The Minister for Information, Communication Technology and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, has defended President Museveni’s continued leadership, saying Ugandans have repeatedly voted for him because of the stability and transformation achieved under his government.
Speaking during The Frontline talk show on NBS Television on Thursday, Baryomunsi dismissed criticism from political actors and sections of the international media that Museveni has overstayed in power after being sworn in for a seventh term.
He said Museveni’s four decades in leadership reflect the will of Ugandans expressed through elections.
“Museveni has been there for 40 years through the will of Ugandans because when you look at the history of this country, between independence and 1986, those were 24 years and we had close to 10 presidents in Uganda,” Baryomunsi said.
“We only had one election in December 1980, which was disputed. So the question is: where were those presidents coming from? Ugandans were not participating in electing who becomes president, and having many presidents did not necessarily result in transformation. Rather, the state collapsed,” he added.
The minister argued that Uganda’s pre-1986 political instability showed that frequent leadership changes did not guarantee progress, contrasting it with what he described as continuity-driven development since 1986.
“Since 1986 to date, Ugandans have voted for the President seven times. The lesson you draw from that is that Ugandans appreciated that what they lacked was not just changing presidents, but having a leader who knows what to do and who is leading the transformation process of the country,” he said.
Baryomunsi credited Museveni’s leadership for what he called “appreciable transformation and progress” over the past four decades.
“When you look at the period when we had many presidents, some being there for months and days, and compare it with this period when we have had one president, there has been appreciable transformation and progress. That is why the President is voted for again,” he said.
He also rejected claims that the latest election was disputed, insisting the process was constitutional and competitive.
“In the last election, there were eight candidates who campaigned for support, and in politics, whoever gets the largest majority becomes the winner. The President got 72 percent of those who cast their votes and was declared winner,” he said.
“Do you want him to apologise for winning the election? Ugandans need transformation, better services and progress, not necessarily changing presidents,” he added.
The minister further said Uganda remains peaceful and argued that claims of electoral dispute are being amplified internationally through social media.
“What they are calling a disputed election is disputed by who? Some of the candidates who participated… just went away. Nobody chased him. I have said severally that the state is not hunting for him,” he said.
He also said the legal system remains the proper avenue for challenging election results.
“The constitutional means of challenging an election, if you are not satisfied with the results, is to go to court and court determines the outcome. So there is no dispute,” he said.
Baryomunsi maintained that Uganda is stable and that citizens had accepted the election outcome.
“Uganda is peaceful from corner to corner. Ugandans have accepted the results,” he said.
His remarks come amid continued criticism from opposition politicians and sections of the international media questioning the credibility of Uganda’s recent elections following Museveni’s swearing-in for a seventh term.
