Museveni Fires Back at Mwenda Over Support for Ugandan Innovators

President Yoweri Museveni has issued a strong public rebuttal to veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda, defending his patronage of Ugandan scientists Dr. Matthias Magoola and David Ssenfuka. Museveni accused Mwenda of attacking local innovation without due diligence, characterizing his criticism as detrimental to national progress.

The public spat ignited after Mwenda reportedly questioned President Museveni’s continued backing of Dr. Magoola and Ssenfuka and allegedly described the president as senile. In a detailed response, Museveni urged Mwenda to visit the innovators and their projects personally before dismissing their work.

Museveni used the occasion to reiterate his long-standing argument for value addition in Uganda’s economy, eschewing the export of raw materials for finished products. He provided statistical examples, contrasting the earnings from raw gold versus refined gold and raw coffee versus processed coffee to illustrate the economic benefits of industrialization.

The president highlighted government initiatives like the ban on unprocessed mineral exports, leading to the establishment of ten gold refineries and a significant increase in gold export earnings. He also pointed to the growth in coffee production and exports as evidence of successful value-addition policies.

Museveni linked these economic strategies to domestic programs such as the Parish Development Model, designed to integrate households into the money economy. He questioned Mwenda’s patriotism for not supporting these national efforts. The president also accused Mwenda of leaking sensitive government discussions, potentially harming investor confidence, and recalled a past instance where Mwenda allegedly opposed a crucial energy project, leading to power shortages.

Despite acknowledging that government projects may face setbacks, Museveni asserted that such challenges are inherent in the pursuit of long-term economic transformation, emphasizing that striving for industrialization, even with potential mistakes, is superior to remaining in a neo-colonial state of stagnation. He concluded by encouraging Ugandans to disregard critics like Mwenda and focus on collective growth.

This exchange was first reported by The Observer Uganda.