Power Should Not Be a Retirement Plan”: President Duma Boko’s Fiery Rebuke Hits Too Close to Home for Uganda’s Long-Serving Leader
The firebrand leader, known for his sharp legal mind and unapologetic defense of democratic values, appeared to fire his shots in the direction of East Africa — and more specifically, Uganda.
Uganda Today Edition: “Power Should Not Be a Retirement Plan”: President Duma Boko’s Fiery Rebuke Hits Too Close to Home for Uganda’s Long-Serving Leader
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — In what is now being hailed as the “innuendo of the year,” Botswana’s President Duma Gideon Boko delivered a thunderous rebuke at the African Union Leadership Dialogue, sending ripples across the continent and leaving few in doubt about who his words were truly aimed at.
Without naming names, Boko castigated presidents “who have turned national constitutions into chewing gum,” applying uncouth and often repressive methods to cling to power long after their social contract with citizens had expired.
“Power is not a pension scheme. Leadership is not an inheritance. When one serves beyond ten years, not because the people demand it but because the system is rigged in their favor, that is not patriotism — it is tyranny disguised as legacy,” President Boko roared, to a stunned but eventually thunderous applause from delegates.
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The firebrand leader, known for his sharp legal mind and unapologetic defense of democratic values, appeared to fire his shots in the direction of East Africa — and more specifically, Uganda.
A Loaded Message
While Duma Boko never mentioned President Yoweri Museveni directly, political analysts and diplomatic attendees quickly decoded the message. With Museveni now in his 39th year in power, following repeated constitutional amendments that removed term and age limits, Uganda fits the profile Boko so vividly described.
“When a leader reaches a point where he governs a country longer than he raised his own children under the same roof, we must ask — is this leadership or is it monarchy by stealth?” Boko quipped, in a moment that drew visible discomfort from some regional delegates.
It was the kind of rhetorical uppercut rarely seen at diplomatic gatherings — where silence and protocol often cloak criticism. But Boko was unsparing, calling out “those who have armed themselves against their own people, who silence the press, exile opponents, and use state institutions like rubber stamps to validate overstaying their welcome.”
Why It Stings: The Museveni Mirror
President Museveni, once celebrated as a revolutionary who liberated Uganda from dictatorial rule, has now found himself cast in the very mold he once fought. With elections marked by allegations of violence, opposition harassment, and constitutional overreach, his presidency has become a textbook case of the “democratic decline” that President Boko warned against.
“We cannot teach democracy in the classroom while dismantling it in our parliaments. Africa deserves better than presidents-for-life who mistake fear for loyalty and repression for order,” said Boko.
Though Museveni did not attend the summit in person, Uganda was represented by a high-level delegation — members of which, according to inside sources, were “visibly agitated” during and after Boko’s address.
The Backlash — and the Applause
Already, state-aligned commentators in Uganda have dismissed Boko’s remarks as “cheap populism” and “grandstanding for Western favor.” But in several corners of Ugandan civil society, the speech has struck a chord.
“Finally, someone said it. President Boko just spoke what millions of Ugandans whisper under their breath every day,” said political commentator and rights activist Stella Namayanja.
Online, the video of Boko’s speech — particularly the section where he calls out leaders who “prepare their children to succeed them, not in life but in State House” — has gone viral. It’s been remixed into protest songs, TikTok commentary, and even sermon illustrations in some urban churches in Kampala.
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President Duma Gideon Boko of Botswana shook the room — and the continent — with an unfiltered takedown of leaders who overstay their welcome in power. In this raw, unedited video captured during the recent African Union Leadership Dialogue, Boko lashes out at those who manipulate constitutions, suppress dissent, and style themselves as irreplaceable.
Though no names were mentioned, the message echoed loudest in the corridors of Uganda’s power. With sharp language and defiant tone, Boko calls on African presidents to return dignity to democracy — and step aside after a reasonable tenure.
Watch the full video below and decide for yourself: Was this a bold defense of democracy, or a direct shot at President Museveni?
What Comes Next?
President Boko’s audacious stance may have ruffled feathers, but it’s also reawakened a crucial conversation across Africa: When does leadership cross into authoritarianism? And more urgently for Uganda — how much longer can a nation suppress its democratic aspirations under the shadow of a single ruler?
In the silence that followed Boko’s speech, the metaphor rang loudest: “The crown of leadership is not to be worn until death, but passed on with dignity — before it turns into a shackle on the people’s future.”
Whether Museveni takes heed or brushes off the moment as another ripple in the democratic tide remains to be seen. But one thing is certain — Duma Gideon Boko’s tirade has added a voice, bold and unflinching, to the growing call for change in Uganda and beyond.
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