President Museveni advises leaders to win citizens through persuasion

President Yoweri Museveni has urged leaders to win citizens’ support through persuasion and service delivery rather than intimidation, warning that imposing authority by force is a grave mistake.

Speaking during the 49th commemoration of the martyrdom of Janani Luwum at Wii-Gweng village in Mucwini Sub County, Kitgum District, the President said leaders who rely on fear repeat the errors of former ruler Idi Amin.

Museveni described Amin’s first major mistake as seizing power through the 1971 military coup. He recalled learning of the coup on January 25, 1971, while serving as a research assistant in the President’s Office, and deciding within days to leave for Tanzania to organize resistance.

“Amin ruled me only for a few hours,” Museveni said, emphasizing that leadership should be based on good service and moral example rather than coercion. He cited biblical teachings, urging leaders to let their good deeds shine before others.

The national event, held under the theme “Anchored in Christ for Stability, Peace and Unity” (Ephesians 2:14–17), began with a church service followed by wreath-laying at the burial site of Luwum and his wife, Mama Mary Lawil Luwum.

Observed every February 16, St. Janani Luwum Day honors the archbishop who was arrested and killed in 1977 after condemning human rights abuses, arbitrary arrests, and killings under Amin’s regime. Museveni said the commemoration serves as a reminder of the dangers of authoritarian rule and a tribute to Luwum’s courage and faith.

He described Amin’s second major mistake as using killings to silence opponents. While acknowledging Uganda’s history of armed struggle, Museveni said he has consistently rejected assassinations and attacks on individuals outside the battlefield, insisting that both the cause and methods in conflict must be just.

The President said the sacrifices of leaders such as Luwum and Ben Kiwanuka were not in vain, noting that those responsible for past atrocities ultimately failed in their mission.

Turning to development, Museveni thanked Northern Uganda for its electoral support, attributing it to government investments in infrastructure and services, including electricity expansion, improved roads, schools, health centers, and clean water systems. He cited anti-poverty initiatives such as the Parish Development Model aimed at integrating households into the money economy.

He also pledged to address cattle rustling in East Acholi and fulfilled a Shs60 million pledge to the priests of Kitgum Diocese.

The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, welcomed pilgrims and emphasized that the celebration honors not just an individual but the values of faith, justice, and reconciliation that Luwum embodied.

Other leaders, including Bishop Alfred Olwa of Lango Diocese and government ministers, praised Luwum’s enduring spiritual and moral influence. Plans were also highlighted to develop the martyrdom site into an international pilgrimage center, with proposed projects including a primary school, hospital, and administrative facilities.

Nearly five decades after his death, Janani Luwum remains one of Uganda’s most prominent religious martyrs, remembered for his unwavering stand against injustice and his lasting impact on both spiritual and civic life.