By Aggrey Baba
Former Makerere University Guild President, Dr. Shamim Nambassa, has hit back at President Museveni following his comment urging Ugandans to send to Parliament people who “wear clothes with the right color [Yellow].”
The President made the remarks on Friday during roadside engagements with residents in Jinja, Njeru, Mukono Town, and Kalerwe Market, on his way from officiating at a graduation ceremony for 22 officers at the National Defense College (NDC) in Jinja.
In a post shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Museveni said he was happy to connect with the people and promised to return to share more on socio-economic transformation, adding: “I asked them to send better representatives to Parliament because the ones they send do not help them much and they do not wear clothes with the right color.”
This statement quickly sparked reactions online, with many interpreting it as a veiled reference to opposition MPs from Robert Kyagulanyi’s National Unity Platform (NUP), known for wearing red.
Dr. Nambassa, a known NUP subscriber responded with a strongly worded post of her own, saying: “Can you imagine this is the reasoning of our supposed ‘president’? That people don’t get good services just because their MPs don’t wear the right colors?”
Her comment resonated with many, especially among the youth, who felt Museveni’s words pointed to a deeper issue of political discrimination in service delivery.
It should be recalled that in the 2021 general elections, NUP dominated parliamentary races in central Uganda and many other urban districts in different regions, winning the majority of seats in districts like Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, and Masaka, and Jinja. Before that, the region had largely voted for the FDC.
The President’s comment, though brief, revived a long-running debate about how state services are distributed. For some, it raised concern that development projects and basic services may be tied to political loyalty.
While addressing the UPDF officers in Jinja, Museveni praised the army for evolving into a professional and ideological force, congratulating the graduates and authorizing them to use the ‘NDC’ symbol, describing them as a new generation of strategic thinkers.
He said the UPDF was built on strategy, ideology, and pan-Africanism, and that the army remains committed to the region’s liberation and stability.
Shamim Nambassa’s response added weight to an already heated discussion, with her brief but pointed message, questioning whether access to good services in Uganda now depends on political affiliations.
As one proverb goes, “You can’t milk a cow by beating it with a stick.” And for many watching the unfolding debate, that proverb seems to capture the mood, arguing that leadership should unite rather than divide. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
