Politics 24 June 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
The President We Once Knew: A Look Back at a More Open Museveni
The article contrasts President Yoweri Museveni's past approach to media criticism, characterized by intellectual engagement and a degree of tolerance, with the current climate of intimidation faced by Ugandan journalists. The author fondly remembers a leader who, while strong-willed, was less prone to petty reactions and more open to robust debate. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/columnists/charles-onyango-obbo/the-museveni-we-lost-and-miss-5507132
The current climate of fear and threats facing Uganda’s independent press, exemplified by the recent pressures on The Monitor newspaper, stands in stark contrast to the past, according to Charles Onyango Obbo. He recalls a time when President Yoweri Museveni, despite his strongman image, was more receptive to criticism and intellectual discourse.
During Obbo’s tenure as The Monitor’s managing editor, Museveni, while capable of deep-seated anger, rarely resorted to pettiness. His interactions with the newspaper, often through calls to then-MD Wafula Oguttu, ranged from complaining about factual inaccuracies in minor stories to subtly offering news leads. Obbo suggests Museveni strategically used The Monitor as an ‘alibi for democracy’ to appease international donors, while simultaneously keeping the paper ‘off balance’ through calculated pressure.
Crucially, Obbo notes that the issues that led to trouble for journalists in those days were not typically personal attacks on Museveni himself. The red lines were clearer: avoid unfair attacks on his family (unless they were public figures like Gen. Salim Saleh), threats to national security, and reporting that could be perceived as discouraging foreign investment. Beyond these, the space for critical reporting, even on sensitive topics like Uganda’s involvement in the DRC war, was surprisingly open, with journalists even utilizing military transport for their coverage.
Obbo marks a shift, suggesting Museveni’s last ‘vintage Kaguta intellectual act’ occurred in December 2013 with a profound analysis of Nelson Mandela’s life, tracing its roots to the fall of Constantinople. This intellectual depth and willingness to engage with complex ideas are what Obbo misses in the current presidency, which he argues has since become less happy and more prone to using intimidation rather than open debate. The Museveni of that era, Obbo contends, would not resort to terror in response to unfavorable news coverage.
This article introduces a deeper examination of this transformation and the present challenges to media freedom in Uganda.