After 40 Years In Power, 81-Year-Old Ugandan President Begins Fresh Term

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has been sworn in for his seventh term after ruling the East African country for the past four decades.

Museveni, 81, had ruled the country for 40 years and was sworn in on Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term, to extend his presidency over a further five years.

Museveni took the oath of office and received the ceremonial instruments of power while being cheered by thousands in the Kampala suburb of Kololo.

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The president urged Ugandans to work hard and build wealth for their families, citing the stories of individuals whose entrepreneurial spirit had paid off.

“No more excuses,” he said.

Many Ugandans now accept that Museveni’s presidency the only one that many millions of them have known, is nearing its end.

What remains uncertain is the nature of the transition and how orderly things would be in the time he has left in office.

Army Chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the president’s son and presumptive heir, oversaw days-long rehearsals of the military parade.

The parade animated inauguration of Museveni with Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets flying noisily over official ceremonial grounds in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.

(AP/NAN)