Museveni At 80: President’s Birthday Appreciation Message

As President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni marked his 80th birthday, he received an outpouring of birthday messages and well-wishes from Ugandans and leaders across the country and the world. Reflecting on this milestone, President Museveni expressed deep gratitude to all who sent him best wishes, both through messages and those who attended the celebrations in Kijaguzo and Kawumu.

In a heartfelt message, he gave thanks for the blessings of life and the ongoing contributions of freedom fighters who have played key roles in Uganda’s history, including the resistance fighters of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and those involved in the founding of the Uganda National Congress (UNC) in 1952.

Below is President Museveni's Birthday Appreciation Message

Fellow Ugandans and, especially, the Bazzukulu.

Greetings. So many thanks to all the Ugandans who wished me good luck and congratulated me on my 80th birthday, yesterday-but-one and those who came physically to Kijaguzo and Kawumu to celebrate with my family. Praised be the Lord for life, protection and blessings.

Congratulations to the NRM resistance fighters over the decades as well as the other freedom fighters such as those who started the UNC in 1952.

However, yesterday the Muzzukulu Hellen Seku told me that as a baby boy birthday celebrant, I had not told my well-wishers my birthday wish. Since I have not been in the culture of celebrating birthdays, I did not know about that element. In order to rectify the matter, fellow Ugandans and Africans, forgive the ignorance of the recent birthday celebrant and here below is my birthday wish:

“Fellow Ugandans and fellow Africans, pray and work hard for the realization of the dream of the Pan-Africanists for the creation of the East African Political Federation and the consolidation of the Continental Free Trade Area. These are in order to achieve the 3 historical missions of: ensuring prosperity for the wealth creators and all Africans by creating a big market for our products; ensuring our strategic- security against all threats to us on Land, in the Air, at the Sea and in Space by creating powerful integrated defence systems of the Political Federations where feasible; and using the brotherhood of the African Peoples to achieve these two- prosperity and strategic security. ” Here ends my birthday wish.

I have others but Seku told me that only one is allowed. This is what our elders- Wazee, Mwalimu Nyerere, Nkurumah, Modibo Keita, Sekou Toure, Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, Grace Ibingira, Mwai Kibaki, Arap Moi, Jaramogi Odinga, Ngombale-Mwiru, Joseph Nyerere, Joe Murumbi, Abeid Karume, etc., with us the young People behind them, have been struggling for, for all these years.

Mwalimu Nyerere, offered to delay the independence of Tanganyika so as for Uganda and Kenya to become independent at the same time and become one country. It was a mistake not to take up this offer. Otherwise, Africa may become a Latin America in Africa instead of being a United States of Africa in Africa.

God bless all of us.

Signed:

YOWERI K. MUSEVENI

SSAABALWANYI, OMUGURUSI.