Ugandans praise Uhuru for electing to retire
By Wangu KanuriUgandans have praised President Uhuru Kenyatta for electing to retire other than attempting to extend his term in office.
President Kenyatta has completed his second-five year term in office and is set to leave office upon Kenyans electing a new Head of State on August 9.
Meanwhile, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has ruled the landlocked country for 35-years non-stop. What’s more, Ugandan MPs have on two separate occasions changed the country to enable Museveni 77, remain in power.
These two examples have had Ugandans on Twitter talking.
Uhuru Kenyatta had whatever it could take to amend the constitution to stand for a 3rd term in office. He didn’t and nothing has happened to him.
In August, he’ll be a Former President of the Republic of Kenya. #RuleOfLaw pic.twitter.com/5kRAUWUn2t— Culton Scovia Nakamya (@CultonScovia) May 17, 2022
Another one said Kenya’s system had safety guards and Uhuru changing his term was not his call.
The system in Kenya has safety guards..it is not that the decision was his to make!
— Mwebaze Albert (@MwebazeAlbert) May 17, 2022
Another one suggested the Kenyan laws are not very easy to change.
If he couldn't stop the Supreme court from canceling his presidential win against odinga, then he didn't have the powers to change the presidential term limits!
— Wamala Richard (@WamalaRichard9) May 17, 2022
Another one hailed praises at Kenya’s judiciary saying it acted independently.
Mind you, the Judiciary acts independently in Kenya unlike in Uganda where a constitution is edited n decided over a family breakfast.
— Mwase (@xavi866) May 18, 2022
Another one said Kenya was a democratic country with independent institutions while contrasting to what was in Uganda.
Kenya is a democracy with independent institutions. Such family entitlement and abuse where a president lines up son to ride roughshod and takeover from him immediately happens in military dictatorships where institutions exist in name to tick boxes with balkanised units.
— Jimmy Kiberu (@KiberuJimmy) May 17, 2022
Museveni is one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. In 2005 he was allowed to seek a third-five year term in office after the presidential term limits were removed from the constitution.
In 2021, he signed a law that removed the presidential age limit of 75 from the constitution, a move that allowed him to run for a sixth term.
The 2021 polls were followed by a campaign marked with violence which killed dozens of people. With the election being marred by tensions, Ugandans were locked out of the social media space.
And recently, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, his son, has now announced his interest in succeeding him pitting him on a face-off with Robert Kyagulanyi, a popular and youthful pop star singer come politician.