OJ-UGANDA.COM

We are the fruit and veg for discerning information consumers

The man who raised Museveni called him a ‘liar and troublemaker’

Editorial Team/Staff Writers

OJ-UGANDA | THEN & NOW: Boniface Byanyima warned Uganda about Museveni in 2005
Then & Now

Boniface Byanyima warned Uganda about Museveni in 2005. Here is what he said.

When President Museveni defended his government’s record in his July 4 national address despite mounting human rights violations, OJ-UGANDA revisited an interview published two decades ago. Speaking in 2005, Boniface Byanyima—who had known Museveni since childhood and treated him as one of his own—offered an assessment that now reads strikingly differently in light of subsequent events.

🔗 Original article (Observer, 2005 interview, published 2017)
The love-hate relationship between Museveni & the Byanyimas
https://observer.ug/news/the-love-hate-relationship-between-museveni-the-byanyimas/
Byanyima said…
The quote (2005 interview)
Why it matters today
●
Museveni was secretive.
“There is one side he shows you, and another side he keeps to himself.”
→
Suggests a leader who conceals his true intentions and may not be transparent with those around him.
●
He said different things to different people.
“He talks to one person one language, then talks to a different person another language.”
→
Points to opportunism and a willingness to say whatever suits the audience or the moment.
●
He was driven by personal ambition.
“Whenever he got a chance, he wanted to show that he was an important person.”
→
Indicates that personal advancement and recognition were central to his political behaviour.
●
He lacked consistency.
“He would say one thing now, then another time a different thing.”
→
Raises questions about his reliability and whether his positions are guided by principle or convenience.
●
He did not trust Museveni’s ideology.
“He was talking of Russian-type communism… praising Lenin and other communist leaders.”
→
Suggests ideology was used as political branding rather than genuine belief.
●
He called Museveni “a liar and a troublemaker.”
“I knew that Museveni was a liar and a troublemaker.”
→
A remarkably harsh assessment from someone who had known him since youth.
●
He warned Winnie Byanyima against him.
“I told her that Museveni was not a reliable character. But she wouldn’t listen to me.”
→
His distrust extended beyond politics into personal character and the advice he gave his family.
●
He accused Museveni of deception over power-sharing.
“Museveni kept on dodging us without agreeing to form an agreement… he was deceiving them.”
→
He believed Museveni never genuinely intended inclusive or shared governance.
●
After the ranch invasion, he called Museveni “tribalist, treacherous and not a person to trust.”
“He was a tribalist, treacherous and not a person to trust.”
→
Byanyima concluded that Museveni abused state power and betrayed allies who trusted him.
●
He said Museveni was not a nationalist but promoted his own family and clan.
“He is looking for the promotion of his own clan, his own family.”
→
He foresaw a leadership style that favours family and clan interests over the national good.
●
These are Boniface Byanyima’s own words from a 2005 interview, first published by the Observer in 2017. Two decades later, as Uganda grapples with serious human rights violations and shrinking civic space, readers can revisit these warnings and draw their own conclusions.
👁 THE QUESTION FOR TODAY:
Were these early warnings ignored—and at what cost?
Read more. Think deeper. Stay informed.  |  http://www.ojuganda.com
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN

Editor’s Note: This explainer’s code was generated with AI assistance; all quotes and sourcing are from the linked 2005 Observer interview.

🔴 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.