President Museveni has clarified why he used a different car from First Lady Janet Museveni while going to the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds to deliver the State of the Nation Address.
Delegates and legislators gathered at the Ceremonial Grounds were shocked to see both the President and the First Lady arrive in separate cars for the event, the very first time this has happened especially when the two principals have arrived at the same venue using the presidential convoy.
Speaking about the new development, President Museveni said he suffered a covid-19 scare early in the morning and is not sure about his safety, this prompted him to choose a different means to the venue from the one of the First Lady.
“This morning, I was feeling as if I had a cold. I took a rapid Coronavirus test which indicated negative. I did two more tests with deeper analysis. One of them turned out positive, the other was negative,” President Museveni said.
“So, I am a suspect of Corona as I speak. That's why I came in a different car with Maama (Janet Museveni)” Museveni added.
The president and First Lady have travelled in different cars a number of times, but that always happens when one of them leaves the venue earlier or arrives at a venue earlier.
Sources at State House say that such occasions only happen during Monday cabinet meetings where the First Lady after the cabinet meeting returns to Nakasero with her motorcade. At the same time, the President remains behind to handle other arrangements.
President Museveni's comments on the Covid-19 test results came hours after Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga protested the mandatory testing for Covid-19 for MPs in order to meet the head of state.
“Testing for Covid-19 to meet Museveni is a wastage of public resources,”he said in a statement.
He accused president Museveni of wasting public resources with specific companies owned by individuals “close to the regime” on Covid-19 tests whenever he meets people both at his home and other parts of the country.
President Museveni rarely refers to personal health ailments.
Uganda had some of the strictest measures in Africa to limit the spread of the virus at the height of the pandemic, including long curfews and closure of schools and businesses.
The country fully reopened in February 2022.