• Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Who Are We
  • About
Thursday, July 3, 2025
  • Login
The Pearl Times
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Business
    • Sports
    • World
  • 2026 Elections
  • People
  • Featured
  • Viewsroom
  • PROSE & POETRY
  • Archives
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Business
    • Sports
    • World
  • 2026 Elections
  • People
  • Featured
  • Viewsroom
  • PROSE & POETRY
  • Archives
No Result
View All Result
The Pearl Times
No Result
View All Result
Home News Elections

Andrew Mwenda: What Ugandans and Africans should learn from Bashir’s elimination in Sudan

Andrew Mwenda

Andrew Mwenda: Courtesy photo

By Andrew Mwenda

Nearly two years since Gen Omar El Bashir was removed from power through a popular uprising, Sudan is tottering on the edge of collapse. The government increased public sector wages by 400%, thereby throwing the country into hyperinflation.

Then its currency plummeted against the dollar making the domestic cost of imported goods unaffordable by most of its citizens. For a country with limited manufacturing and therefore import-dependent, the rapid depreciation of the local currency cut deep.

As if the spirits of the ancestors are angry at what is happening, Sudan has the worst flooding in a century, affecting nearly 70% of the population.

For many Sudanese, the era of Bashir is beginning to look like a golden age. Now behind bars, the former president must be smiling at his successors whose promises have turned into pipe dreams.

The new government made up of “democrats” in alliance with the military that helped them overthrow Bashir is latching from crisis to crisis as if driven by fate like in Ancient Greek tragedies. Many Sudanese thought the problem of their country was Bashir.

He is now gone but the problems of Sudan have gotten worse. The lesson from this experience is simple but fundamental: transitions can be messy and lock a country into a vicious cycle of crisis.

For many African intellectuals and “intellectuals”, the problem must be the legacy of Bashir, especially the long spell he spent in power. Therefore even out of government, they would rather attribute the problems of the country to him, as if the current leadership lacks agency.

In Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni has ruled for 35 years, the advocates of change are sensitive and defensive. To them, pointing out the failures of Sudan’s new leaders is a disguised way to justify Museveni’s long and corrupt rule.

African elites love to invent spurious reasons for the continent’s failures. Because some countries have had long serving leaders, and failed spectacularly, a cross-section of elites argues that longevity in power is “the” problem. Yet even if this claim were true, it only shows that such longevity is a by product of deeper structural problems, not a cause.

In any case there are countries in Africa that have not had long serving leaders but they have not fared any better.

Ghana in the 23 years from independence in 1957 to 1981 when Jerry Rawlings came to power (for a second time) had nine presidents, an average of 2.55 years per president. In 1981 it was a basket case.

It is Rawlings’ long rule that stabilized the country and ushered in its current corrupt and chaotic democracy. Since independence in 1960, Nigeria has had 15 presidents. That is an average of four years per president and remains one of the most mismanaged countries in Africa.

Sierra Leone and Liberia have also never had long serving presidents but have had the worst transitions in Africa, accompanied by economic and state collapse.

Nearer home, by the time Museveni came to power in 1986, the average time a president had ruled Uganda was 2.6 years yet he inherited a collapsed state and economy.

Short-lived rule by his predecessors had not immunized Uganda against this disaster; it was, on the contrary, the cause of state fragility. Museveni has stabilized the political dispensation by taming the army and using extensive corruption and patronage combined with a doze of repression to craft a minimum consensus among Ugandan elites.

Uganda is holding together largely through Museveni’s personal skills and accumulated loyalties. But the longer he has stayed in power, the more authority has come to be based on personal relationships.

Museveni exercises this authority through his immediate family, then close kin, friends etc. These too replicate it downwards, using personal ties.

The danger of such a system is that the entire structure of authority can break down quickly when the power of the people in charge is threatened and/or undermined leading to state collapse like happened in Libya, Iraq, Zaire, Somalia, etc.

This is the very reason those seeking change in Uganda need to be very careful. The solution is not just “Museveni agende.” That is too simplistic. Yet this simplification is understandable. British economist John Keynes argued that many issues are complex.

