COLUMNISTS

By Andrew M. Mwenda Last week, we were treated to a televised debate among Uganda’s presidential candidates. Although we face an immense task of transforming our country from a poor and backward nation into a rich industrial society, our presidential candidates’ arguments fell far below what is required to achieve …

By Morris Komakech The wishy-washy, unconscious, and self-regarding Uganda elites The online dictionary defines “elites” as “part of a group that is superior to the rest in terms of abilities or qualities” (Refer to Classical Elite Theorists such as Pareto, Mosca, Michel, Mills, Putnam etc).  For this article, elites are …

By Ndebesa Mwambutsya Invoking the historical right to rule and stay in power indefinitely has the potential to destabilise Uganda President Museveni has been quoted in the media wondering aloud at a rally as to how people expect him to go out of a banana plantation (read power) which he …

By Andrew M Mwenda Why Tanzania’s new president is doing the right thing the wrong way and why he may fail Since early November 2015, newly elected Tanzanian president, John Pombe Magufuli, has captured the imagination of many African elites on social media by his brazen actions of cutting unnecessary …

By Isaac K. Ssemakadde When the justice system abandoned former OPM accountant accused of corruption Although I have great respect for Ernest Kalibbala, a university lecturer and vice president of Uganda Law Society and my former boss at AF Mpanga Advocates, I was disappointed to learn from press reports in …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why we need to use the results of the referendum in Rwanda to think instead of relying on prejudice to judge In 2014, President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso sought to amend his nation’s constitution and remove term limits so that he could run for the …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How the West has built a global incentive system that sustains a negative narrative against Africa Steve Biko once said the greatest weapon in the hands of an oppressor is not his armies and arms but the mind of the oppressed. Antonio Gramsci had made a …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Do the suffering people of Burundi a favour in their ongoing civil war; don’t help them Burundi seems to be sliding into chaos. Innocent civilians are being killed in droves. News reports from the capital, Bujumbura, are both sickening and horrifying. Everyone wants the international community …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Inside the struggle by Rwandans to get their president to run again in 2017 And so it was that on December 6, I was present at a Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) meeting to discuss the “third term”. Attended by over 3,000 party delegates, members wanted President …

By Morris DC Komakech The core issue is the de-politicisation, decentralisation and standardisation of equitable development Last week when I read the Go Forward Manifesto, I was struck hard by the central piece of their development proposal called Advanced Sub-County Model of Development (pg23). This model deserves our attention as …