President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has taken an unusual personal jab at former Ethics Minister Miria Matembe, suggesting she exaggerated her physical condition while attending court.
Speaking during a national address on Saturday, Museveni dismissed claims that Uganda has returned to the political repression of previous governments and cited recent court appearances by opposition figures as evidence that suspects are receiving due process.
While making his point, the President singled out Matembe.
“I could even see my sister Matembe limping into court but forgot to limp when she was leaving court,” Museveni remarked.
The comment appeared intended to ridicule what Museveni implied was a dramatic display during court proceedings.
The President made the remarks while responding to critics who have used the slogan “Bizeemu” to argue that Uganda is reverting to the abuses that characterised earlier regimes.
Museveni rejected the comparison, insisting that unlike the past—when political detainees allegedly disappeared or were killed—today’s accused persons are produced before courts where they can defend themselves.
He argued that anyone seeking the truth about current criminal cases should wait for judicial proceedings rather than rely on political rhetoric.
Museveni further defended recent actions by security agencies, saying they were necessary to address what he described as growing impunity, corruption and criminality.
According to the President, security agencies have stepped in because sections of the political class, bureaucracy and judiciary had failed to hold offenders accountable.
He insisted that the operations are not a regression in Uganda’s democratic journey but a continuation of the principles that brought the National Resistance Movement to power in 1986.
The President also maintained that security personnel themselves are held accountable whenever they abuse their authority, citing a previous case involving a man known as Zebra, whose death after contact with security personnel prompted what Museveni described as a traditional reconciliation process with the victim’s family.
Museveni’s remarks are likely to provoke fresh political debate, particularly because Matembe was once one of the most prominent women in the NRM government before becoming one of its fiercest critics.
The former minister has over the years been an outspoken advocate for constitutionalism, human rights and democratic reforms, frequently criticising Museveni’s administration over governance and electoral issues.
Saturday’s public ridicule adds another chapter to the increasingly sharp exchanges between the President and some of his former political allies who have since crossed into opposition politics.
