President Museveni on Sunday paid tribute to the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, describing her as a resilient woman who stood firmly through decades of personal sacrifice, leadership, and service to Uganda.
Speaking during her 77th birthday celebration at Migyera UWESO Secondary School in Nakasongola District, the president commended Janet’s unwavering strength, particularly during the years of armed struggle.
The day began with the commissioning of a newly constructed classroom block and a multipurpose hall at the school—part of a joint effort aimed at improving learning facilities in the area. The president and the First Lady also planted a commemorative tree in honor of Janet’s milestone.
The thanksgiving celebration, organized by the Uganda Youth Forum, brought together family, friends, church leaders, youth, and government officials in an atmosphere filled with praise and worship. Pastor Patience Rwabwogo led the opening prayer, with Pastor Laban Jjumba delivering a powerful sermon.
Reflecting on their journey together, President Museveni shared his admiration for Janet's role as a steadfast single mother during the years of the struggle. “From 1971 to 1979, I was with her although I would go and come back, but I was around and providing for the family, conveying what Mwalimu Nyerere was giving me to the family, and also briefly earning money as a teacher. But from 1981 to 1986, she was alone with the children in Nairobi and Sweden. So, I thank her for being a magnificent single parent,” the president said.
He recalled the pain of missing important milestones in their children’s lives due to the struggle. “I had last seen Diana when she was only six months old. The next time I saw her, she was six to seven years old. So, it’s a challenge even to other parents that a single parent can stand in for the children,” he said.
President Museveni also applauded Janet for not only raising their children but also for taking on the burden of parenting children who were not her own when she founded the Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO) after the war. “She started UWESO, and you have seen how much work she has done to take care of the orphans and widows,” he mentioned.
The president also shared how Janet’s journey into politics began, a move he initially resisted. “Then she developed interest in political leadership. I didn’t support that idea myself, especially going for politics in Ruhaama. I didn’t think it was a good idea. She told me God had told her. I said, ‘But God has not told me.’ So, we had quite a bit of debate,” he recounted.
“Then the elders in Ntungamo came and said they wanted Janet to come. I said, ‘Okay, maybe God has told you,’ And so, I supported her. She provided mature and clean leadership,” the president added. He contrasted her style with other politicians whom he said lacked ideological clarity. “Part of the problem we have are politicians who are not ideological at all, no point of reference, very opportunistic, running here and there. No stability,” he said.
He credited Janet’s success in leadership to her clean record, prayerful nature, and collective approach. “When she was appointed Minister for Karamoja, she did a wonderful job there. Because she was not corrupt, and she used collective leadership consultation, meetings, she really solved leadership problems,” he said. “That’s why she has been able to bring stability in the Ministry of Education. There used to be a lot of problems, but you have seen how education is performing now,” he added.
The president also lauded Janet’s role in Uganda’s sports success. “Janet is a distinguished athlete although she can’t run 100 meters, but that ministry of hers has got more medals now than ever before. The sportsmen of Uganda started winning medals under her leadership, like Kiprotich and Cheptegei. She prays, and the athletes win. So, she is an athlete by extension,” he said. He emphasized her clean and transparent management of athletes’ funds and her commitment to teamwork and consultation.
At home, the president said, Janet remains the builder and center of family life. “She is a powerful home builder. When it comes to home, she does most of the work. I am just a cattle keeper. Don’t ask me about buildings and rooms. I can stay in the bush with my cows. But she is the one who builds houses and does all the modernization,” he said. “I really want to salute her, thank God for keeping her, and also thank her for her contribution to Uganda and to our family,” he noted.
Remembering her roots, President Museveni reflected on Janet’s difficult childhood and the hand of God through her life. “Recently, we were in Ntungamo, our birthplace, and I remembered that this is the 70th anniversary since the death of Janet’s father, Mzee Edward Kataaha. He died in 1955, I think the month was April. I was part of the funeral although I was only 10 years old,” he mentioned.
“At that time, Janet was only seven. Then her only brother, Kainerugaba, died in a car accident in 1966. He was a foreign service officer in his twenties. Then her mother died later. All those traumas to a young person were really too much. But God saw her through all that,” he continued. He also thanked God for blessing them with a family even during the instability of the liberation war. “By 1979, we already had three children, Muhoozi (1974), Natasha (1976), and Patience (1978). Diana was born in 1980. I thank God for sheltering Janet and me through those bad years,” he revealed.
