THE LAST WORD

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why Uganda should move away from a winner-take-all electoral system in favour of proportional representation I argued in last week’s column that in Uganda’s specific context of mass poverty, electoral competition tends to eliminate public-spirited candidates (or patriots) in favour of crooks. Therefore as our democracy …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why parliament will either increase its term of office from five to seven years or raise its wages threefold Some Members of Parliament have proposed that their term be extended from five to seven years. This proposal is going to gain momentum. If it is not …

By Andrew M. Mwenda History shows it was inevitable Mbabazi would fall on the sword of `sole’ candidate-culture In 1965, then opposition MPs introduced a motion on the floor of the National Assembly to repeal the Deportation Ordinance. This was a draconian colonial law that allowed the state to deport, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Although NRM seems to be in disarray, there appears to be nowhere to turn for an alternative Last week, the wrangles inside the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), hit an all-time high. Mrs. Jacqueline Mbabazi, the chairperson of the party’s Women’s League said NRM had been …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How the two leaders faced a dilemma of transcending their prejudices to make history and how each reacted On Sunday while browsing television channels at home, I chanced upon the movie, Lincoln. It is an amazing film about how US President Abraham Lincoln pushed through Congress …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why the anti homosexuality law is most likely going to be used for political rather than moral reasons Finally President Yoweri Museveni has “yielded” to the advice of “our scientists” to sign the anti homosexual bill. Most Ugandan elites who were cheering him on social media …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The US President’s letter to his Ugandan counterpart was the trigger that could have forced Museveni into singing the anti gay bill On February 24, 2014, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda signed into law a bill mandating gays to be sentenced to life in prison for …

By Andrew M. Mwenda What the humiliation of Mbabazi at Kyankwanzi portends for the succession of Museveni in NRM and Uganda Last week, the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) was forced to sign a resolution saying that President Yoweri Museveni will be the …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Wrong regional integration and why small should be the new big thing for East Africa Africa is obsessed with regional, political, and economic integration. Over the last 30 years, our governments have created many regional trade blocks; some of which overlap. For example, Uganda is a …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The current political system based on patronage has developed a vast array of vested interests with a stake in its perpetuation Acommon narrative holds that President Yoweri Museveni enjoys unlimited power in Uganda and that this is a major source of our nation’s problems. This view …