Museveni’s Cosmetic Apology to Buganda: A Deep Dive into Decades of Betrayal and State-Crafted Atrocities

Preamble: A President’s Belated Contrition

In a rare moment of public contrition, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Uganda’s long-serving leader since 1986, recently issued what he termed an apology to the people of Buganda and the rest of Uganda, calling for forgiveness for past wrongs allegedly committed by his government. The statement, delivered with characteristic vagueness and lacking specificity, was shared during a church service organised by his daughter and has since sparked widespread skepticism, indignation, and sharp rebuke across Uganda’s political and cultural landscape.

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The apology, rather than offering closure, has reopened old wounds, especially in Buganda, where the regime’s dark legacy is not just recent history—it is a lived reality. As the dominant cultural and political bloc that historically shaped Uganda’s identity, Buganda has borne the brunt of repression under Museveni’s regime. His overture for forgiveness is viewed by many as nothing more than political theater—an empty gesture meant to pacify a restive populace rather than reckon with deep-seated grievances or initiate systemic reform.

A Legacy Written in Blood and Brutality

Museveni’s regime is stained by heinous crimes and systemic injustices—many of which have directly targeted the people of Buganda and their institutions.

1. The 2009 Kayunga Riots and Massacre

The infamous 2009 riots erupted after the central government blocked Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II from visiting Kayunga—a region within his own kingdom. Museveni’s government responded with lethal force, deploying security forces who gunned down over 40 unarmed civilians, wounded hundreds, and detained scores without trial. This act was not just a violation of civil liberties; it was a direct assault on the dignity and sovereignty of the Buganda Kingdom.

2. State-Orchestrated Land Grabbing

Buganda has been systematically targeted through orchestrated land grabbing facilitated by state machinery. Under the guise of development and urban expansion, key swathes of mailo land have been handed over to regime cronies, investors, and foreign entities, marginalizing Buganda’s cultural custodians and stripping peasants of ancestral holdings. Laws such as the Land Act and proposed amendments have been wielded as tools of dispossession, deepening mistrust between Buganda and the state.

3. The November 18–19, 2020 Massacre

In one of the bloodiest peacetime massacres in recent Ugandan history, over 54 Ugandans were killed in cold blood when security operatives opened fire on civilians protesting the illegal arrest of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) in Luuka. A large number of those killed and injured were Baganda, further entrenching the belief that the region is deliberately targeted for its political defiance.

4. Systematic Persecution of National Unity Platform (NUP) Supporters

Following the 2021 elections, state persecution of NUP supporters—most of whom are youth from Buganda—intensified. Arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, enforced disappearances, and torture became commonplace. High-profile victims include:

• Eddie Mutwe (Kyagulanyi’s bodyguard): Recently tortured to near death under the watch of Museveni’s son and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Instead of being hospitalized, Mutwe was dragged to court and charged with “aggravated robbery”—a charge purportedly dating back over a year.

• Yasin Kawuma (2018): Shot dead in Arua while driving Kyagulanyi. The incident was followed by the arrest and torture of Kyagulanyi himself, who was falsely accused of possessing firearms allegedly found at Pacific Hotel.

5. The Mukura Wagon Massacre (1989)

In a lesser-remembered yet horrifying episode, over 60 men were rounded up by NRA soldiers and locked in a railway wagon in Mukura, where they suffocated to death. This atrocity reflects a regime that has repeatedly used collective punishment and inhumane tactics to suppress dissent.

6. The 2016 Kasese Massacre

Beyond Buganda, Museveni’s brutality extends across the country. In November 2016, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) stormed the palace of Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere, killing over 100 people—many of them palace guards and civilians. The king himself was arrested and remains entangled in judicial limbo. The massacre signaled the regime’s broader intolerance of cultural and political autonomy.

Nepotism and the Curse of Dynastic Rule

Another dimension of Baganda disenfranchisement lies in Museveni’s unpardonable nepotism. The president has entrenched a family dynasty that controls the pillars of power:

• Janet Museveni: Minister of Education.

• Muhoozi Kainerugaba: Chief of Defence Forces, groomed for succession.

• Odrek Rwabwogo (son-in-law): Head of the presidential initiative on exports, managing undefined budgets.

• Gen. Salim Saleh (brother): De facto commander of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), a massive project with opaque operations and unaccounted billions.

This dynastic entrenchment has alienated Baganda elites and youth, who view it as an existential threat to Uganda’s republican ethos and a mockery of democracy.

Strategic Marginalization of Buganda Post-2021

Following Buganda’s overwhelming support for Robert Kyagulanyi in the 2021 presidential elections, Museveni adopted a strategy of political and economic isolation. Key infrastructure projects, investment plans, and federalism discussions were silently shelved. The region’s political voice was systemically muted through arrests, media censorship, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Public Reactions: From Skepticism to Outright Rejection

Museveni’s apology was not met with warmth. Critics across the political spectrum rejected it as performative and insincere. Among the harshest was his former bush war ally and now presidential adviser, Mzee Alhajj Abdul Nadduli, who minced no words:

“You cannot ask for forgiveness while your prisons are full of innocent youths. You cannot seek reconciliation with words and continue persecuting political opponents. That is mockery, not remorse.”

Others have insisted that apologies must be preceded by justice—starting with the unconditional release of political prisoners and an independent truth-telling process about the regime’s atrocities.

Conclusion: Forgiveness Requires Accountability, Not Cosmetic Gestures

President Museveni’s apology, if it can be called that, falls far short of what justice demands. It fails to name the atrocities, acknowledge the victims, or commit to reparative actions. Without the release of political detainees, prosecution of perpetrators, and dismantling of nepotistic power structures, his call for forgiveness will remain a hollow appeal.

For the people of Buganda and indeed all Ugandans who have suffered under the weight of Museveni’s authoritarian rule, forgiveness is not a commodity to be bought with words—it is a consequence of truth, justice, and structural transformation. Until then, apologies are nothing more than political cosmetics on a decaying legacy.

This analysis is published by Uganda Today, home to fearless journalism and unfiltered citizen narratives. 

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