They both fought their corners with the tenacity of two men in the grip of a messianic fervor to prove the other wrong. Save for Hon. Kivumbi Muwanga, the other panelists hardly got a look in.
In 2018, Andrew Mwenda and Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, appeared on the Frontline program of NBS television as panelists. The two men then proceeded to verbally tear each other apart, we look back at who won this debate between the two.
Andrew Mwenda (left) and Bobi Wine
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I’ve never rated Hon. Kyagulanyi as a debater.
Mwenda and Wine face off
Pulse
His sing-songy voice begs the questions as to whether he is trying to hook you with his version of the truth or whether it is just part of a hook for another of his song.
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So I was surprised with his strong showing against Mwenda.
Sure, his manner of speech still had the trappings of a hit song waiting to be released to his ghetto disciples.
But, this time, his words dovetailed with a lilting voice to score some major talking points.
As for Mwenda, he has a lot of information.
Maybe too much information, since it throws off his verbal delivery.
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His words come a mile-a-minute like he’s trying to squeeze everything he ever read into sentences filled with unwanted pregnancies of data.
No doubt he is a brilliant journalist and political commentator.
However the gladiatorial give-and-take of television debate is not his long suit.
He came across as disruptive and intolerant even as he accused Kyagulanyi of being disruptive and intolerant.
Mwenda is accustomed to having unanswerable viewpoints based on facts and learning.
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This has ensured that he stands out in any company of Ugandan thinkers.
Sadly, this has also turned him into the blundering titan of a self-made man (as the poet Thomas Hardy would say).
On other hand, Kyagulanyi flashes with glittering promise.
To go with that, he has a clarity of expression which crystalises his views into winning points which left Mwenda beaten in that debate.
