President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned that any individuals or groups seeking to destabilise Uganda will face decisive consequences, saying the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has the capacity and infrastructure to safeguard peace across the country.
Speaking during the end-of-year national prayers held at State House, Entebbe, President Museveni said Uganda’s stability would not be sacrificed to forces bent on chaos, many of whom he described as foreign-backed and disconnected from the country’s development agenda.
“Nobody will create chaos here,” the President said. “Whoever tries to disrupt Uganda’s peace will end up badly. These groups are mainly pushed by foreigners to create violence, but that will not happen in Uganda.”
The President argued that much of the conflict seen in parts of Africa is fuelled by what he termed “parasite groups” that neither create wealth nor care about the well-being of ordinary citizens. According to him, such groups often promote violence because they have nothing to lose.
“These people are not part of the wealth creators; they don’t care. That’s why you hear them talking of violence,” Museveni said. “You can’t start conflicts in your kitchen. Even if you have issues and want to fight, you go into the compound and fight from there.”
President Museveni was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, as he addressed religious leaders and congregants drawn from across the country. The annual prayers brought together leaders of different faiths under the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU).
Beyond security, the President cautioned Ugandans against sectarianism, describing it as one of the main drivers of instability in Africa. He called for unity anchored in patriotism, Pan-Africanism and socio-economic transformation, which he said remain the ideological pillars of the NRM government.
“I want to congratulate the religious people for forming the Inter-Religious Council,” Museveni said. “NRM rejected the bankruptcy of religious sectarianism. In the past, religious groups were part of the problems in Uganda and Africa.”
He warned that sectarian divisions based on religion or tribe weaken nations and derail development. “Many African countries have been destroyed because of sectarianism. When you come to me and waste my time with sectarianism of religion or tribe, nkugambirawo sitani nvako [Satan, leave me alone],” he said.
