A dynamic intellectual of unsurpassed brilliance, great teacher, loving husband and doting dad dies THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I was going through my Instagram on Thursday morning when I read that Prof. John Ntambirweki is dead. If someone asked me to describe him, I would say that John …
Read More »A tale of two cities
How political calculations have shaped the destinies of Kampala and Kigali THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Sunday April 2nd, I went running in Kigali from Serena Hotel to the airport at Kanombe and back a total of 20km. It was a comfortable and relaxing run. The streets were …
Read More »Uganda’s painful truths
Why the always-blame-government-for-every problem mantra is popular but destructive THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | Many Ugandans are angry feeling the country is not going in the right direction. This is especially so among those who feel they can do better, which is understandable. However, they always attribute their frustrations …
Read More »Uganda’s boat tragedy
Why accidents like the one that killed tens of revellers will continue to happen THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | The sinking of a boat in Lake Victoria killing many revellers on November 24 was a classic tragedy. And typical of the Ugandan character, social and traditional media have …
Read More »The strategy of radical extremism
How a section of those advocating for change is against any public scrutiny of the values and policies THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | On the night of Friday August 31t, one of our top musicians, Bebe Cool aka Moses Ssali, was nearly lynched by supporters of Bobi Wine aka …
Read More »The poverty of Uganda’s elites
How our country stands at a critical juncture between Museveni’s frying pan and Bobi Wine’s fire THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | Uganda has a new hero: Bobi Wine. He is being presented domestically and internationally as the symbol of our struggle for democracy, freedom, liberty and social transformation. Even …
Read More »The disintegration of the FDC
Why liberal minded Ugandans should celebrate the breakup of FDC and rally behind its enlightened leaders THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | The inevitable is happening. Uganda’s largest opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), is breaking up. Twenty two out of its 36 Members of Parliament (MPs) …
Read More »Uganda’s incompetence paradox part2
How Uganda performs well in spite of corruption and incompetence and what it teaches us THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | In 2013 I wrote an article with exactly this headline, the reason this is named “Part2”. It was about how the state in Uganda exhibits gross corruption and …
Read More »Africa over the last 30 years
Why the claim that our continent’s problems are caused by “poor governance” is a lot of baloney THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA | I have just re-read the 1989 report of the World Bank titled “Sub Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Development.” It is a rich document in terms …
Read More »Losing my innocence
THE LAST WORD: How my hubris to become president of Uganda pulled me from the trees of utopia to the hard rock of reality THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I want to continue with a line of thought from this column last week i.e. that African countries cannot be governed …
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