Long-serving Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday, June 29, 2025, celebrated his wife, Janet Museveni’s, 77th birthday, sharing fond memories of exile and their movement from one country to another during the guerrilla war.
In a statement on Sunday, June 29, 2025, Museveni thanked Janet profusely for raising their four children as a single mother in the early 80s.
“I want to honour her incredible strength as a single parent from 1981 to 1986 while I was away. Between 1971 and 1979, I was more present, supporting our family with resources from Mwalimu Nyerere and briefly teaching. During my absence, she managed on her own with the children in Nairobi and Sweden,” Museveni stated.
“I also appreciate her for not just raising our children but also for founding UWESO to care for orphans and widows after the war. Initially hesitant about her political aspirations in Ruhaama, I recognised her commitment after discussions with community elders. As Minister for Karamoja, she did a good job despite some unfamiliar political issues due to her focus on UWESO and later on the Bible,” Museveni recalled.
Life in exile
After Amin’s regime was overthrown in April 1979, Janet initially returned to Uganda from Tanzania, where she had been living with her husband. However, the political instability persisted.
When Yoweri Museveni launched his guerrilla war against President Obote’s government in February 1981, Janet and their children were forced to relocate once more, seeking refuge and stability outside Uganda’s borders.
The family’s first significant move during this second period of exile was to Nairobi, Kenya. From 1981 to 1983, Janet Museveni and her children resided in Nairobi, staying with family friends.
This period would have presented immense challenges for Janet, as she navigated life in a foreign country, far from her husband, who was engaged in a fierce armed struggle.
Shield children
Her focus would have been solely on providing a semblance of normalcy and security for their young children, shielding them from the anxieties and dangers of their father’s fight.
The family’s first significant move during this second period of exile was to Nairobi, Kenya. From 1981 to 1983, Janet Museveni and her children resided in Nairobi, staying with family friends.
This period would have presented immense challenges for Janet, as she navigated life in a foreign country, far from her husband, who was engaged in a fierce armed struggle.
Her focus would have been solely on providing a semblance of normalcy and security for their young children, shielding them from the anxieties and dangers of their father’s fight.
In 1983, the family’s journey continued, taking them to Gothenburg, Sweden. They remained in Sweden until May 1986, four months after Museveni’s National Resistance Army successfully captured power in Kampala.
