Almost 30 years ago, a young man (by then in the name of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni) stood up in a gathering of African heads of states and political eleders and committed sacrilege!

Museveni told the African political elders and heads of states and the whole continent of Africa that “the problem of Africa was leaders (presidents) who refused to retire from power…!”

This was a political gathering of African presidents that included fossils like fallen president of Zaire (currently Democratic Republic of Congo) Mobutu, Arap Moi of Kenya, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kaunda of Zambia and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe most of whom post African independence leaders.

After Museveni’s speech, Nyerere got up to the podium after him and referred to Museveni as “this young man.”

Nyerere ever astute read the writing on the wall and retired himself gently from power keeping the chairmanship of Chama Chamapinduzi (CCM) allowing a successor he had mentored to take over.

President Kaunda followed suite, Mobutu needed a bit of work and had to be hogtied and dragged away by rebels who came from Uganda. President Moi being a bit slow too needed a fair bit of persuasion to quit politics.

The young man Museveni who represented a new breed of African leaders, young, outspoken, educated, and represented a new era has unfortunately fallen into the foot steps of Mobutu, Moi among others.

Three decades later, this brash and arrogant young man Museveni is now an old man. He has had to eat his own vomit and join the elders he embarrassed then. He is now an old man who has overstayed in power but insists he is the only man with a vision in Uganda!

On Tuesday, Museveni had to sit through the embarrassment of being told the blunt truth by another young man, Barack Obama, a son of Africa that over staying in power is bad.

Obama reminded him of those words in a subtle way. He talked about those who came to mourn Mandela while denying their people the right to dissent.

Ends