President Yoweri Museveni has issued a strong and direct response to journalist Andrew Mwenda following his recent commentary questioning the President’s leadership capacity, dismissing the claims while defending his record on economic transformation and industrialisation.
In a statement shared on social media, Museveni appeared to acknowledge Mwenda’s criticism before firmly rejecting it.
“Mr. Mwenda, thank you for declaring me senile and incapable of judging right,” Museveni wrote.
He added that despite his age, he remains fully capable of defending the country.
“You will, however, discover that at 82, I am still able to defend Uganda and myself with the Bible, the AK-47 and the pen.”
Museveni also questioned Mwenda’s journalistic choices, challenging him to investigate local entrepreneurs and projects he says are driving economic growth across the country.
“You are supposed to be a journalist. Why do you not interview these ‘conmen’ such as Magoola, Senfuka, etc.? They are here in Uganda,” he said, urging him to visit industrial sites in Matugga, Kamuli, Ntungamo and Bushenyi.
The President defended several government-supported projects, including Kiira Motors, accusing critics of ignoring local industrial progress while amplifying negative narratives.
“You are ashamed and you dare not talk about the Kiira Motors because that is a shamer of the neo-colonial agents like Mwenda,” he stated.
Museveni further defended Uganda’s economic model, arguing that value addition is central to the country’s growth strategy, particularly in minerals and agriculture.
“The Do-nothingers like Andrew Mwenda, always running around noisily telling lies, claim to save government money from loss-making projects,” he said.
He cited figures comparing raw and processed exports, especially in gold and coffee, to illustrate his point on industrialisation.
“A kilogram of fully refined gold of the purity of 99.9% goes for USD 168,000,” he said, adding that Uganda loses significant value by exporting unprocessed minerals.
On agriculture, Museveni highlighted growth in coffee production and export earnings, linking them to government programmes.
“What caused the boom of coffee from 3 million bags to now 8.8 million bags bringing into the country USD 2.4 billion?” he posed.
He also pointed to sectors such as dairy, bananas, palm oil, fruit farming, and steel production as evidence of what he described as structural transformation of the economy.
“The growth of the commercial dairy industry in the cattle corridor boosting milk-production from 200 million litres to 5.3 billion litres; the banana industry; the fruit industry… are always opposed by the likes of Andrew Mwenda,” he said.
Museveni further accused Mwenda of undermining past government projects, including the Bujagali hydropower dam, which he linked to past power shortages.
“They are always trying to sabotage our growth and transformation,” he said.
He added that Uganda’s current economic growth rate of 6.3% reflects resilience despite criticism.
The President concluded his remarks by drawing parallels between national development and his experience in the liberation struggle.
“We attacked Kabamba two times, not succeeding. On the third attempt, we had great success. Failure from which we learn lessons, is success,” he said.
He urged Ugandans to remain committed to government programmes, framing critics as opponents of progress.