Readers of history will agree with me if i tell you that Museveni learnt a lot from the Presidents and other African leaders who served before him.
Most African Presidents always opted for incapacitating their potential competitors as their quick solution in securing their Presidential seats, which in the long run led to an end of their rule.
Just recently here in Gabon, in 2019, Ali Bongo arrested Maurice Kamto with almost 70 other opposition members, who were tortured to an extent of making them crawl in the mud like ducks. We all know why the Bongo leadership collapsed after 56 years of bad leadership.
However much we accuse president Museveni of torture, he always leaves room for escape or conflict resolution for his opposers.
A good example is Colonel Kiiza Besigye, one of our biggest Opposition figures we have ever had as a country. Despite the humiliation and other unlawful arrests he has experienced as a leader, all his businesses have been operating normally and the President himself has always recommended his wife (Winnie Byanyuma) for international jobs and appointments. This is the first rule. Always leave room for escape or conflict resolution to your competitors.
The second rule is on his ability to work with people he doesn’t agree with. This has been advantageous to his long stay in power because if he notices something good in a person, he will do his best to bring them closer to him, even when he clearly knows that you don’t like him. This has always given him the opportunity to study and master his opposers very well, to an extent that he no-longer considers them as a thereat to his Presidency.
Manipulation of the masses. This is Musaeveni’s master card when it comes to leadership. He knows very well how to convince and calm down the people he leads. He knows when to speak, when to stay silent and when to show up.
