Don’t Involve Me In Your Internal Affairs, President Museveni Quips During Ruto’s Inauguration

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept, 13 – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was the first African Head of State to be invited by president William Ruto to address Kenyans at the 60,000-packed Moi Kasarani Sports Complex in a speech that can simply be classified as ‘classic’ Museveni.

The long-serving Ugandan president first proceeded to congratulate Ruto for his victory in the August 9 elections while also commending outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta for a job well done during his 10 years in office.

At the onset of his speech, he sought to cite lessons on economic transformation strategies in Kenya as he observed on a local TV station amid the cheering crowd.

“Don’t involve me in your internal affairs,” said Museveni amid a cheering and laughing crowd….I just want to observe a few things,” he said.

In what has become a trademark Museveni speech, the Ugandan president further drew lessons from media news programmes during the election in Kenya saying that a panelist in one of the local stations brought up an interesting debate on the sharing of power and resources. A topic he said is worth discussing across the continent.

“They were talking mainly about two things, sharing power and sharing resources. Then one young man with grey hair at one time, he came and made a good point, and the point was the politics of identity vs the politics of interests of issues. These young people want to go somewhere, he said.

He however posed a question on the distribution of wealth asking where it will come from while at the same time challenging his contemporaries to answer the same.

“According to my experience of 60 years I would advise Africans to know that prosperity comes from wealth creation, you must create wealth, and wealth is not the same as natural resources, you may have natural resources but do not get wealth out of them,” said Museveni.

Museveni called on African states to create wealth through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services, hotels, and ICT.

He further called on the EAC block states to champion for the strengthening of the community in order to boost their respective economies and improve the fortunes of citizens.

“I have not read the Manifesto of Kenya Kwanza nor have I read the other one of Azimio, but I know his excellency Ruto, I have met him a number of times in Uganda, and I know he likes ideas and frank talking,”

EAC integration dominated the rest of his speech further calling countries to come up with clear paths for prosperity.