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Museveni extends rule to four decades


Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been sworn in as Uganda’s President for a sixth- five-year term.

Speaking after he was sworn in at the Kololo Independence Grounds in the capital Kampala, the 76-year old stressed he will not accept lectures from anyone on democracy in his new term.

“I doubt there are many comparable pro-democratic structures in the world. It is therefore quite comic and laughable to hear some actors in the world giving us lectures about democracy. You give me lectures about democracy, what are your credentials?” he posed.

The former guerrilla leader further noted he had to fight for more than a decade and a half to liberate the country.

“We diagnosed this system not from airconditioned rooms but from jungles of our country where we lived with people for more than 16 years of the resistance war. We need no advice from anybody in Uganda, apart from our peers from the African continent,” he added.

The Ugandan leader spoke in front of several African Heads of State including Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu, Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, Somalia’s Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir, Namibia’s Hage Geingob, Ghana’s Nana Akufo Addo, DRC Congo’s Felix Tshisekedi, Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), and Alpha Conde (Guinea) and other dignitaries from all over the world shortly after taking the oath of office.

Museveni won with 58 percent of the votes cast in January’s polls, beating his closest rival and pop star, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine who amassed 33%.

Bobi Wine alleged fraud and election irregularities, and has consistently urged citizens to reject the results.

In months leading to the polls, authorities cracked down on supporters of Bobi Wine and other opposition candidates.

Also in the run-up to the vote, local civil society groups and foreign governments questioned its credibility and transparency of the elections after several requests to monitor the elections were denied.