A target of pro-government officials and their acolytes, Winnie Byanyima has had to push back against what she suggests could be state propaganda aimed at injuring her reputation as an international civil servant. That’s how we get to when Museveni met Winnie Byanyima in Switzerland.
With her online exchange with Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adonia Ayebare thrusting her curriculum vitae in the spotlight, some have been questioning her links to President Yoweri Museveni.
Ayebare has said that Museveni’s government endorsed Winnie Byanyima’s application for the job she currently holds as the Executive Director of UNAIDS.
And amidst the debate, the photo of Museveni with Winnie Byanyima came up and the UNAIDS Executive Director was asked to confirm if the image was taken before or after she called Ayebare asking for government support for her job bid.
Winnie Byanyima, wife to now remanded opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye, then explained that the photo was taken in Davos, Switzerland, at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
At the time it was taken, Winnie Byanyima continued, she was the Executive Director of global NGO Oxfam International.
“As co-chair of WEF’s Africa Strategy Group, I had just chaired a breakfast meeting of 6 African Heads of State and Government, several Central Bank governors, finance ministers and CEOs of global companies,” she recalls.
With Museveni seeing her addressing those powerful leaders, he was interested and requested to have a chat with her. The president particularly wanted to understand Winnie Byanyima’s work with the World Economic Forum.
“Museveni was curious to know about my relationship with the WEF. He asked to meet me. I of course obliged. That’s the context,” she added.
You can read more on the war of words between Adonia Ayebare and Winnie Byanyima, as well as more interesting stories on Winnie Byanyima Here.
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