Celebrating 31 years of Museveni's unique administration

Jan 25, 2017

President Museveni’s inaugural speech in 1986 was the most sublime ever

By Amb. Henry Mayega

In the foreword to Uganda Vision 2040, a booklet on transforming Uganda from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country within 30 years, President Yoweri Museveni says, "… it is, therefore, with great pleasure that I now present… Vision 2040 whose aspirations are to change the country from a predominantly low income to a competitive upper middle income country within 30 years with a per capita income of $9,500…"

As we celebrate 31 years of the NRM administration, the above excerpt summarises the thoughts of an elegant man, Yoweri Museveni, whose history straddles two centuries (the 20th and 21st) with a wealth of experience, hard assets of tolerance, drawing upon the rare wisdom of a temperament that has consistently displayed magnanimity to his opponents.  

As it has turned out, the President's vitalising industry, his most unexampled ability and tireless energy have all combined with his superb military combinations. This has repudiated the insecurities of the 1970s and 1980s which had made the East African region in particular and the world in general to lose their charm towards Ugandans. Uganda had been withdrawn from the files of international honour due to lack of peace, security and stability.  Museveni's sterling and masterly performance has made us one indivisible nation conceived in liberty, leading to the rebirth of our statehood free from political instability and hooliganism.  And forever Museveni will be remembered as the greatest Liberator of Uganda; who replaced the inherited colonial army that had been turned into an instrument of terror. 

From a refugee generator today, Uganda is a net recipient of refugees from all around us to a tune of over one million. And because of the peace, even wildlife that had relocated to Uganda's neighbourhood have returned earning us $662m in tourism income plus contributing 14.6% to our country's total employment.  

President Museveni and colleagues have laboriously cultivated peace; the very reason  he was voted as President by citizens in 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 as well as 2016 (and who knows what 2021 will bring) beating a bunch of recessing and unpresidential opponents.   

But it is possible to catalogue the many pillars that the Museveni administration has built since 1986.  In the political field, the decentralisation policy was implemented to devolve power to local governments in a fit that mobilised all for development. 

From 1966 to the time of this administration, Uganda had shuffled, eight times, its heads of state, one of them M. Obote, twice (including Edward Luwangula Mukabya Mutesa, Milton Obote, Idi Amin, Yusuf Lule, Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa, Paul Muwanga, Milton Obote again, and Tito Okello), and between 1979-1980, a space of one year, they changed five times.

Surprisingly, none of those former heads of state, between 1980-1986, had the gusto to right the wrongs committed by extreme republicanism of the mid 1960s when, by the stroke of a pen, kingdoms were removed from the face of Uganda's body politic.  But Museveni did it.  And then?  You find pretentious marauders like Betty Nambooze posturing to love the Kabaka of Buganda more than this very president who allowed the restoration and restitution.  Elsewhere, general elections are now regular and predictable, coups are things of the past, security of persons and property are guaranteed and we are no longer a pariah state of the 1970s and 1980s.  The rule of law, that eluded us before 1986, has been fully restored. 

President Museveni's inaugural speech in 1986 was the most sublime ever, "… this is not a mere change of guards, it is a fundamental change…," signifying that he stood above others in political as well as intellectual height. The women, youth, disabled and workers who had been marginalised by earlier political illiberality were given a new lease of life, birthing greater and robust representation in the legislature and other political entities. Simultaneously, girl child enrolment in universities burgeoned due to an additional 1.5 points to those earned. Specioza Kazibwe, due to this affirmative action involving the creation of women councils became the first female vice president of Uganda. 

The national economic fragility of the pre-1986 period was healed by Museveni. Liberalisation of the economy gave birth to the mushrooming of private financial institutions that lent credit to investors, increased foreign direct investment leading to an average economic growth of 6.5% per annum. These in their undiminished confidence, development partners funded a host of development projects including road infrastructure leading to greater job opportunities.  Elsewhere, we have attained macro-economic stability, resulting into greater investor confidence. 

This administration created the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) with a fund that has seen the road network expanded to outpace all those that were tarmacked by all previous governments (including colonialists) combined. The prospects of the oil and gas industry, increased power generation as well as the planned Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), will grow, once fully operational.

The progress made in the health and education sectors speaks volumes. Over 1,400 health centres have been built countrywide, major hospitals (including Mulago Referral Hospital) have been renovated and new ones built.  There has been an astronomical increase in the number of universities, tertiary institutions and schools; it is planned that each sub county will have a secondary school and a Health Centre IV.

These achievements notwithstanding, this administration has responded to the enigma of corruption, by instituting the Inspectorate of Government, Anti-Corruption Court, a cobweb of pieces of Legislations (some of which require public officers to declare their wealth), strengthening the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (led by the opposition), the Auditor General's Office as well as the CID and creation of the Department of Ethics and integrity.  Congratulations Mr. President. 

Writer is the Uganda's Deputy Head of Mission in China

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