Dear Ugandans and Members of Parliament,

With distress and feeling grossly disappointed, I have been attentively listening to President Yoweri Museveni’s recent interviews especially those hinged on his over stay in power. I especially got interested in his most recent interview with Aljazeera. There are two responses by His Excellency in this particular interview where I would like us to draw lessons in order to energise the struggle to cast Uganda on a new path after a Museveni era:

1. That issues of building countries are issues of Destiny and not theatre – Here, his Excellency is reminding you fellow Ugandans that if we want to live in a good country, we must struggle. He reminds you that he struggled to enjoy the events of his later day life as a President of Uganda for close to four decades. He reminds you that he sacrificed a lot to realize all that he has today and argues that we started at ‘ZERO’ to where we are today. He is now in his 70s and it’s up to Ugandans to shape their own Destiny. He candidly says that his struggle was about his family and his children. This means that our struggle this time and moving forward MUST be for common good and for our Country.

2. That we have always followed our constitution to keep him in power – this is where I get most distressed like many other Ugandans today because I know that we have always changed our constitution to accommodate him. However, His Excellency is reminding you that your Constitution matters a lot and that he is your (our) creation. In short, our Constitution is the anchor of his ‘Destiny’ and your ‘Destiny’. He also reminds you that he struggled for himself and us to have the 1995 Constitution and that it’s up to you/us dear Ugandans to protect it or change it in order for him to rule on.

In light of the two responses (not exact) by His Excellency, there are questions that I and you MUST answer together as citizens now:

(i) Whose Destiny is the ongoing attempt to amend article 102b of our Constitution intended to secure once again?

(ii) Why are Ugandans always used to secure a Destiny of one person who seems to confess that he struggled for his family and children?

(iii) What ideological complex is President Museveni professing in these two responses?

Dear Ugandans, say NO to the removal of Presidential age limit because we will have done exactly what Mr Museveni did in 1980. The only big difference seems to be that this time our Constitution will be protected for common good and that it is totally justified to do it now.

For God and My Country

Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi is the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) spokesperson