PRETORIA - A video of long-term Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni handing brown envelopes to elderly people as they knelt before him has provoked criticism online.
The video may have first been tweeted by a digital consultant who was taking part in Museveni’s six-day march through the jungle, which started on January 5, according to reports.
The video shows people singing, banging a drum and the president sitting down and being handed a brown envelope from an aide.
An old man then walks up and kneels in front of the president, who passes him the envelope.
Two same routine follows as two more elderly people approach the president.
According to Twitter account @digitaldidan: @KagutaMuseveni says he won’t give all the people in areas which helped him win bush war battles brown envelopes. He adds that these are exclusive only to very few elderly people he’ll meet on his #M7Trek. #AfrikaKwet.
Less than an hour later, opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is expected to stand against Museveni in the 2021 presidential election, retweeted the video, saying it was humiliating to veterans.
"After 34 yrs of NRM/M7 Junta, this is what our people have been reduced to: Kneeling before Ssabagabe(“King of Kings”) in a line to get a small handout in brown envelope! We must end this humiliation now...."
On his official Twitter account, the president thanked those who joined him on the march but did not mention the video.