Veteran journalist and political commentator Andrew Mwenda has softened his criticism of President Museveni, apologising for suggesting that the President’s age had influenced some of his economic decisions, while maintaining that their disagreement remains rooted in policy rather than personal hostility.
Mwenda’s response comes days after Museveni issued a strongly worded statement accusing the veteran journalist of undermining Uganda’s industrialisation agenda, attacking local innovation and promoting what the President described as neo-colonial economic thinking.
In his Tuesday response, Mwenda said he was travelling to Beijing when Museveni released the statement and only learned of it upon landing.
“When I got off the flight, I was inundated with calls from many people afraid that I was in danger...Many were surprised that I was laughing with joy about the President’s letter,” Mwenda wrote.
Mwenda said the reaction reflected a misunderstanding of both Museveni’s character and the nature of their long-running intellectual disagreements.
“It was obvious these people do not know our President. Museveni is a ferocious intellectual able to hold his own in a policy debate,” he noted.
He added that if the President had viewed the matter as personal hostility, the response would have been different.
“If he were as angry at me as the callers imagined, he would have sent a team from the police or SFC to apprehend me,” Mwenda said.
“The fact that he chose to write back was evidence that he disagreed with me but recognised that this is a difference of opinion worthy of a debate, not a shooting match or jailing response.”
Mwenda said he welcomed the exchange, describing it as part of a broader national conversation on industrial policy and state involvement in private enterprise, which he called his “pet topic.”
However, while defending his long-standing criticism of government-backed enterprises, Mwenda conceded that his remarks about Museveni’s age had crossed a line.
“Where I went wrong, and to this I apologise to him without any reservations, is saying his decisions are because of his age,” he wrote.
Mwenda argued that his disagreement with Museveni over state financing of private sector projects dates back more than two decades.
He cited his opposition to government support for Tri Star Apparels in 2003 under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a project that later collapsed, as well as his criticism of state backing for BIDCO in 2004.
“I also opposed him when he supported BIDCO in 2004. It succeeded,” Mwenda acknowledged.
He said his views on state intervention gradually evolved following exposure to global investment debates and interactions with Silicon Valley venture capitalists and technology executives.
Mwenda recalled attending a TED conference in Monterey, California, in 2008, where he appeared on a panel alongside Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
According to Mwenda, those discussions eventually led to a visit to Uganda by several investors and technology figures, including the Google co-founders.
“We went to Paraa Lodge for two days,” he wrote.
He added that the global financial crisis later pushed investors to look more seriously at African markets, culminating in a 2009 investment conference in New York where he delivered a keynote address.
“During my keynote speech, I criticised state intervention to support private businesses, saying it doesn’t work,” Mwenda wrote.
“I gave examples of five projects Museveni had funded and which had failed. It was music to my audience, who cheered in loud admiration.”
The latest exchange follows Museveni’s detailed weekend statement defending Uganda’s industrialisation strategy and accusing Mwenda of consistently attacking local innovators and manufacturers.
The President cited projects such as Kiira Motors, gold refining, coffee value addition, dairy production and pharmaceutical research as evidence that Uganda’s state-backed industrial policy was yielding results despite criticism.
Museveni also rejected suggestions that age had diminished his judgment.
“Mr Mwenda, thank you for declaring me senile and incapable of judging right,” the President wrote. “You will, however, discover that at 82, I am still able to defend Uganda and myself with the Bible, the AK-47 and the pen.”
