Alebtong, Uganda | Uganda’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Rebecca Amuge Otengo, has praised President Yoweri Museveni as a leader whose strategic thinking continues to influence the country’s position internationally.
Speaking on Wednesday, 3 December, during a prayer gathering attended by political leaders and election contestants in Alebtong District, Ambassador Otengo said Uganda remains small but powerful because of what she described as the President’s deliberate and calculated approach to leadership.
Otengo, who is also Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the African Union, told attendees that influential figures from across the world frequently travel to Addis Ababa seeking meetings with President Museveni to benefit from his strategic counsel.
She said many of them leave satisfied with the depth of his analysis.
She explained that the President’s leadership style is rooted in patience and tolerance and that he listens more than he speaks.
She added that he does not entertain blackmail or discussions that focus on attacking others but instead expects conversations centred on national development and the welfare of the population.
The ambassador said God has given Uganda a good leader and noted that part of her responsibility abroad is to facilitate access for international actors who wish to engage with the president.
Otengo urged Ugandans to unite behind President Museveni in the forthcoming election, saying he remained popular and, in her view, would be re-elected. She said her perspective was shaped by her experience working in international diplomatic spaces.
She also referred to the era of former President Dr. Apollo Milton Obote, saying Ugandans from across the country had supported him and that a similar sense of unity was needed today.
Otengo commended Bishop Tom Ibrahim Okello of All Nations for his longstanding support to the people of Alebtong, particularly during the time when communities lived in internally displaced persons’ camps.
The ambassador acknowledged that leaders serving communities with limited resources often face challenges and sometimes go beyond their usual duties to meet people’s needs.
She encouraged leaders to work together to ensure that government programmes aimed at fighting poverty achieve their intended goals.
She also urged both current and incoming leaders to take their oversight roles seriously by monitoring government interventions effectively.
In his sermon, Bishop Okello encouraged the community to elect leaders with integrity, those who could represent their constituents well, and demonstrate strong moral values.
He advised voters to fulfil their civic responsibility by participating in elections while trusting God to guide the choice of leaders.
He told the congregation that it is ultimately God who determines who becomes chairperson, councillor, or member of parliament.
The bishop warned that accepting money from politicians in exchange for votes had contributed to the rise of corruption and led many leaders to prioritize personal wealth over service.
He noted that in the 1950s, it was voters who often gave money to candidates as a gesture of support, but the trend had since reversed, with politicians now spending heavily to secure votes.
He added that leaders without money often felt discouraged from contesting and that the practice had blinded voters and caused them to elect unsuitable leaders.
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