Andrew Mwenda

How America’s pursuit of global primacy undermines democracy at home and international law abroad THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I argued in this column last week that America’s pursuit of global primacy (hegemony) is increasingly becoming a liability to Europe’s security and economic prosperity. Germany is the biggest loser in …

The costs and consequences of American primacy on a continent that gave birth to the modern world THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | By 1900, there was no part of this planet that was not directly (or somewhat indirectly) ruled from a European capital – London, Paris, The Hague, Berlin, Rome, …

How Uganda’s opposition leader turned himself into a warmongering power-hungry politician THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | In a sting operation, Uganda’s Chieftaincy of Defense Intelligence and Security (CDIS), formerly the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), kidnapped Dr. Kiiza Besigye from Nairobi. Besigye is a leading figure in opposition politics, the …

  How and why the NRM government sold Uganda’s economy to multinational capital THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | This column last week had a discussion, with Gen Salim Saleh about the meaning of Uganda’s economic reforms of the 1990s, that generated a lot of debate on social media. Saleh also …

The president’s brother’s insights about Uganda’s political economy and what it tells us about our country THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | And so, on Monday this week I visited Gen. Salim Saleh in Gulu and we sat down to a long conversation about Uganda’s economic woes. Saleh has been studying …

Why the arrest and detention of the leaders of our city is a cynical political gimmick THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The arrest and detention of the top executives of KCCA for the disaster that happened at Kitezi landfill is sad. I know for a fact that President Yoweri Museveni …

Remembering the legacy of one of Africa’s most charismatic and iconic post-colonial statesmen THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, I travelled to Tanzania to commemorate Nyerere Day. The event was held in Butiama, a small village in Northern Tanzania where Julius Nyerere was born. It marked 25 years since …

How assigning a name to something changes public perceptions of its character THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Words are used to obscure the truths. Attach a label to something, and people will see it in a particular way. For instance, in Uganda, a person who is a born-again Christian is …

THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Friday October 11, 2024, lawyer and human right activist, Nicolas Opiyo, posted a tweet of his “short musing.” It was a very personal attack on the intellectual competences of Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces …

The life of a reporter, editor, lecturer, media proprietor, legislator, presidential press secretary and corporate guru THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Friday, September 27, Ivan Okuda called me announcing the death of Onapito Ekomoloit. It was as shocking as it was surprising. I had talked to Onapito only a …