Pictorial: Museveni, First Lady Renew Vows on 50th Wedding Anniversary

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni have today celebrated their 50th marriage anniversary at a colorful ceremony.

The couple got married at Turnham Green Church, England on the 24th of August 1973, first exchanged their marriage commitment vows at Kyamate Church of Uganda, Ntungamo District at a function presided over by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, His Grace, Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu

President Museveni used the occasion to remind people to always differentiate between what he said was “life and facilitation to life”. The President noted that whereas other worldly things such as wealth, education and professionalism were important, the real meaning of life is in the family and the marriage institution because it guarantees the continuity of humanity.

He told the congregation that he was happy and proud of the contribution of his wife Mrs. Janet to his life because on top of physically giving him company and saving him from loneliness, she has enabled him to multiply and expand his family through their children and grandchildren. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Maama Janet because through her I found company, did away with loneliness but also managed to expand my family, as you can see it's now a bigger family,” he noted.

“We were born and grew up in very difficult times with many challenges in life especially diseases such as measles, polio, chicken pox, smallpox, malaria etc. without immunization and I personally suffered from all these diseases, but God protected us through and here we are,” he asserted.

President Museveni further used the occasion to thank the people of Greater Ankole, Uganda and the African continent at large for the support they rendered to their family and the bigger Ugandan family especially during the difficult times of bad governance, wars and life in exile.

On her Part, Mrs. Janet Museveni, who is also the Minister of Education and Sports, said that their 50 years celebration was a commemoration of “God’s faithfulness to them and their family”. “This is a celebration of God’s faithfulness to us as a family because we have gone through a lot as a family but God has protected us and used us to serve Uganda and humanity in general,” she said.

In his sermon, His Grace Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu greatly commended President Museveni for being a good example of a family man and for standing firm to protect the family institution that he said was under attack globally.

He said that the President and his wife were an encouragement to the younger generation who are getting married and look forward to having similar occasions. He further said that marriage was initiated by God through Adam and Eve and any attack on marriage is an attack on God’s work and an interference with society.

He thanked President Museveni and the First Lady Janet Museveni for not forgetting to thank God whenever they reach any milestone in their life.

“Humanity easily forgets to thank God but thank you for not forgetting to thank God at all times," he noted. “By the way, God is the first surgeon because He made Adam to sleep and removed one rib to make Eve and He made sure that Adam fulfills the duty.”