Uhuru assures Museveni of continued partnership for benefit of East Africans

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday held talks with President Yoweri Museveni during which he congratulated his host for the new term in office.

He assured his Ugandan counterpart of Kenya’s continued cooperation in bilateral and multilateral partnerships including regional integration efforts for the mutual benefit of all East Africans.

Separately, President Kenyatta held talks with Ethiopian President Sahle–Work Zewde, South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit, and Malik Agar Nganyoufa, a member of the Republic of Sudan’s ruling Sovereignty Council.

Earlier in the day, President Kenyatta had joined several other African Heads of State at the inauguration of President Museveni.

President Kenyatta, who is the current Chairperson of the East African Community, was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Peter Munya (Agriculture) and James Macharia (Infrastructure).

Presidents Felix Tshisekedi (DR Congo), Alpha Conde (Guinea), Salva Kiir Mayardit (South Sudan), Hague Geingob (Namibia) and Nana Akufo Addo (Ghana) attended the ceremony held at Kololo Independence Grounds in central Kampala.

Others were Emmerson Mnangagwa (Zimbabwe), Mohamed Abdullahi Faarmajo (Somalia), Evariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia).

In his inauguration address, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said Uganda had transitioned from a country of deficits to an economy of surpluses in agricultural production and manufacturing during his tenure.

“In 1986, Uganda was a land of shortages, no sugar, no soap, no paraffin, no textile, no salt, no sodas, no beer, no petrol etc. With limited waking up of sections of the population, Uganda now is a country of surpluses,” he said.

The Ugandan leader thanked President Kenyatta and other regional Heads of State for opening up their markets to Ugandan exports including sugar and maize surpluses.

At the same time, President Museveni castigated unnamed foreign powers for continuing to lecture African countries on good governance saying some of them don’t mean well for the continent.

“It is quite comical to hear some people giving us lectures about democracy. Giving us a lecture about democracy, what are your credentials? If you want to know what we are doing in a respectful way we shall show you, but no lectures,” President Museveni advised.