Why the Jewish state will never leave at peace unless it frees itself from its racial and religious bigotry THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | For the last week, Israel and Iran have been exchanging heavy blows. I had expected Israel to beat Iran badly, decisively, and quickly. From a strategic …
Read More »Trump’s gift to Africa
Why the US president’s visa restrictions and aid cuts are good for the development of our continent THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Many people are angry with President Donald Trump for canceling the visas of many students studying in the USA. This is bad for individual families and students. I …
Read More »The legacy of Cedric Babu
How this dynamic Ugandan combined a talent for sports with business, politics and entertainment THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Last week, Uganda lost one of its most dynamic citizens, Cedric Babu Ndilima, to a heart complication. On social media, opposition activists, who claim to be humane, went on …
Read More »The White Man’s Burden
How the West seeks to dominate poor countries using the language of democracy and human rights THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | We return to EU ambassadors expressing concern over human rights abuses by the Uganda government at a meeting with Gen. Salim Saleh last month. The German ambassador made a …
Read More »Dangers of Western paternalism
Why Ugandans of all political persuasions should reject European interventions into our domestic affair THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Wednesday, May 21, I attended a meeting of Gen Salim Saleh with EU ambassadors in Gulu. What was reported in the press and social media video clips, were fragments that …
Read More »On Museveni’s PDM tours
Government’s misguided plan to turn Uganda into a country of prosperous peasants THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The government of Uganda has been promoting the “Parish Development Model” (PDM). The program seeks to draw farmers from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture and thereby make them rich. It gives each individual …
Read More »How Uganda has fallen apart
The collapse of governance and the consequences for our country because of an aging president THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Uganda is in deep trouble. The center is no longer holding. The country is literally falling apart. And there is no rescue on the horizon. The NRM government lost …
Read More »The legacy of Rajiv Ruparelia
Why this 35 years old kid will continue to live in the memory of many people for generations to come THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | On Saturday May 03 around 2.20am, fate struck. Rajiv Ruparelia, son of Uganda’s richest couple, Sudhir and Jyotsna Ruparelia, died in a horrible car accident. …
Read More »John Kazoora, a tribute
The life of a man whose political ideals were always in contradiction with his political analysis THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | Maj. John Kazoora, who died on Easter Sunday April 20th, 2025, was a ferocious political animal. I met him in 1996 during the 6th parliament when I was a …
Read More »Dark days ahead for Uganda
The risks to reliable electricity distribution that Uganda faces as we transition from Umeme to UEDCL THE LAST WORD | Andrew M. Mwenda | The refusal of government to renew the Umeme concession continues to intrigue me. It is a policy decision of monumental stupidity. First, the government has had to borrow $118m …
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The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price