The front-page headline of the Daily Monitor on Monday, May 27, 2025, read: “We apologize for any errors—Musevenis.” This led to widespread mockery of President Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni on social media platforms. It also sparked an unnecessary discussion lamenting the presidency’s plight compared to the admirable governance in Mengo.
The headline cleverly extracted two quotes from a two-page prayer delivered during the Light-Up Uganda for Jesus Mission crusade held in Kololo over the weekend.
Although these two quotes are indeed accurate excerpts from this prayer, using them excessively without considering the full context of the prayer deprived Ugandans the chance to engage in an informed discussion about the issue. This approach also made it difficult for people to focus on President Museveni’s message and understand the objectives of the gathering itself.
Initially, the Light Up Uganda Crusades was established in 2022, moving sequentially through various locations such as Luweero on May 7, 2022; Bunyoro on January 21, 2023; Gulu on September 2, 2023; Ankole on May 18, 2024; Eastern on September 13, 2024; and finally Kololo in Kampala during the weekend. Notably, throughout these gatherings, President Museveni—who has consistently attended alongside the First Lady—has offered prayers customized for each respective area.
For example, in Luweero, President Museveni and the First Lady expressed regret over the region’s lack of progress. They took responsibility on behalf of the leaders who halted the positive initiatives and infrastructure connections the government previously established with the local population. Additionally, they acknowledged the neglect and incompetence displayed by those leaders.
The circumstances in Kampala remain unchanged; the “Musevenis,” as referred to by Daily Monitor, admitted that there has been carelessness, neglect, and a lack of thoroughness among the group of leaders they assigned the task of developing both the Buganda region and the entire nation.
They also reiterated, as with cases at other crusades, that such situations have caused disgruntlement amongst certain sections of the people, anger, and erroneous perception that the government neglected or forgot them, a responsibility they would want to shoulder and ask for forgiveness on behalf of all. This is irrespective of the political affiliations of the leaders in these areas provided they are in Uganda and serve under the Head of Government- President Museveni.
The First Lady has recently voiced her distress over how easily media organizations are disseminating skewed views and blatant untruths for profit. She emphasized that the ‘Musevenis’ have exerted every effort possible to serve Ugandans without aiming for superficial acclaim.
In my opinion, The Monitor should have emphasized the appropriate framework of the communications from Kololo, which highlighted genuine religious solidarity and dismissed sectarian divisions—issues that had long troubled our country until the NRA/M intervened, permitting party membership regardless of ethnic background or faith.
The solidarity among those gathered at Kololo Airstrip, praying for the continuous advancement of their nation and a smooth handover. As cited from St Paul’s epistle, President Museveni urges Ugandans to diligently focus on key areas highlighted by NRM: commercial farming particularly with cuuma crops, services, information technology, and industries.
Hence, although apologizing to someone is not incorrect, it is crucial to consider the complete context to prevent drifting towards biased assumptions. Buganda remains an objective for the NRM, aiming not only to regain control but also to reshape it through numerous initiatives aimed at reducing poverty, enhancing healthcare and providing free education, ensuring security, and developing infrastructure—goals that apply nationwide as well.
As President Museveni stated at the event which was misconstrued; Let your light shine before others so they can observe your noble actions and glorify your Father in Heaven. Therefore, let the Musevenis be assessed based on this criterion rather than through exaggerated rhetoric.
The writer serves as the Online Editor at State House Uganda.
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