PreachingHelp.org 
Ever hear of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni? Well, neither had I until today. Museveni is the President of Uganda and has been since 1986. Museveni’s tenure as president has not been without problems, but last month, Museveni did something that put him on the radar. He publicly repented and asked God for personal and national forgiveness.
Here’s the prayer he offered:
“Father God in Heaven, today we stand here as Ugandans, to thank you for Uganda. We are proud that we are Ugandans and Africans. We thank you for all Your goodness to us.
I stand here today to close the evil past—especially in the last 50 years of our national leadership history. [We are] at the threshold of a new dispensation in the life of this nation. I stand here on my own behalf and on behalf of my predecessors to repent. We ask for Your forgiveness.
We confess these sins that have greatly hampered our national cohesion and delayed our political, social and economic transformation.
We confess sins of idolatry and witchcraft which are rampant in our land. We confess sins of shedding innocent blood, sins of political hypocrisy, dishonesty, intrigue and betrayal.
Forgive us of sins of pride, tribalism and sectarianism; sins of laziness, indifference and irresponsibility; sins of corruption and bribery that have eroded our national resources; sins of sexual immorality, drunkenness and debauchery; sins of unforgiveness, bitterness, hatred and revenge; sins of injustice, oppression and exploitation; sins of rebellion, insubordination, strife and conflict.
These sins and many others have characterized our past leadership, especially the last 50 years of our history. Lord forgive us and give us a new beginning. Give us a heart to love You, to fear You and to seek You. Take away from us all the above sins.
We pray for national unity. Unite us as Ugandans and eliminate all forms of conflict, sectarianism and tribalism. Help us to see that we are all Your children, children of the same Father. Help us to love and respect one another and to appreciate unity in diversity.
We pray for prosperity and transformation. Deliver us from ignorance, poverty and disease. As leaders, give us wisdom to help lead our people into political, social and economic transformation.
We want to dedicate this nation to You so that You will be our God and guide. We want Uganda to be known as a nation that fears God and as a nation whose foundations are firmly rooted in righteousness and justice to fulfill what the Bible says in Psalm 33:12: ‘Blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord. A people You have chosen as Your own.’
I renounce all the evil foundations and covenants that were laid in idolatry and witchcraft. I renounce all the satanic influence on this nation. And I hereby covenant Uganda to You, to walk in Your ways and experience all Your blessings forever.
I pray for all these in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
At least in this respect, Museveni stands in good company along with Daniel (Daniel 9:3-19) and Moses (Exodus 32:11-14). You know, I just wonder…just imagine…what if…do you think…could it ever? Well, I don’t know if we can ever get such a response out of our national leader, whomever he may be, but what’s stopping us from rising up as God’s people and fervently making intercession by confessing our personal and national sins?
Steve, is there somewhere that one could go to hear the prayer??
I don’t know, but I doubt if you would understand Swahili, or one of the other 40 indigenous languages he may have used. He may have spoken it in English, but I don’t know.
Museveni has a history of gimmicks and showy things. I appreciate the content of his prayer, but it remains to see if he reverses his record of human rights abuses and oppression in Uganda. From personal experience–I highly doubt it.
By the way, he spoke it in English. Very few Ugandans actually speak Swahili…
Andrew, thanks for your comments. I am aware of several of this mans problems. My article wasn’t an endorsement of his presidency, but of this specific action.
I’ll take your word god of Andrew. I couldn’t find an audio of his prayer. I do know that Uganda has over 40 languages, Swahili being one of two official languages. But whatever language he said it in, I’m glad he said it, and love demands we think the best, so I’ll assume he means it.