In response to Pastor Laban Jjumba’s sermon, President Museveni reinforced the need for youth to embrace practical skills and productive sectors instead of chasing elusive opportunities abroad. “There is a proverb which says: many tongues pull the porridge. So many people confuse our youth. But if they listen to the NRM line, there is no need to look for jobs outside,” he said. “Jobs are here through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, and ICT. Government jobs are only 480,000, but the factories alone have created 1.2 million jobs.”
He cited examples, including Minister Fred Byamukama, who earns nearly UGX 700 million annually from poultry farming and employs 26 people, as well as his [President Museveni’s] own children, all of whom, apart from Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, are self-employed and running farming businesses. “Patience, after Minnesota, remembered her apprenticeship. Natasha is a big cattle farmer. Diana too. Only Muhoozi works for the government because he loves the army,” he said.
The president further commended Janet’s support during the national campaign against HIV/AIDS and expressed his full backing for her newly declared war on corruption. “I now support her war which she declared on her 77th birthday on corruption. This is easy to deal with. We just need warriors in the right place,” he said. He also made an appeal to the Christian Lawyers Fraternity to be fearless and committed.
The president praised Anne Muhairwe from the fraternity, who was appointed to the IGG’s office and recently stood firm against intimidation.
“If she’s got many like her, I would love to see them. What we want to fight corruption is well-investigated cases, not confusion,” he said. “NRM is there. The UPDF is there. We can back you up. It’s not a difficult task. I congratulate Janet on her 77th birthday, and I thank all of you for joining us to celebrate her,” the president concluded.
On her part, Janet gave glory to God, describing her life as a testimony to divine grace and unwavering faith. “I must begin by thanking God for His amazing love and faithfulness to me all my life,” she said. She paid tribute to President Museveni, her husband and a friend for the past 52 years, her children, grandchildren, and all Ugandans who have embraced her as a mother figure over the years.
Reflecting on the Uganda Youth Forum’s historic role in mobilizing youth against HIV/AIDS in the 1990s, Janet declared the beginning of a new national battle, this time against corruption, which she boldly referred to as the new AIDS—Acquired Integrity Deficiency Syndrome.
“Just like we said NO to HIV/AIDS, we must say NO to corruption. We will not just fight it; we will stop it in its tracks with God’s help,” she declared.
She urged Ugandans to let their faith bear real fruit in both public and private life, drawing inspiration from the biblical call to live righteously.
“Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay, are those who gain riches by unjust means; in the end, they will prove to be fools,” she quoted from Jeremiah 17:11.
Janet encouraged young people to embrace humility, sexual purity, and servant leadership values long championed through Uganda Youth Forum programs and the Emerging Leaders initiative.
She reaffirmed her belief that Uganda’s youth hold the power to transform the nation’s future if anchored in truth, integrity, and God’s Word.
Janet concluded by expressing gratitude to partners, including Tororo Cement, which helped build the new multi-purpose hall at UWESO, Bishop Joshua Lwere and fellow pastors, the Uganda Christian Lawyers’ Fraternity, the Global Leadership Summit team, and her dedicated staff at UWESO and State House. “You have been the wind beneath my wings,” she said emotionally.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa, described Janet as a national pillar of prayer, love, and inspiration. “Happy birthday. It is so humbling to be given the opportunity to come and join you. My dear wife and I are always grateful to you,” Tayebwa said.
“You have inspired so many people in this country. We especially thank you for the ‘roosters’ you have raised for this nation and the countless sons and daughters you have mentored,” he said.
He lauded Janet for being a model wife and mother whose presence allows President Museveni to serve the nation with peace of mind.
“You have given him the time and space to lead the country, while building an admirable and beautiful family that we all look up to,” he added.
Mrs. Sheba Rukikaire, a longtime friend of Janet, delivered a deeply moving tribute during the function, praising her for choosing a path of active national service over comfort, even after President Museveni assumed leadership in 1986.
Mrs. Rukikaire recalled their shared efforts to fight HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and their work through the Uganda Youth Forum.
The event was attended by ministers, members of parliament, spiritual leaders, the leadership of Uganda Youth Forum, Uganda Christian Lawyers Fraternity, UWESO, and other dignitaries.
