East Africa’s longest sitting president Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has said his 34-year rule has nothing to do with self-enrichment and ambitions.
In a fiery statement directed at his government critics on Thursday, September 3, Museveni said he had no problem exiting power saying that his family never held government posts.
“Yoweri Museveni: Museveni should retire? There is no problem with Museveni retiring. My father and a number of my uncles died recently, all of them in their 90s. None of them has ever worked for the government. My children have finished their education. Except for Muhoozi who loves the army, none of them is working for the government,” he said.
The president’s sentiments came following claims that he was only appointing his tribesmen dominated the national army as well as high offices in public service.
“Why and how would those Banyankore dominate the public service where the Public Service Commission was last held by a Westerner, the late Mzee Bikangaga from 1979 to 1990. People who push that talk are wasting the time of our people and misdirecting them,” he said.
“My advice to all of you, is that leave your army out of that nonsense. The NRA, the UPDF are armies of sacrifice, all the time for no pay or low pay. They put their lives on the line. Therefore, leave UPDF out of the circus of sectarianism. Fighters, real fighters, never have interests in tribes or religious sectarianism,” he retorted.
In August, Museveni presided over pass out of 4,325 soldiers and 4,809 policemen.