Draft:Richard Mbayo
Richard Mbayo is a Ugandan politician, pan-Africanist, and columnist. He is currently a PhD student at the Department of Politics and International Affairs of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, USA, where his research focuses on US-China relations in Africa, examining aspects of peace, conflict, security, and diplomacy. He is a founding member of the China-Uganda Research Network (CURN), funded by the Ford Foundation through the Chinese in Africa, Africans in China (CAAC) Research Network.
Mbayo holds a master’s degree in political science, majoring in Chinese politics, from Renmin University of China in Beijing and a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies from Kyambogo University, Kampala. He is a trained human rights defender, having completed training at the AMEL Institute in Washington, DC, USA.
Professionally, Mbayo serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Northern Arizona University for courses on Public Policy Making and Comparative Politics and previously held a role as Graduate Service Assistant with NAU Capital Planning and Campus Operations. In addition, he is involved in political advocacy as the Social Media Host for the NUP-California Chapter in the USA and has served as Communications Coordinator for the National Unity Platform China Chapter. His early career includes roles as a volunteer at Compassion International, Kyambogo, and later as Area Sales Manager and Regional Sales Manager for Northern Uganda at Africell Uganda Limited.
Mbayo has made significant academic contributions. His publications include co-authoring the book chapter “Fighting Corruption at Home but “Encouraging” It Abroad? China’s BRI Corruption Tales in Uganda” (2024). He is also co-authoring “The Politics of CSR in the Banking Sector on SDGs: A Case of Uganda and Nigeria” and authored a chapter titled “Football Politics, the Arts, and Sustaining Peace in Africa: The Case of Uganda,” which examines football’s role in peace-building during political crises. Additionally, he is working on a research paper, “Civil-Military Relations in Sub-Saharan Africa,”
Beyond academia, Mbayo contributes regularly as a columnist for the Daily Monitor and Nile Post, focusing on social justice and political transformation in Uganda. For more information about Richard Mbayo, please visit his official social media outlets: Twitter (X), Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok