While delivering the budget speech at Serena Hotel in Kampala on Thursday, President Museveni hinted on his ability to steer the country further if allowed by Ugandans and the constitution, and called on the opposition to stop envying him.
The president was severally interrupted by the opposition who criticized him for his long stay in power.
Earlier on Tuesday during the State of the Nation Address, the same MPs brought up the same issue of age; but the president yesterday sought to tell them off that that his long stay in power has helped him gain experience which is good for the country.
“Yes it is true I have been president for a very long time, that’s not a bad idea; that’s not a bad thing, that’s why I am experienced. Even if you wake me at night and ask what is happening here I will tell you.” Museveni noted on Tuesday.
When the same issue came back on Thursday, the president observed that the opposition is just jealous of his long stay in power but with no serious issues against his leadership.
“Nyeko (jealousy) is very bad; some of these people are suffering from Nyeko, when they see someone who has lived long, they question his long stay,” Museveni responded to the opposition on Thursday.
Museveni reminded the opposition that they have no power to force him out of power no matter how they try. “The ones who decide I go are the people of Uganda and the Constitution not you; stop exercising Nyeko”.
However, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP), Winnie Kiiza was quick to respond to the president noting that the he has never had kind words to the opposition.
“We have never been jealous, we have always told him facts and because facts are bitter he has no better words but all I know the whole country wants him out of power,” Kiiza said on Thursday.
The LOP said Museveni instead is rather jealous of the young people because he knows age is catching up with him and will take him away and no matter how much he tries he can never rewind the clock.
“I cannot be jealous of him because I am going towards his age but he can never come back to my age because he is already beyond that. That is why he is struggling to even think of retracting the time by removing the age limit.”