Andrew Mwenda facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrew Mwenda
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Mwenda in 2008
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| Born | 1972 (age 52–53) Fort Portal, Uganda
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| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Citizenship | Uganda |
| Education | Busoga College Mwiri (High School Diploma) Makerere University (Bachelor of Arts in Journalism) SOAS, University of London (Master of Arts in Development Studies) |
| Occupation | Journalist & community activist |
| Years active | since 1992 |
| Known for | Publications |
Andrew Mwenda (born in 1972) is a journalist from Uganda. He works in print, radio, and television. He is the person who started and owns The Independent, which is a news magazine about current events. Before this, he was the political editor for The Daily Monitor, a newspaper in Uganda. He also hosted a radio show called Andrew Mwenda Live on KFM Radio in Kampala, Uganda's capital city.
Early Life and Learning
Andrew Mwenda was born in 1972 in Fort Portal, a town in the Western Region of Uganda. His father is Mzee Phillip Muhanga. Andrew is also the younger brother of Lieutenant General Kayanja Muhanga, who is a high-ranking officer in the Ugandan army.
After finishing primary school, Andrew went to Nyakasura School for his O-Level studies. He then attended Mbarara High School for his A-level education. Later, he went to Busoga College Mwiri in the Eastern Region of Uganda, where he earned his High School Diploma.
He then studied at Makerere University, which is Uganda's oldest and largest public university. There, he earned a degree in Journalism. Andrew later received a special scholarship called the Chevening Scholarship. This allowed him to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, where he earned a Master's degree in Development Studies.
Andrew also spent time learning and researching at other famous universities. He was a visiting fellow at Yale University in 2010. He also studied at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in 2009. From 2006 to 2007, he was a John Knight Fellow at Stanford University, which is a special program for journalists. In 2005, he was a visiting lecturer at the University of Florida, Gainesville. In 2003, he was a visiting fellow at the Africa Study Centre of the University of Leiden in the Netherlands.
In 2008, the World Economic Forum chose Andrew Mwenda as a Young Global Leader. In 2010, Foreign Policy Magazine named him one of the 100 Top Global Thinkers. In 2011, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda asked Andrew to be part of his Presidential Advisory Council. From 2012 to 2013, Foreign Policy also named him among the top 100 most influential people on Twitter.
In 2013, Andrew Mwenda helped start a company called Tugende with Michael Wilkerson and Matt Brown. This company helps young people own things like motorcycles or other tools they need for their jobs. Tugende has grown very fast and has helped many thousands of people become owners of their work tools.
Andrew Mwenda also played a role in helping to improve relations between President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Kagame of Rwanda. He worked to help them talk to each other and keep a friendly relationship between their countries for several years.
In 2005, the British government invited him and fifteen other senior journalists to talk with Prime Minister Tony Blair. They discussed a report about Africa.
Journalism and Activism
Andrew Mwenda is the managing director of Independent Publications Limited. This company publishes The Independent news magazine. He is known for being an activist, a journalist, and a columnist. He is also a businessman and helps start social projects.
Andrew is a well-known voice in discussions about why foreign aid to Africa sometimes doesn't work as well as expected. He believes that investment and trade are better ways to help countries grow. He has given talks at TED conferences and other events around the world.
Before starting The Independent in 2007, Andrew worked as the political editor for the Daily Monitor newspaper. He was also the general manager for its radio station, KFM. He has worked as a consultant for organizations like the World Bank and Transparency International. He has also written for major international news outlets such as Der Spiegel, The New York Times, and Foreign Policy. He has also made documentaries for BBC World television and radio.
In August 2005, Andrew Mwenda faced charges for broadcasting a discussion about the death of Sudanese vice-president John Garang. Garang died when a Ugandan presidential helicopter crashed during a storm. Andrew had said on his radio show that the Ugandan government was "incompetent" for putting Garang on "a junk helicopter at night, in poor weather over an insecure area." In April 2008, he was arrested and later released on bail.
Community Work
In July 2006, Andrew Mwenda spoke to a British government committee about global poverty. He shared his views on how foreign aid affects development in Africa. He has written a lot about this topic, explaining that he believes Western aid has not always helped Africa grow. He argues that it can sometimes lead to countries depending too much on aid, and can even support corruption. He thinks that aid often goes to countries that have not helped their own people, instead of those that are trying to improve. In June 2007, he gave a speech about these ideas at the TED conference in Arusha, Tanzania.
In 2014, Andrew Mwenda was one of the people who asked for a law in Uganda to be cancelled.
In February 2019, Andrew Mwenda started a group called the Uganda National Peoples' Democratic Revolutionary Front (UNPDRF). He said the group's goal was to fight against corruption and other political issues in Uganda.
Awards and Recognition
In 2008, Andrew Mwenda won the CPJ International Press Freedom Awards. This award is given by the Committee to Protect Journalists to honor people who are dedicated to a free press around the world.
