You Can’t Be Young at 40, Museveni Tells Bobi Wine

Museveni hosting social media influencers on Sunday

President Yoweri Museveni has pushed back against long-standing claims by opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, that he represents Uganda’s young generation challenging an ageing political establishment.

Speaking to social media influencers at his farm in Kisozi on Sunday, Museveni questioned the idea that someone in their 40s can still describe themselves as “young,” in what appeared to be a direct response to Bobi Wine’s frequent remarks targeting the President’s age and long stay in power.

Bobi Wine, who is 41, has consistently portrayed himself as a youthful alternative to Museveni, 81, arguing that Uganda’s future should be shaped by young people who form the majority of the population. The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader has also maintained that younger leaders bring modern ideas and strategies capable of dismantling what he describes as an outdated political system.

Museveni, however, used his own life story to challenge that narrative.

“I bought Rwakitura when I was 22 years old. I was a temporary teacher, and when I earned my first salary, I went and bought Rwakitura,” Museveni said.

“I left my colleagues in Mbarara learning how to dance with girls. I went and bought Rwakitura. It was a bush,” he added.

The President said the experience shaped his understanding of wealth creation and long-term planning at an early age.

Museveni further noted that when he acquired land in Kisozi in 1990, he was already in his 40s — an age he says cannot reasonably be described as youthful.

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“When I bought this land here in Kisozi in 1990, this was a bush, but by that time I was already in my 40s,” Museveni said.

“I see Bobi Wine is in his 30s or 40s. He says he is a young man also. You are still young at 40? You can’t say, ‘I am young’ at 40,” he remarked.

The President used the example to draw a distinction between wealth and development, a theme he has repeatedly emphasized during the recent election campaign.

“What I have been telling you in the elections is the difference between wealth and development. By that time there was tarmac in Mbarara, but in Rwakitura it was bush, no roads — but there was wealth, the pastures for my cows. So, I went and bought the land,” he explained.

The exchange reflects a broader and ongoing national debate about age, leadership, and generational change in Uganda’s politics. With the majority of the population under 35, calls for youth inclusion remain strong. However, Museveni continues to argue that leadership should be judged not by age alone, but by experience, ideology, and long-term vision.