Museveni urges Ugandans to embrace African traditions

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President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans, particularly the youth, to reconnect with their cultural roots and traditional practices, emphasising that heritage and hands-on skills are essential to resilience, self-reliance, and effective leadership.

Speaking during an interactive engagement with youth dubbed ‘Jazz with Jajja’ at State Lodge, Nakasero on Sunday, January 4, 2026,  the President traced his personal values to his upbringing in a traditional African household, highlighting how customs, cattle keeping and community responsibilities instilled toughness and endurance.

President Yoweri Museveni. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

Media team covering the president. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

Museveni recounted his early life in a household where his family maintained strong traditional values, even as some members had begun to embrace Christianity. He explained that his father, Amos Kaguta, and other elders joined the church, but never abandoned the practices that strengthened character and resilience.

“I went with my father to church as a junior member, but we remained traditional. We ate our food, we looked after our cows, which I still do up to now,” Museveni explained. “That is the combination that prepared me for life.”

“My grandfather and father were rich traditional people. They never went into the church but kept their cows; they maintained their traditions,” Museveni said.

President Museveni also spoke light-heartedly about diet and lifestyle, saying he has deliberately maintained a traditional African diet, which he believes has contributed to his stamina and longevity.

He said he does not eat European foods such as rice, noting that he prefers cassava, millet, milk, and other indigenous foods. “If I was eating chapati all the time, I don’t think I would be here,” Museveni remarked, drawing laughter from the audience.

First Daughter, Natasha Museveni Karugire. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

The audience at the 'Jazz with Jajja' talk with President Museveni. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

In response, the First Daughter, Natasha Museveni Karugire, jokingly asked about the fate of chapati lovers, to which the President laughed and replied, “Katonda gyali,” loosely meaning that God is still there for them.

He recalled that two of his uncles had lived to 95 and 104 years, attributing their longevity to traditional diets, physical activity, and a life rooted in African practices.

“This is what gives you stamina,” he said. “Traditional livelihoods, keeping cattle, looking after the land, eating local foods, these things strengthen you.”

He also highlighted the balance between tradition and modernity, urging young Ugandans to embrace the positive aspects of culture while discarding outdated practices.

“African culture should not be discarded wholesale,” he said. “I was talking to the Nabagereka (the queen of the Buganda kingdom), advising her that we remove what is outdated in our traditions but retain what builds strength and character.”

Guests at the Jazz with Jajja event. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

Vision Group CEO, Don Wanyama, in a group photo with guest at the event. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)

Guests at the Jazz with Jajja event. (Credit: Miriam Namutebi)