President Yoweri Museveni has launched a scathing attack on journalist and political commentator Andrew Mwenda, accusing him of sabotaging Uganda’s industrialisation agenda and acting as an “omwinazi” — a Runyankore term for an ill-wisher.
In a strongly worded statement released on Saturday, Museveni dismissed claims by Mwenda that he is “senile and incapable of judging right,” insisting that despite being 82 years old, he remains fully capable of defending Uganda’s interests.
“Mr. Mwenda, thank you for declaring me senile and incapable of judging right. 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,” Museveni said.
The President defended several local innovators and industrialists whom Mwenda allegedly criticised, including Magoola, Senfuka, Tugume and Professor Muranga, urging the journalist to visit their factories and projects before dismissing them as conmen.
Museveni also praised Kiira Motors Corporation, saying critics of the government-backed vehicle manufacturing project are agents of neo-colonialism who oppose Africa’s industrial transformation.
“The do-nothingers like Andrew Mwenda… happily cohabit peacefully and gleefully with the neo-colonial status quo of confining Africa to producing and exporting unprocessed raw materials,” Museveni said.
The President cited Uganda’s ban on the export of unprocessed minerals as one of the government’s biggest successes, revealing that the country now has 10 gold refineries and gold exports worth USD 7.48 billion.
He also defended government wealth creation programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM), crediting them alongside agricultural reforms for the growth in Uganda’s coffee exports from 3 million bags to 8.8 million bags annually.
Museveni accused Mwenda of leaking internal government and Cabinet discussions on social media with the intention of scaring away investors and development partners.
“This is not the first time Mwenda has done it,” Museveni said, further accusing the veteran journalist of previously contributing to power shortages after allegedly opposing the Bujagali power project partnership with AES in the early 2000s.
The President said Uganda’s economic transformation through sectors such as dairy farming, coffee, palm oil, fruits and steel manufacturing had succeeded despite opposition from critics.
Drawing from a Runyankore proverb, Museveni likened Uganda’s industrialisation efforts to a child learning to walk.
“With the Banyankore, if a baby is learning how to walk and falling down, we encourage the baby… We do not do what Mwenda is doing by saying: ‘The child will never stand.’ You then become omwinazi,” he said.
Museveni concluded his statement with his signature revolutionary slogan: “Aluta Continua, Victory is Certain.”
