Museveni asks for another term

MUSEVENI ASKS FOR ANOTHER TEN YEARS AS MENGO REJECTS KAMPALA TAKEOVER.
It is now official president Museveni’s ambitions of becoming Africa’s longest serving ruler have been confirmed. Speaking on a live telecast on Uganda’s WBS TV on Sunday, the aging ruler admitted that he would consider serving until expiry of the constitutional mandated 75 years. The president’s words were timely calculated to correspond with the climax of the intrigue and in-fighting within the NRM with each group accusing each other of jumping the queue while at the same time settling doubts about his possible re-election as NRM flag-bearer at the 2011 elections. Museveni whose exact date of birth has remained a mystery admits that he will be 75 in 2019, exactly 33 years in power since his military takeover in 1986. And because the president would reach 75 while still remaining with another two years to end his visional last term, Ugandans would have to wait till 2022 to see the face of another president and that would be 35 years in power enough to break dictator Omar Bongo’s record. Even then Ugandans are not sure of Mr. Museveni’s exact birth date just as they are not sure of his genealogical records. The Ugandan leader who relates his birth to the period of the great rinderpest invasion of the 1940s in the Nkore region has been a victim of recent fresh attacks from diplomat Olara Otunnu who has challenged him to prove his Ugandan ancestry.
But while answers over his over stay in power were crucial, more important was Mr. Museveni’s tone and language when discussing his government’s strained relationship with the Buganda government. A visibly angry Museveni who was reacting to questions from a panel of journalists trashed Buganda’s demands for a Federal arrangement in a two-hour diatribe calling it unrealistic and cautioned agitators against testing his patience with calls for a federal arrangement. He reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensure the extension of Kampala borders in the proposed Kampala City Authority. Mr. Museveni attacked the Mengo establishment for what he called double standards and vowed to resist demands for FEDERO arguing that the regional tier arrangement was the best he could negotiate with the Kabaka’s government. Mr. Museveni faced a rough time as outspoken Weekly Observer writer Semujju Ibrahim Nganda put him to task on critical issue regarding Buganda’s demands.
This is not the first time Mr. Museveni is brought to task to speak about critical issues in the country, Mr. Museveni, an avid reader and contributor to discourse since his university days has authored a number of articles in the local press and frequently appears on various radio stations in the country to explain his position.

Meanwhile Mengo has rejected the proposed takeover arguing that the central government overlooked consultation with Mengo before reaching such a conclusion. Mengo Minister for information and Lukiiko affairs Owekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga decried the alarming levels of obstinacy especially regarding the centers relationship with the Kabaka’s government on crucial matters of engagement. He also attacked the government owned NewVision newspaper for defaming the Kabaka’s reputation by attributing false stories to His Majesty’s person. The SundayVision carried out a lead story indicating that the Kabaka through his company Rexba had mortgaged Bulange Building to a senior cabinet Minister in the NRM government.