THE LAST WORD

By Andrew M. Mwenda How U S uses the language of freedom and human rights to undermine the cause of democracy in other countries Almost a month ago, Fareed Zakaria hosted Barack Obama on his CNN show, GPS. Zakaria asked the U.S. president why America supports dictatorships like the ones …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The pathologies of Uganda’s LC system and the need for a new conversation on how to reform it On the temple of Apollo at Delphi is inscribed the motto “meden agan” (nothing in excess) in honour of the ancient Greek statesman, Solon (circa 638 to 558 …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why we should stop complaining about what our country has failed to do and ask what we can do It is very hard to get things done, even at the smallest level. But it is very easy to sit and complain about things. Reading social media, …

By Andrew M. Mwenda The obstacles to building an effective opposition and advancing democracy without “regime change” Last week, the NRM and opposition leaders agreed on 43, out of 48 proposed electoral reforms. This is contrary to the doomsday scenarios its hecklers have been presenting that there is no chance …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why poor countries may need a more activist president, one willing to intervene to get them to work Let me do what the Germans call Gedanken (a thought experiment). Political power in most of post-colonial Africa has tended to be personalised. We feel that this is …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How it has facilitated a politics that has undermined the ability of public institutions to serve the common good To explain the dysfunctions in the public sector in Uganda, we need to understand how political power in our country is organised, how it is exercised and …

By Andrew M. Mwenda African intellectual elites personalise their analysis even as they accuse African leaders of personalising the state On Jan.1, I went to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala where my cousin was hospitalised. The hospital is owned and run by the Catholic Church. The buildings many of which were …

By Andrew M. Mwenda Why the opposition should adopt a new strategy if they are to remain relevant and build their credentials as a viable alternative An opinion poll by Daily Monitor published on Jan.12 has given President Yoweri Museveni a commanding lead of 57% against leading opposition leader, Dr. …

By Andrew M. Mwenda How Museveni repeats the mistakes he accused Amin and Obote of and how we can begin a new conversation about it Daniel Kalinaki’s book, Kizza Besigye and Uganda’s Unfinished Revolution, is one of the most compelling pieces of writing I have read in the recent past. …

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 …