Ordinary people handle complexity through narratives i.e. readily digestible theories-in-miniature. Narratives can spread easily and become public goods; and also, as the case of Uganda (and Africa generally) shows, they can also stray quite a long way from reality.

The claim that Uganda’s problem is an individual called Museveni is one such false narrative. It has occupied the best of our minds in spite of so many changes of presidents previously without any qualitative change in the quality of governance.

This is why the discussion of a transition is one of the most critical issues facing Uganda. How do we secure a qualitative transition from Museveni? For many Ugandan elites, supported by their cheerleaders in liberal circles in the Western world, the quality of change doesn’t matter.

What is needed is change, period.

Some people believe that the collapse of tyranny automatically leads to the triumph of democracy. This conviction is based on faith than historical experience. All too often, the collapse of one tyranny has led to renewed tyranny (witness Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt, etc.) or to chaos (as Uganda in 1979, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Libya etc.).

This is why transitions need to be thought about carefully, recognizing that there is never a quick fix. This is also the reason the “Museveni-agende” agenda of Defiance and People Power is mindless and even dangerous.

When I make this argument, some accuse me of using subtle ways to justify Museveni’s longevity. I am all too happy to suffer this reputational damage if only to keep this argument alive.

Sections of the opposition that constitute an outrage machine have constructed a fetish around “credibility” – particularly a sort of credibility purchased by taking radical “Museveni-agende” positions on national media.

To the adherents of this view, anyone who does not tow this line has been compromised or “bought” by Museveni. This way, the radical extremists in both Defiance and People Power have successfully stifled the debate on the quality of change Uganda needs.

This strategy is understandable because they know the quality of change they offer is worse.

https://www.pearltimes.co.ugthe-real-thieves-of-teachers-money/

Andrew Mwenda is a Ugandan print, radio and television journalist, founder and owner of The Independent, a current affairs news magazine.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles published in the Viewsroom Section of The Pearl Times are those of individual writers and do not represent the official view of The Pearl Times, its directors, management and staff on the issue(s) addressed.

Opinion writers are individually responsible and liable for the omissions and misrepresentations in the work published by this medium of communication.

Editor’s Note: To be published in The Viewsroom, email your opinion, preferably less than 600 words, and photo to pearltimesug@gmail.com

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X

Related

Previous Post

Dr Ssewanyana pushes for accountability of Covid19 funds at high level UN meeting

Next Post

I Want Museveni Academic Papers Not Explanations: NUP Lawyer Nkunyingi Fires Back At EC

Pearl Times Editorial

Pearl Times Editorial

Related Posts

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda
Elections

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly We Want Money, Not Stories! Arts Teachers Insist after Public Service Minister Promised Salary Increment in 2026 Full Salary Structure for 2024-2025 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly Government Lifts Freeze on Recruitment of Public Servants
Employment

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia
Africa

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year MAKERERE, MUBS FEES STRUCTURE 2025: See How Much Money Students Will Pay for Each of 160 Courses See Names of Students Admitted at Makerere, MUBS on Private Sponsorship for 2024-2025 Academic Year
Featured

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year

Firing Squad for Corrupt UPDF Officers and Government Officials Who Have Stolen Shs1bn and Above – Museveni’s Son CDF Muhoozi Appoints Maj Gen Richard Otto New Defence Intelligence Chief Replacing Birungi Gen.-Muhoozi-Kainerugaba.j
Crime

Firing Squad for Corrupt UPDF Officers and Government Officials Who Have Stolen Shs1bn and Above – Museveni’s Son

LIST: Names of Students Admitted on Government Sponsorship and Private Scheme for Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University LIST: Students Who Passed and Thousands Who Failed Law Pre-Entry Exams
Education

LIST: Names of Students Admitted on Government Sponsorship and Private Scheme for Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad

Stay Connected

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga accuses lawyers Ebert Byenkya, Julius Galisonga and Bainomugisha of pressurizing him over compensation money for church land in Entebbe and Nsambya.

