I have known Yoweri since we were children, reveals Janet

Janet Museveni spoke to BBC on the Network Africa programme on the BBC on love, family and politics

What kind of childhood did you have?

I was a child among many. Our village was a typical African village and every woman was a mother to every child and I loved that. It was such a beautiful time.

Do we still have that today? Do you miss that?

Things have changed lately and we see our children differently; and they behave differently when they [become teenagers]. That is what is foreign to our culture, but I am happy to say that my children have not been difficult even when they were teenagers.

And talking about children, what was the magic when you finally met your future husband? Was it love at first sight?

My husband was one of my childhood friends—people I met in childhood. We went to the same schools, but he was slightly older than I was. Our mothers knew each other, our families therefore knew each other. So, I knew him when I was younger; so, when we met as adults, we were really no strangers.

What was it like? You were in the same school with him, were other girls after him? Why did he choose you anyway?

(Laughter) He did not choose me at that time. We were at school—we were all children. There was a boys’ school and a girls’ school—just across the hill. We would meet on the way going to school, and we just talked about ordinary things. We did not have anything special at that time, but we just knew each other and that is when I first knew him. But later on in life, we met as adults, and we were happy to see each other again.

Then you got married and you had children, but then difficult times came when the war meant that you had to go into exile. Tell me, what was it like living in exile?

Life in exile was very, very difficult— it was lonely and very stressful because managing a young family alone—as a single parent would not be easy at all, especially when I was so far away from home and missing everything that made life as I knew it. It was a very difficult time.

Did you ever dream that after the tough times in exile, your husband was going to be the president and you ending up as the First Lady?

No. That could not be part of even my wildest dream. At that time, what was topmost in my mind were questions like; will we ever get a chance to get home again? Or would my husband even survive the bush [war] to be able to see a free Uganda?

You have been the First Lady for over two decades. What has your role been?

My role was to do what I could do with other mothers of Uganda. When we started, Uganda was different from what you see today and we felt called upon by God, Himself, and I personally felt so grateful God had taken us through hard times and had brought us home alive.

We also thought we could do some work for the civil society and work as volunteers. We started working with children who were orphans because of the war that we went through. Then along the road we started working [on the problem of] HIV/AIDS—which was very difficult. People just didn’t know what this disease was really and it was killing so many people.

Did you know what it was?

No, we couldn’t understand what it was initially, but we knew we had to do something. So, the President started mobilising everybody who was willing to do anything to educate our society—to tell them that there is a new war that was killing old and young [people].

Uganda was hailed as being a role model in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but now this is reversing with new infections being reported. What has brought this on? Are people going back to their old habits?

People have gone back to their old habits, unfortunately, because when we got drugs—anti-retroviral drugs—that would keep people sick but alive, people forgot that HIV/AIDS actually kills and it doesn’t have a cure yet. They bounced back in their life and they started misbehaving, so-to-say, and living very reckless lives. And so, HIV/AIDS is threatening to go up again and that is really a shame because we didn’t think that would happen in Uganda again.

Are you going to seek re-election for your Parliamentary seat?

(Laughter). Yes, I think this time round, I am. But maybe it is the last time I do that. I think I will seek reelection this time round because we are going into elections next year, but I am not growing younger, [so] after the second term of service to my people, I will call it quits.

How do you juggle between your roles as First Lady, wife, MP, minister, mother and grandmother? How do you cope?

I am lucky to have a family that is very supportive. They all throw their [weight] around me and back my work. I go out [to work] with their blessing and I am very happy to have that support from my family.

Do both of you compare notes from work? And do you seek each other’s advice?

Yes, I seek my husband’s advice all the time because he is not just my husband, he is also the President of this nation. And yes, from time to time he also asks me something.

Can you also advise him?

Yes, I can advise him. Whether he takes my advice or not is another thing.

But now that you are a minister in his government, can he sack you if you are not performing well?

I am sure my husband can do that.

How do you react when you read or hear nasty things about the first family?

I now know the world has become mad, just mad. The media is mad and they always have to say things that are really not true. I just chose not to listen to so much that is really stressful, many times. But when I do find what is truly maddening—whether it is about me, my family, my husband—when I feel called upon to say something about it, I do. And my husband doesn’t even listen to all that any more.

Talking about your husband, he has been in power since 1986. How do you rate his performance?

I think he has done a very good job.

But then you could understand people who say, well, he has done his best and he has been there for too long. It’s time for somebody else to try their hand at it. Would you say he has over stayed?

He has not stayed without their mandate. Every time he is [required] to go back to ask for their support, they give it willingly. That signals to the world that it is the Ugandans that want him [in power].

So, you don’t even listen to critics who would say that your husband is running the country like his personal business?

I know that that is rubbish—I am sorry to say this, because he doesn’t. If there is anybody who takes trouble to do everything by the law, it is my husband.