As newly elected and returning NRM MPs convene in Kyankwanzi, Principal Road Safety Officer Ronald Amanyire has called on leaders to critically evaluate the legacy of President Yoweri Museveni’s 40-year tenure.
In a statement, Amanyire urged MPs to balance acknowledgment of the country’s progress with honest recognition of its failures.
“If you believe the country has made progress, intellectual honesty demands that you also acknowledge the failures, distortions, and thriving corruption over those same 40 years,” he said.
“To celebrate only the successes while ignoring the shortcomings is not loyalty; it is sycophancy.”
Amanyire highlighted the need to engage Uganda’s younger generations, particularly those born in or after 1986, who collectively form the majority of the population.
“It is unjust to silence their voices,” he said. “Any leader worth the name must listen to their frustrations instead of suppressing them. Silencing a generation does not create peace; it manufactures resentment.”
The official also addressed the rising tensions on social media, particularly on X, where debates about President Museveni’s leadership have often turned bitter.
He expressed concern over public conduct deteriorating into personal attacks and sycophantic behavior.
At the same time, Amanyire appealed to supporters of opposition leader Bobi Wine to maintain civility.
He emphasized the importance of resisting tribal insults and verbal attacks, noting that most Ugandans now share interconnected families and communities across the country.
“Insults add nothing to national discourse; they only expose the speaker’s poverty of thought,” he said.
Amanyire concluded with a broader call for unity, urging all political actors to prioritize the nation above partisan divisions.
“Uganda is bigger than our factions, our anger, and our political loyalties. Nations collapse not from disagreement, but from the refusal to disagree with dignity,” he said.