the relatives and in laws of President Yoweri Museveni that have been politically appointed into senior positions in government. We also did an analysis of why the president has sought a strategy of family rule and its likely …
Read More »Why Museveni pretends and Kagame acts
By Andrew M. Mwenda Two years ago, the German construction company Strabag won a tender to build a 70km tarmac road from Kigali to Bugesera in Rwanda. The company delivered a high-quality tarmac road with proper drainage and pavements for pedestrians ‘ a testament to the efficiency and effectiveness of …
Read More »Uganda’s opposition must speak to our aspirations
I pick up where I left off last week: the tragic collapse in the quality of government in Uganda has gone hand-in-hand with corruption on a scale never previously witnessed. Roads are full of potholes, schools are burning, hospitals are death traps and public parks are overgrown bushes. Public institutions …
Read More »Museveni walking same path of African dictators
By Andrew M. Mwenda Twenty three years since he came to power, President Yoweri Museveni shows no plans of leaving. We should not be surprised by this because Museveni is walking the long-trodden path of other African dictators of old like Marshal Mobutu of Zaire, Paul Biya of Cameroon, Omar …
Read More »To check graft, focus on results
By Andrew M. Mwenda I argued in this column last week that multiple checks and balances in public procurement in a country like Uganda tend to accentuate rather than control corruption. This is because multiple centres of control in a neo-patrimonial system do not create checks and balances as would …
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