Dear Museveni,

Dear His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, 

I am writing on behalf of about 15 million citizens of our beloved country, Uganda. 

Yes, just over 15 million because a good percentage of the population are far well off and are not represented by the complaints in this letter. A good number too, is made up of children and young adults who depend on their elders. The majority of us are still struggling financially and way below the poverty line. 

According to recent findings by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), approximately 27% of the population faces multidimensional poverty, dealing with simultaneous deprivations in health, education, and living standards. 

Moreso, the report indicates that over 7.4 million Ugandans live below the national poverty line, which is roughly equivalent to struggling to earn or spend $1 per day! For more on this report, follow this link:  https://youtu.be/b332MDyqDtM?si=F780eU0BTgP15agl

It is against this background therefore, that I humbly request you, His Excellency, to put the issues raised in this letter into serious consideration.

After a rocky political era with some of the earlier leaders of our country being so brutal and ruthless, our parents and grandparents eagerly welcomed you, way back in 1986 after your 5 year bush war. This is because you represented a new era of hope where every and native and citizen would have equal rights in the country. 

The NRM government restored religious freedom, privatised the media thereby opening a new era of media freedom in the country. 

With time, some communities which hitherto held refugee status were gloriously granted citizenship in this beautiful country. 

We were furthermore introduced to a liberal economy where hawkers, vendors and macro business owners have had a chance to thrive in the in the business sector. 

Oh! How thrilled we were, when you relieved us of the one party system in July 2005 through a national referendum, ending nearly two decades of a non-party "Movement" system!

Since the introduction of the multi party system, the population has largely enjoyed the natural freedom of aligning with leaders/ parties that represent their various interests. 

These are some of the reasons why the population has voted for you for over three decades since the introduction of presidential elections in 1996. 

I come from the generation that you usually refer to as the "Bazzukulu". Ours is a generation that has greatly benefited from your passion over matters of public health. We have been immunised against both traditional and modern killer diseases, we have received awareness about HIV and most of us are at least literate, thanks to the Universal Primary Education policy introduced by the NRM government.

Above all, like you keep referring to us as "the Bazzukulu", we also look at you as our "jjajja"(grandfather). 

To most of our parents, you are "father of the nation". 

We have grown to know you as "Museveni, Man of the People", a humble leader who embraces people of all walks of life, from maize sellers alongside the road, to the dreadlocked man down in the ghetto, to a professor in a top University in the country. A Museveni who has always not minded criticism much. A leader who takes time to write letters in a leading daily Newspaper, clarifying issues of contention from his critics. A case in point is the time you wrote a letter explainingy the truth about your ancestry. https://www.independent.co.ug/museveni-i-am-a-musiita-not-a-munyarwanda/ 

Under a brutal leadership, the young man who accused you of being a foreigner would be arrested for tribalism and lying about the leader. You did not. You chose to clear the air in a long letter instead. This will to connect with masses has won many hearts for you over the years. 

It is against this background and the population's need to continue with this harmonised relationship between the leaders and those who are led, that we overwhelmingly voted you in the recently concluded presidential elections. How we happily gave "our grandfather" another rap! 

A grandfather is known for dotting on his grand children and pampering them. Infact, for all the time that we have known you, this is exactly what you have been doing. This is the leader we have grown to love. A politically tolerant leader who lays strategies of winning over the hearts of those who oppose his governance rather than persecute them. A leader who has for a long time effectively used the carrot and stick method of administration. Caning his children where need be and sweet talking them afterwards to ease the pain. A leader who never hands over life sentences to political prisoners! 

To our surprise however, you seem to have changed suddenly. 

It is shocking that our beloved grandfather now ruthlessly and indefinitely imprisons young men and women just for showing their support for a candidate who has views contrary to those of the NRM! The men and women who are now commonly known as "political prisoners". These are very young men, the majority of whom fall under the age bracket that would be very beneficial to the country if they were free. Almost all of them have young families and have hopes of seeing their children grow into responsible citizens of the country. 

However, their hopes have been derailed by the ruthless and unjustified stay in prison.

