President Museveni Fires Back at Journalist Andrew Mwenda: “At 82, I Still Defend Uganda with Bible, AK-47, and Pen”
KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri K. Museveni has issued a forceful, point-by-point rebuttal to veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, dismissing accusations of senility and defending his record on industrialization, patriotism, and economic transformation.
In a lengthy response posted on social media and later released as an official statement, the 82-year-old Ugandan leader said: “You will, however, discover that at 82, I am still able to defend Uganda and myself with the Bible, the AK-47 and the pen.”
“Why Don’t You Interview These Conmen?”
Museveni accused Mwenda, a well-known critic and editor-in-chief of The Independent magazine, of ignoring homegrown industrialists and innovators. He challenged the journalist to visit factories and projects belonging to figures like Magoola, Senfuka, Tugume, and Professor Muranga rather than labeling them “conmen” from a distance.
The president specifically cited Magoola’s factories in Matugga and Kamuli, Senfuka’s herbal mixtures, Tugume’s factory in Ntungamo, and Professor Muranga’s banana project in Bushenyi as examples of local enterprise worthy of coverage.
Kiira Motors and the “Neo-Colonial Agents”
Museveni defended Kiira Motors, Uganda’s state-backed vehicle manufacturing project, calling it “a shamer of the neocolonial agents like Mwenda.” He argued that critics who claim to save government money from loss-making projects are, in fact, comfortable with “the neo-colonial status quo of confining Africa to producing and exporting unprocessed raw-materials.”
To illustrate the point, the president contrasted gold and coffee earnings:
· Gold: Exporting at 84% purity fetches $60,000/kg, while 99.9% refined gold earns $168,000/kg.
· Coffee: Raw coffee earns $2.5/kg, while processed coffee earns between $25–$40/kg.
Ban on Raw Mineral Exports
Museveni noted that he banned the export of all unprocessed minerals, describing himself as “the stubborn old man of Uganda who is senile.” He said the policy has resulted in 10 gold refineries now operating in the country and gold exports reaching $7.48 billion.
PDM, Coffee Boom, and Patriotism
The president questioned whether Mwenda lives in Uganda, asking why he does not participate in making government programs like the Parish Development Model (PDM) work. He credited such funds and policies with helping boost coffee production from 3 million bags to 8.8 million bags, bringing in $2.4 billion to the country.
“As a freedom fighter, I am always stubbornly standing for patriotism, Pan-Africanism, social-economic transformation and Democracy. I am never swayed by traitors and foreign agents,” Museveni wrote.
Accusations of Sabotage
The president alleged that Mwenda was “part of those that caused load-shedding in Uganda in 2005 and onwards” by sabotaging a 2003 partnership with AES (American Energy Service) on the Bujagali Electricity Project, which would have produced power at 4.9 US cents per kWh.
He also accused Mwenda of externalizing internal cabinet discussions on social media to scare away partners, claiming the journalist is “worried by the success of Uganda’s economy, now growing at 6.3% per annum.”
Economic Successes Despite Opposition
Museveni listed several industries he said Mwenda and his ilk have consistently opposed, including:
· Commercial dairy: From 200 million litres to 5.3 billion litres
· Banana, fruit (Teso, Luwero, Kayunga, Masaka), palm oil (Kalangala, Buvuma, Bundibugyo, Maruzi), coffee, and steel industries
“Even if we were to make a mistake in the effort to industrialize Uganda… it would be better than merely careening on in the neo-colonial doldrums,” he said.
“The Child Will Never Stand”
Drawing on a Banyankore proverb, Museveni compared industrialization to a baby learning to walk: “Siinga abarezi, siinga abarezi, tengerera, tengerera” (Keep trying, keep trying, stagger, stagger). He accused Mwenda of playing the role of an omwinazi (ill-wisher) who says the child will never stand.
Citing his own guerrilla history — two failed attacks on Kabamba before a successful third — the president concluded: “Failure from which we learn lessons, is success.”
He ended with the liberation slogan: “Aluta Continua. Victory is certain.”
Signed: Yoweri K. Museveni, Ssaabalwanyi.
— End of article —
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