Archbishop Lwanga Reports Top City Lawyers to Museveni Over Church Money

Minister claims mafia after her life over minerals row

Why Museveni is keenly Watching Companies Donating to Covid19 Fund

More Ugandan Covid patients recover but doctors’ allowances delay

Museveni, sacked EC secretary Sam Rwakoojo and NUP leader Bobi Wine

Were Top EC bosses fired over Bobi Wine NUP Party or Ballot Paper Printing scandal?

Watchman Ministries Pastor and Prophet Elvis Mbonye's anointed Joseph Kabuleta has announced his 2021 presidential bid.

Prophet Mbonye’s ‘Anointed’ Kabuleta declares 2021 presidential bid

Former Kampala deputy lord mayor Sarah Kanyike is one of the six dropped ministers appointed senior presidential advisors.

NEW CABINET: Museveni consoles Six DROPPED Ministers with Presidential advisor positions

PAYMENT ALERTS: Allowances for Gulu Sitting Deposited on MPs’ Bank Accounts. See How Much

PAYMENT ALERTS: Allowances for Gulu Sitting Deposited on MPs’ Bank Accounts. See How Much

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly We Want Money, Not Stories! Arts Teachers Insist after Public Service Minister Promised Salary Increment in 2026 Full Salary Structure for 2024-2025 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly Government Lifts Freeze on Recruitment of Public Servants

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year MAKERERE, MUBS FEES STRUCTURE 2025: See How Much Money Students Will Pay for Each of 160 Courses See Names of Students Admitted at Makerere, MUBS on Private Sponsorship for 2024-2025 Academic Year

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year

Recent News

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly We Want Money, Not Stories! Arts Teachers Insist after Public Service Minister Promised Salary Increment in 2026 Full Salary Structure for 2024-2025 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly Government Lifts Freeze on Recruitment of Public Servants

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia

SAD! Five Killed in UPDF Helicopter Crash in Somalia

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year MAKERERE, MUBS FEES STRUCTURE 2025: See How Much Money Students Will Pay for Each of 160 Courses See Names of Students Admitted at Makerere, MUBS on Private Sponsorship for 2024-2025 Academic Year

LIST: See Names of Students Admitted on District Quota and Disability Schemes for All Public Universities for 2025-2026 Academic Year

ADVERTISEMENT

Ad

The Pearl Times

The Pearl Times Is an online media publication for news and analysis from Uganda, the Greatest lakes Region and the world. The Pearl Times is your trusted source of news and analysis from Uganda and the rest of the world in the beats of politics, business, entertainment, technology, education and health.

Follow Us

Popular Posts

  • From Solomon Sserwanja's 'Audio' to Kakwanzi 'Leaked Video,' Here's How to Verify Fake or AI Generated Videos, Audios Elizabeth Kakwanzi Katanywa: So-Called Leaked Video & Dirty Politics of Western Youth MP Elections?

    Elizabeth Kakwanzi Katanywa: So-Called Leaked Video & Dirty Politics of Western Youth MP Elections?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Leaked Video’ Aside, Who are Elizabeth Kakwanzi Katanywa’s Opponents in Western Youth MP Election?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • IN PICTURES: Interesting Photos of Elizabeth Kakwanzi Katanywa Strategizing for Western Youth MP Position

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Recent News

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Calvin Echodu Officially Nominated To Contest For NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Uganda

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly We Want Money, Not Stories! Arts Teachers Insist after Public Service Minister Promised Salary Increment in 2026 Full Salary Structure for 2024-2025 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly Government Lifts Freeze on Recruitment of Public Servants

Full Salary Structure for 2025-2026 Financial Year: See How Much Each Government Employee Earns Monthly

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2024 - The Pearl Times by The Pearl Times.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
error: Content is protected !!
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Business
    • Sports
    • World
  • 2026 Elections
  • People
  • Featured
  • Viewsroom
  • PROSE & POETRY
  • Archives

© 2024 - The Pearl Times by The Pearl Times.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.