Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao has returned to his Sunday Monitor column after stepping away from it in July 2022, when President Yoweri Museveni named him a cabinet minister.
“When I joined the cabinet in July 2022, I resolved to suspend my weekly column in Daily Monitor,” Mr Mao wrote on Sunday.
“But wait a minute, I need to tell the story of my efforts to master the writer’s craft. I hasten to add that the mastery is still a work in progress.”
Mr Mao said the revived column will be called “Wait a minute!” after Anna Reismann, the country representative of the German NGO Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, seized on Mao’s habitual phrase, “Wait a minute…”
Six reasons you should trust what you read on this website—and share it with confidence
1. Led by experience that travels well
Our founder and editorial director, Musaazi NAMITI, brings more than two decades of serious newsroom experience, including eight years as an editor at Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, and consulting for the African Development Bank, UN agencies and Globe Media Asia in Cambodia. His global exposure anchors OJ-UGANDA.COM in professional rigour and fairness—standards that too often slip in Uganda’s crowded media space.
2. We fact-check with scientific precision
Verification is NOT a box we tick; it is how we bring journalism to life. We confirm spellings, dates, figures, places—every detail that shapes a story. If a fact looks shaky, we pause and probe. Emotion does not lead us; evidence does.
3. We are a legal entity and are fully registered
OJ-UGANDA.COM is a company registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau. Our registration number is: 80034266163714
4. Radical transparency in how we work
We do not hide behind mystery. We show readers how information is gathered, verified and edited. You will always understand why we stand by a story—because we will let you in on the process.
5. Accountability you can see
When we err, we do not sweep it under the carpet/rug. Our corrections policy ensures every error is corrected immediately, with a clear note explaining what went wrong and what has been fixed. No quiet deletions. No half-truths.
6. Fair treatment for contributors
If you write for us, your ideas remain yours. We refine, not usurp. We share every edited version before publication, and we publish only work that is fact-based and mutually agreed upon. Your voice stays authentic—and honest.
🔴We run a clean, professional news site that prioritises editorial quality and draws readers’ attention to what matters.
The timing will be keenly watched as it comes weeks after Daily Monitor and other Nation Media Group outlets in Kampala were banned from covering parliament and presidential events, including Mr Museveni’s election campaigns.
Mr Museveni did not attend the weekend Presidential Debate organised by NTV, one of NMG’s outlets. Two other presidential candidates also skipped the event.
Mr Mao, who for decades criticised Mr Museveni, leads the Democratic Party but is contesting for a parliamentary seat in Laroo-Pece Division on the strength of Mr Museveni’s encouragement, New Vision reported.
On how he became a writer, he explained that writing did not come naturally. “By nature, I’m a talker, not a writer,” Mr Mao confessed, describing a 2002 moment of clarity when he realised how wide the gap was between his speaking and writing skills.
At the time, he was an MP for Gulu Municipality and served on the International Board of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank.
In last Sunday’s article, he wrote that a key nudge came from UNAIDS boss Winnie Byanyima, who introduced him to two books that shaped his thinking: Art Buchwald’s memoir I’ll Always Have Paris and Harvey Mackay’s Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS OUR READERS OFTEN ASK
According to Mr Mao, one book taught him how to write with seriousness and charm; the other taught him the strategic value of networks.
Soon after, Jean François Rischard, who was vice president at the World Bank, encouraged him to apply for a fellowship at Yale University.
With recommendations from Prof Mahmood Mamdani and Patrick Merienne, who worked with International Alert, he secured a place on the fellowship.
At Yale, he took a writing course which, he says, “turned me into a writer.”
🔴 Brief But Hot brings you short, sharp takes on stories that are of great public interest—politically charged, emotionally raw or socially explosive. These are not long reads, but they pack a punch. When something happens that demands attention now, you will find it here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.