Special Reports
MUSEVENI 24 YEARS LATER: The importance of the 24-year mark
In Summary
NRM gains at a glance
- Pacifying the country and bringing to an end all armed rebellions.
- Disciplining the armed forces and other security agents.
- Stabilising the economy and seeing it grow at over six per cent in the past five years.
- Setting up health centres across the country. By 2004, 400 new health centres had been constructed countrywide.
- Introduction of free primary and secondary education, consequently leading to high enrolment in primary school to nine million.
- Growing the agriculture sector and recently investing Shs30b in agro-processing and acquisition of equipment.
- Developed the energy sector; invested in thermal power production at Namanve and Mutundwe. Also developing hydro-power plants at Bujagali and Karuma.
- Improved transport network. Rehabilitated roads and ensuring greater linkages to remote parts of the country.
- Conducive business environment has seen growth in the telecoms sector. From one single mobile phone service provider in the late 90s, there are currently more than 10 licensed service providers in the sector.
- Growth in the number of media outlets although there are efforts to claw back the freedoms of association, assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
When President Museveni and his National Resistance Army came to power in January 1986, Dionne and Friends were top of the Billboards charts with ‘That’s What Friends Are For’; South Africa was still under Apartheid; Boris Becker was Wimbledon tennis champion (Pete Sampras was seven years away from his first Grand Slam; Roger Federer was four years old).
President Museveni this week marked 24 years in office, putting him on par with President Daniel arap Moi, and putting him on course to overtake the former Kenyan leader. Kesha Rose Sebert, the musician on top of the Billboard charts this week had not been born when President Museveni took over; South Africa has since become a democracy and had three presidents since 1994, including Nelson Mandela. Boris Becker and Pete Sampras are both retired, and Roger, that four-year-old boy then, is top of the tennis world.
In this special report done to commemorate Museveni’s record-breaking stay in office, young people share their thoughts on being part of the Class of ’86. With more than six out of every 10 Ugandans aged below 24, the Class of ’86 will determine what kind of future this country has.
The passage of such a long time allows people in this class, as well as older readers, to audit Museveni’s promise of a fundamental change made in his famous swearing-in speech on January 29, 1986, and which we reproduce in here.
Moses Byaruhanga, who has worked with President Museveni since 1991 (Mr Byaruhanga was in secondary school when the NRA took over) argues that Mr Museveni has lived up to his pledge and changed the country in fundamental ways.
Augustine Ruzindana, who served in President Museveni’s regime as Inspector General of Government before leaving to join the opposition Forum for Democratic Change, disagrees.
Whatever progress has been achieved, Mr Ruzindana argues, has been undermined by the failure to organise free-and-fair elections in order to allow one Ugandan leader to hand over power to another elected leader peacefully.
We carry a profile of some of the Movers and Shakers that have helped Mr Museveni and his government stay in power for this long, including a profile of First Lady Janet Museveni whose political influence has grown in recent years and catapulted her into Parliament and Cabinet.
We also speak to ordinary people on the street as well as those who have worked close to Museveni and seek their views on the last 24 years. The range of views as well as interviewees – including many who worked with Museveni before falling out with him – make interesting reading.
However, now that Mr Museveni has broken the regional record, so what? Having documented the failures and achievements over the last 24 years, we hope we can shift attention to the future.
The President is well on course to stand again in the next election; the question that voters should ask him – as well as other candidates is not what they have done for this country but what they intend to do for it in future.
With just over a year to the next election, we hope we can help shift debate – on both sides of the divide– away from what could – or should – have been, to what will be for we believe that our country’s great future is ahead, not behind us.
The writer is the Daily Monitor's Managing Editor
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