Seven lessons from President Museveni

May 21, 2009

CAROLINE Mutoko, a columnist with the <i>Nairobi Star</i>, is one of the Kenyan journalists who were flown into Uganda on May 15 to meet President Yoweri Museveni over the Migingo saga. The meeting helped her get the true picture of who Museveni is. She e

UGANDA IN THE FOREIGN PRESS

Caroline Mutoko, a columnist with the Nairobi Star, is one of the Kenyan journalists who were flown into Uganda on May 15 to meet President Yoweri Museveni over the Migingo saga. The meeting helped her get the true picture of who Museveni is. She explains

I have to admit that I was mildly irritated last week when I was informed that I would lose an entire working day to fly across the lake to meet with Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of Uganda.
My week is planned a week ahead and I do not do tomorrow, even for presidents. Everyone gets in line! In fact until 2:00pm on Thursday, I was still fighting the trip. Flight arrangements were finally made at 4:00pm and yours truly was in the office until 8:00pm trying to ensure Friday was not lost.

We got to the amazingly green country that is Uganda 9:00am on Friday morning and the rest you know. The weekend’s news has been dominated by that guy.
In the one hour or so we were with the man, I must say I learnt a few things about him that have not been highlighted. Maybe this is because we simply love to hate his guts and hate his guts we do.

Museveni is a very well-read, very cunning and well-versed man. He is also amazingly well-informed and has the memory of an elephant.
As the interview with the Kenyan media got underway, I was miffed at his ability to drag out the answer to a question for so long, you almost wanted to give him a red card. But as time went on, I realised there is a method to the madness. The following are my seven lessons from Museveni:

Answer any question in three ways

Directly, indirectly and then spin a story around it. Museveni is a story-teller and a good one. It does not matter how direct a question was put to him, he found a way to tell it his own way. He would proceed to spin the same answer into a real life issue, working with idioms of people, families and villages and then because he has lost you in all the story-telling, sort of answer his own question instead of yours. Very smart.

Disarm and charm

Museveni had a way of taking on the toughest of us and before he got into the heart of the question asked, made a point of either asking our names, recalling some of us, like Jeff Koinange and repeating our names as with mine. He never got confrontational or short when we pulled out the big guns and hit him with direct, sharp questions. He would accommodate and even find a second to crack a joke on the issue. He had us reluctantly laughing in some instances and that was a tough room my friends. We did not fly across the lake to make nice with him and he knew it.

Refuse to get drawn into an argument whose outcome you cannot control

There were questions put to Museveni on Migingo, the East African Community and when he plans to go home and look after his cows that really would have degenerated into a straight out yelling session if put to some of our lame politicians in Kenya. Museveni would once again spin the answer away from directly answering the question and then leave one or two items not entirely answered. He was in charge, all the way.

Refuse to be cornered even
when you are

There were questions to Museveni about his plans to retire, his ambitions to be the first president of the proposed East African Federation and whether there was any bad blood between him and Raila Odinga. To be honest, I do not believe we got a direct answer to such questions. We got answers that we could draw inferences from, but that was it. Even when he was cornered, he was not cornered. I have got to learn that trick.

Be very conversant with the issue.
Be smarter than the room

If there is one thing Museveni seemed to have over us was the fact that he knew more about the Migingo saga and its history than we did. Now I do not know if the man has actually looked at those maps, read both the Uganda and Kenyan constitution on the issue and even understands what the survey details really are, but in that room we could not challenge anything he said as he quoted these documents. Why? Because we have not seen them. Slam and dunk!

Add value

We did not just leave Entebbe with answers to the questions we asked, but we got a broader understanding of the economic and resource issues underlying the Migingo saga.
We came to the realisation that there may be a third party playing into the matter. We also learnt that Uganda is growing and catching up fast with Kenya and there is a chance we are feeling threatened. Good. It is time we got our finger out and started doing some work.
But, what could simply have been evening news on Friday dominated our front pages, and then some on Saturday. Not bad for a guerrilla fighter.

Work the press

Yes, we hate his guts and we have every right to, but his ability to give us audience, treat us with respect and even be jovial was impressive.
Say what you want about the man. If it is mileage he was seeking, he got it. If it was influence he hoped to gain, he got it and if he calls again, I will go. Why? He did not waste my time. It is a lot more than I can say for the average Kenyan politician. He got my attention. I will do combat with that guy anytime.

This article was published in The Nairobi Star on Monday, May 18

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