S government official will join African presidents today as president-elect, Yoweri Museveni swears in for a fifth five-year elective term at Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala.
Ambassador Bruce Wharton, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs with the US Department of State, will attend the swearing in celebrations despite persistent criticism of the February 18 elections and the post-election environment by the Washington administration.
The US, among other countries, noted that the polls were “deeply inconsistent with international standards and expectations for any democratic process “while the US’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ms Samantha Power, said “Mr Museveni is a threat to Uganda’s future stability”.
By press time yesterday, presidents John Pombe Magufuli (Tanzania), Edgar Lungu (Zambia), Prime Minister of Swaziland Dr Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, King Letsie III of Lesotho and the Cameroonian Premier Philémon Yang and Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, Mr Idriss Deby, the President of Chad, Mali’s Ibrahim Boubabacar and Chad’s Idris D’by and Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea had arrived.
The Presidents were treated to a State dinner at Speke Resort Munyoonyo last evening.
Notable absentees from today’s ceremony will be President Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya) with the duo attending the ongoing World Economic Forum summit in Kigali and Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, who is attending an anti-corruption event in London, UK.
President Magufuli arrived amid a heavy downpour. Mr Magufuli, who became a political sensation in Africa after winning Tanzania’s election in October last year, was treated to a 21-gun salute at State House Entebbe.
On his part, Zambian President Edgar Lungu urged the Opposition to “change tactics” and “accept defeat”, remarks that will clearly upset Mr Museveni’s opponents who still reject results of the elections.
Mr Lungu used a football anecdote to argue that if a football team fields a striker who does not deliver, a substitution is called for.
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