President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni says he is willing to reconcile with his main 2021 presidential election main challenger Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP) as well as other opponents.
Museveni garnered 58 per cent of the total votes cast in the January 14 poll to win another five-year term.
Bobi Wine came second with 35 per cent, a huge chunk of which came from Bobi Wine’s home Buganda sub-region in Central Uganda.
Bobi Wine’s NUP won many Buganda seats, ejecting Museveni’s key ministers, including his vice president Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi.
Many election observers said the poll was free, fair, credible and peaceful.
The president termed it the ‘most cheating-free election.’
But his main challenger claimed he had been rigged out.
Now, a day after security personnel left Bobi Wine’s Magere home following a court order that ended the 10-day siege, Museveni talked of reconciliation with his political opposition.
At an event to mark the country’s Liberation Day on January 26 at State House Entebbe, Kampala Archdiocese Vicar General Msgr Charles Kasibante prompted Museveni to forgive his opponents.
Museveni told Kasibante “reconciliation is our way of doing things.”
The president expressed willingness to work with opposition politicians, citing the previous appointment of ex-president Idi Amin’s son to the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) as an example of his reach-outs.
But Museveni warned violence would not be tolerated.
“We are not a shallow force that can be tossed about by opportunists. Forget about violence,” he said.
He also talked of holding the Electoral Commission (EC) accountable.
“Once the elections are over, we shall audit who voted using the biometric system and those who bypassed it.”
