An old video of President Yoweri Museveni addressing National Resistance Movement (NRM) cadres has resurfaced online, reopening debate about how far the 81-year-old leader has drifted from the ideals he once championed.
The clip, shared on November 21 by opposition leader and presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, captures a younger Museveni extolling peaceful transfers of power, condemning violence in politics and warning against leaders who cling to office.
In the footage, Mr Museveni dismisses political positions as “temporary occupational offices,” insisting that no one should die merely because Ugandans fail to agree on who should hold a post for five or 10 years.
“Why should people kill one another just because we cannot agree on who occupies a certain office temporarily?” Mr Museveni asks, adding: “Because we are talking of temporary occupational offices. The only one who is a bit permanent is Sultan, but all the others are just temporary: five years, six years, ten years.”
“Should that really cause a disruption of society just to decide who does something for five years? What is wrong?” he asks a room of attentive cadres.
One of them is former cabinet minister Miria Matembe whom Mr Museveni sacked in 2003 along with former cabinet colleagues Eria Kategaya and Bidandi Ssali after they opposed his move to remove term limits from the constitution.
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.
Mr Museveni goes further, calling peaceful transfer of power “part of civilisation,” and arguing that turbulence arises when societies are “backward politically.”
Violence, he said then, emerges when leaders “don’t know how to handle civil affairs.”
In one of the video’s most striking moments, Mr Museveni mocks leaders who think they are “very smart,” recalling how he took up arms when Milton Obote allegedly refused dialogue about free and fair elections.
“We tried to appeal to Obote, please let’s have good elections. He thought he was very clever, that he knows how to play games […] I said, ‘My friend, if you don’t accept arbitration here, by dialogue, this way we shall arbitrate. We shall go to another arbitration board because here we can discuss what is the problem,’” Mr Museveni says.
He casts the NRM as a civilising force that had “taught all these reactionaries in Uganda… a lesson,” insisting that leaders must “talk through their mouth, not using guns.”
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS OUR READERS OFTEN ASK
Mr Museveni’s remarks stand in sharp contrast to Uganda’s present reality: He has changed the constitution twice, removing term and age limits in 2005 and 2017 respectively—and has ruled for nearly 40 years, always winning disputed elections.
Bobi Wine seized on the contradiction. “Imagine if the Museveni in this video met the Museveni of today!” he wrote on Facebook.
“Sadly, the dangers he warned about when leaders overstay their welcome are unfolding before our very eyes.
“The good news is that together with millions of other Ugandans we are committed to ending this cycle and securing peaceful, democratic transition that he once claimed to stand for.”
🔴 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.