President Museveni has urged East African leaders to deepen regional integration, warning that failure to unite economically and politically risks "mis-cooking" the African revolution and condemning the continent to continued marginalization.
Speaking after assuming the rotating chairmanship of the East African Community over the weekend in Arusha, Museveni used a traditional Ugandan concept -- "okukonesa" -- to illustrate his warning.
He described it as the act of undercooking food by failing to apply sufficient heat for the required time, leaving it spoiled and difficult to salvage.
Museveni said Africa risks a similar outcome if it fails to fully pursue its historic missions of liberation, modernization, prosperity and strategic security.
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"Instead of Uhuru na Umoja -- freedom and unity -- we risk ending up with Uhuru na Uhasama, freedom and discord," he told regional leaders.
Lessons from Africa's History
Museveni traced Africa's political struggles back to the colonial era, arguing that the continent's earlier leaders failed to respond effectively to European expansion and technological advances.
He cited the arrival of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on the East African coast in 1498 as a turning point that eventually led to centuries of slavery and colonization. By 1900, nearly the entire continent had fallen under European control, with the exception of Ethiopia, which defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa in 1896.
However, Museveni noted that Africa eventually produced powerful resistance movements and intellectual currents that drove the struggle for independence. He highlighted Pan-African thinkers such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey, as well as the role of liberation movements including the African National Congress.
By 1963, he said, dozens of African states had gained independence amid a global anti-colonial wave.
Museveni argued that Africa's next challenge is economic transformation, which he said requires large regional markets to support businesses and attract investment.
"The more buyers you have, the more prosperous you become," he said, emphasizing that economic integration within East Africa and across the continent is essential.
He pointed to major global economies such as the United States, China and India as examples of how large domestic markets support growth and investment.
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According to Museveni, Africa's combined GDP of about $3.6 trillion still lags far behind these economic giants, underscoring the need for continental cooperation through initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area and regional blocs.
Beyond economic cooperation, Museveni also called for political integration in Africa's regional blocs, arguing that larger federations would enhance strategic security.
He said political federation would enable African states to defend themselves more effectively across land, air, sea and space.
"Strategic security can only come from political integration," he said.
Museveni praised past Pan-African leaders including Julius Nyerere, Kwame Nkrumah and Ahmed Sékou Touré for championing African unity.
Museveni appealed to young Africans to revive the ideals of unity championed by earlier Pan-Africanists.
He recounted a final conversation he had with Nyerere in Arusha, during which the two leaders discussed the importance of East African unity and the shared linguistic and cultural ties across the region.
"What God has put together, man should not separate," Museveni said, referencing the close cultural links across East Africa and the unifying role of the Swahili language.
He urged the region's leaders and youth to recommit to unity, warning that without deeper integration, Africa risks repeating the mistakes of its past.
