What makes successful laws and why some are easily violated and others upheld THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | This week, I watched a 2013 video clip of Prof. Joe Oloka-Onyango talking about constitutionalism in Uganda. In a very eloquent speech, he decried the continued defilement of Uganda’s constitution. …

Why efforts to export liberal democracy abroad are likely to undermine it at home – in the West THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | On September 25th, Italy held an election, which was won by the center-right coalition led by Giorgia Melon’s Brothers of Italy, a radical right-wing political …

Why I think Singapore would have transformed even with a less able leader THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | There is a widespread myth that Lee Kuan Yew, the legendary prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, was singularly responsible for the transformation of that island city-state …

Why the way Rwandans tend to public spaces with dedication and care shows they see their country as something precious and reflective of their identity THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | When you visit Rwanda, the very first impression you get (as you drive from the airport to …

Revisiting a country whose development trajectory and welfare outcomes defy historic precedents THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | On October 15th, I travelled to Kigali, Rwanda. It was my first time to visit the country since October 2018. I had little time to visit places to see the …

How the war in Ukraine demonstrates the poverty of freedom of the press and speech in Western liberal democracies THE LAST WORD | ANDREW MWENDA |  The war between Russia and Ukraine (actually better described as the war between Russia and the Western world in Ukraine) is a classic case study …

Why the struggle against NGOs in poor countries is a struggle not to undermine democracy but to defend it THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | In this column last week, I wrote about the ignorance, recklessness and even subversive work of Uganda’s leading opposition figure, Robert Kyagulanyi aka …

  How the ideological poverty of Uganda’s leading opposition figure makes him subversive to our national interest THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | Uganda’s leading opposition figure, Robert Kyagulanyi, hereinafter referred to by his stage name, Bobi Wine, is a disaster of unmitigated proportions. He claims to be …

How the president’s approach of allocating favours to individual firms has undermined the development of a robust private sector THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | On August 15th, President Yoweri Museveni wrote the prime minister an instruction titled “Support of Local Companies in the Construction Sector”. He said …

Why being vilified as being the most corrupt politician in Kenya did not undermine but facilitated his victory THE LAST WORD | ANDREW M. MWENDA | This week, the Supreme Court confirmed the election of William Ruto as the fifth president of Kenya. The election poses a dilemma for many …