I will relinquish power if I lose Museveni

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has promised to relinquish power if he loses the February 18 elections.

Addressing the press at State House in Entebbe, Museveni however exuded confidence of winning the presidential elections saying the opposition has no might to defeat him.

Museveni, who is seeking his fifth term, further stated that he would abide by the Constitution regarding term limits in the 2021 elections.

Currently, Uganda’s Constitution puts the age limit for presidential candidates at 75 years with Museveni set to be 76 during his last year in power if he wins the February 18 polls.

Museveni, 71, also dispelled fears of post-election violence in Uganda saying no one will be allowed to disturb the peace that Ugandans have worked so hard to keep.

The Ugandan President has ruled for 30 years, and is widely expected to win the election on Thursday although analysts say it is his toughest political contest yet.

His two main challengers, Kizza Besigye, a popular opposition figure, and Amama Mbabazi, his former prime minister, have both been drawing huge crowds during the campaign.

Besigye lost three times against Museveni although his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party and government critics have often blamed rigging, violence by security forces and illegal use of state funds for his losses.

Mbabazi questioned his former boss’s assertion of having restored security in the country, saying absence of war did not mean the country was stable.

“What security do our youth, 83 percent of them that are unemployed, what security do they feel?” Mbabazi said.

Museveni is credited with restoring economic and political stability after years of turmoil in the 1970s and 1980s.

Critics however say unemployment, especially among the youth, has surged under Museveni’s rule, and together with corruption, will form a key campaign point ahead of the polls.

@benjaminwafula