Why the propaganda against Russian president, Vladmir Putin, that he is a dangerous expansionist makes no sense THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | I have just finished reading a book by Anne Jacobsen titled Nuclear War: A Scenario. It is a chilling account of the way nuclear war could breakout and …
Read More »Who will defend Uganda’s interest
The reasons, risks and costs of Uganda new shift in economic policies and diplomatic relations THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | We are a week away from celebrating NRM’s 39th year in power and the country is going through a major economic and diplomatic policy shift. The government is moving away from …
Read More »Kagame does it again
What Rwanda’s bid to host Formula One tells us about its president’s personal qualities as a leader THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | This December President Paul Kagame announced that Rwanda was bidding to host the world’s most iconic racing competition, Formula One. It is unfathomable that Rwanda would be …
Read More »Requiem for America’s democracy
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 …
Read More »A requiem for Europe
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, …
Read More »The tragedy of Kiiza Besigye
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 …
Read More »When Saleh blew my head 2
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 …
Read More »When Salim Saleh blew my head
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 …
Read More »Scapegoating KCCA executives
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 …
Read More »Nyerere, 25 years later
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 …
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