SIX Ugandan presidential candidates waited for several minutes after being introduced at Saturday evening’s debate before President Yoweri Museveni appeared belatedly on stage.

Because Museveni has never participated in such a debate during his 30 years in office, the moment was historic.

The president offered an explanation as to why he missed a previous debate in January.

“Thank you very much for organizing this debate,” he said. “The other time I did not come because I was far away.”

The eight candidates – the last one appeared later in the event – focused on foreign policy and national security issues, while touching on other topics. Health care and education dominated the first debate.

This time around, candidates gave their positions on topics such as whether Uganda should continue sending troops to conflict zones like Somalia and South Sudan; how the country can best fight terrorism threats; if it should withdraw from the International Criminal Court; and how best to improve the economy.