Article 29(1)(a) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda explicitly guarantees every person the right to "freedom of speech and expression." 

These young men and women were put in prison for showing  their support to opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu! 

Dear President, election period is done and we are way over the highly charged election period. The majority of us are now back to business as usual. Please Mr. President, let those men and women free so that they can also enjoy their full rights as citizens of this free nation.  Please set them free, so that they can also get back to their lives asusual! Surely, a leader can not be responsible for destroying his own people's lives! Infact, imprisoning them will not soften their hearts. If anything, it only hardens their spirits the more along with the hearts of all those who believe that those young people are being treated unfairly. Please free the political prisoners. 

The media suffocation does not benefit your regime, either. We have always known you as a leader who champions the interests of the common man. 

The media houses that seem to oppose the government are infact the truth tellers about what truly transpires in the community. 

As a journalism graduate, let me inform you that advocacy is one of the key roles of the media. Please do not mistake advocacy for opposition.

Besides, what is wrong with having people that do not share the same views as yours?

If God, has Satan as the opposition leader in His Almighty  government, what about you, a mortal? 

Our dear President, you did not tell us when you were campaigning that beautifying big cities and small towns in rural areas was top on your agenda. 

Had we known that you were planning to destroy our livelihoods under the guise of freeing up road reserves, we would not have voted for you overwhelmingly!

Mr. President, what is with this campaign of destroying people's small scale businesses, even in rural areas? Even in rural areas Mzee?

We understand that cities must look beautiful. But in rural towns where there are even no tarmacked roads, how does it become a big deal that people have their small businesses alongside the village feeder roads?

Moreover, these small businesses are sitting on private pieces of land! I suppose the land management system in villages is different from that of urban centres?

Dear President, the reality is that you are ruling over a generally poor generation. 

A small percentage of the population luckily get employed by the civil and corporate sectors while a few others manage to set up big businesses. The other percentage export labour to foreign countries especially Middle Eastern countries. The rest of us, who happen to be the majority, depend on these small businesses who are now the focus of state brutality. In other words, "tweyiiya". 

This PDM money that the government is giving out, we thought it was meant to help citizens start off some small sources of income. And now after setting them up, the government is destroying them! This happening with no prior warning moreover!

Please stop appearing on T.V trying to deny the reality of the situation. When you hear the people whisper "bizzeemu", they mean what they say. 

This ruthless crackdown on people's small businesses is reminding us of the time when we faced land evictions. The apprehension that comes with the uncertainty of a good day tomorrow is what we are currently going through. 

Besides that, the insecurity that has risen out of people losing their small scale businesses, is worrying. 

Mr. President, I wonder whether where you reside in the secure walls of the "State house", the paver incidents reach you too? The youths who lost their small businesses have now resorted to heinous methods of survival. One of those methods is the  use of pavers to knock out people and run off with their valuables especially, boda bodas, money and smart phones. 

Could it be that after 40 years in power, you are now emboldened in the perceived success of your poverty eradication programs, believing that the majority of the population are now well of? Well, if that's what you think, it is a lie. 

The majority of us are still paupers. Bambi tukwegayiridde tuleke tweyiiye. I come in good faith. 

We are still struggling with regular electricity blackouts, parents still struggling to take their children to school or even find them decent clothing. Ridding the economy of roadside retail shops would not be the priority for sure. 

We are not assisting you to govern the country but we are the ones being governed. 

Therefore, we have a right to speak out on matters that directly affect us. We have stakes in the country too!  

Would you perhaps just come out and declare Uganda a country now for the rich only? Then may be, the rest of us will just go and throw ourselves over into the Nile because we have no where to go! Uganda is our motherland and fatherland as well. 

Mr. President, where has all the sympathy gone? Where is our "Museveni, Man of the People"? 

Please emotionally reconnect with the population again. We miss our tolerant leader. Please take back the arrogant Museveni we are seeing today! The older you grow, the cooler you are supposed to become!

Please check out a related article here: https://amwaldah.blogspot.com/2026/06/the-garter-snake.html 

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