Andrew Mwenda, born in 1972, is a well-known Ugandan journalist who has made significant contributions to print, radio, and television media. He is best known as the founder and owner of The Independent, a current affairs newsmagazine that provides in-depth analysis and commentary on Ugandan and international issues.
Andrew Mwenda Speaking at the Hoover Institution in 2017. Source: Wikipedia
Early Life and Education
Mwenda was born in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, in the Western Region of Uganda. His father is Mzee Phillip Muhanga of Fort Portal. After attending primary school locally, Mwenda entered Nyakasura School where he completed his O-Level studies. He attended Mbarara High school for A-level education where he participated in a student strike against the Headmaster Mr. Bagatagira. He subsequently repeated his A-level studies when he was then admitted to Busoga College Mwiri in the Eastern Region of Uganda. He graduated with a High School Diploma from Mwiri.
Mwenda's pursuit of higher education led him to the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, where he earned a Master of Science in Development Studies through a Chevening Scholarship. Furthering his academic and professional development, he became a fellow at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in 2009 and a visiting fellow at Yale University in 2010. Between 2006 and 2007, Mwenda studied at Stanford University.
Career Highlights
Before establishing The Independent in 2007, Mwenda worked as a political editor of the Daily Monitor and general manager of its affiliate on FM radio, KFM. He has also contributed to international news media such as Der Spiegel, the International Herald Tribune, The New York Times, and Foreign Policy.
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Mwenda has also worked as a consultant for prestigious organizations such as the World Bank, the World Resources Institute, and Transparency International.
In 2013, he cofounded a social enterprise, Tugende, with Michael Wilkerson and Matt Brown, a company dedicated to helping young people own assets from which they derive their livelihoods.
Andrew Mwenda - Aid for Africa? No thanks.
Role in Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution
In 2011, Mwenda played a crucial role in negotiating a truce between President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Kagame of Rwanda. From 2011 to 2018, he served as a de facto envoy between the two leaders, fostering a cordial relationship between them and their respective countries.
This arrangement finally collapsed in 2018, unleashing a new round of hostilities that led to the closure of the Uganda-Rwanda border for three years.
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Controversies and Political Stance
In August 2005, Mwenda faced sedition charges for broadcasting a discussion about the death of Sudanese Vice-President John Garang. Garang died in a helicopter crash, and Mwenda's broadcast questioned the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Mwenda appeared before the British House of Commons committee on Global Poverty in July 2006 to argue against aid to Africa. He believes that western aid has been largely unhelpful for African development, since it encourages dependency, sustains wars and fuels corrupt states. He has criticized aid agencies and charities for what he says is their ineffectiveness and collusion with corruption.
On 3 February 2019, Mwenda launched the Uganda National Peoples' Democratic Revolutionary Front (UNPDRF) in the bushes of Kanyandahi in western Uganda with six men and five sticks. He declared himself supreme shogun of the UNPDRF and Charles Onyango Obbo its chief ideologue.
Selected Publications
- 2007: Investieren Geht uber Schmieren, Entwicklungspolitik, December 2007, Nr.
- 2003: With Roger Tangri: "Military Corruption and Ugandan Politics since the late 1990s." in the Review of African Political Economy No.
- 2001: With Prof.
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