Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has officially declared President Yoweri Museveni, 80, as its presidential candidate for the 2026 general election, setting the stage for his potential seventh term and extending his grip on power to over four decades.
Museveni, who first took office in 1986 after a guerrilla war, accepted the party’s nomination during the NRM national conference on Saturday, pledging to continue his mission of transforming Uganda into a “high upper middle-income country.” He emphasized stability, industrialization, and historical progress as core elements of his next term agenda. “Other countries in Asia with fewer natural resources have done it. We can do it too,” he said.
Despite his development promises, Museveni remains a deeply polarizing figure. Critics accuse him of ruling with an iron fist, systematically dismantling democratic institutions, and using state machinery to suppress dissent. The Ugandan constitution has been amended twice, first in 2005 to remove term limits and again in 2017 to eliminate the presidential age limit, allowing Museveni to remain eligible for re-election.
His expected main challenger is Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, a pop star-turned-politician and leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP). Wine, who garnered significant support from Uganda’s youth during the 2021 elections, told the BBC in April that he intends to challenge Museveni again but described the increasing difficulty of opposition politics in Uganda: “Being in the opposition means being labelled a terrorist,” he said.
The 2021 election saw Museveni secure 59% of the vote to Wine’s 35% in a race marred by widespread allegations of vote rigging, violence, and a total internet shutdown. Human rights organizations documented numerous cases of arbitrary arrests, disappearances, and brutality against opposition supporters.
Another veteran opposition figure, Dr. Kizza Besigye, a former Museveni ally and four-time presidential candidate, remains in detention on treason charges, which he strongly denies, claiming they are politically motivated.
Museveni’s announcement comes at a time of increasing international scrutiny over Uganda’s democratic backsliding, as well as domestic economic pressure fueled by inflation, youth unemployment, and discontent over government corruption.
Still, the NRM leadership and its supporters tout Museveni’s role in stabilizing Uganda after years of dictatorship and civil war, citing improved infrastructure, expanded electricity access, and economic growth as his administration’s key achievements.
The 2026 election is expected to be fiercely contested, with the political environment already charged. Observers warn that without genuine electoral reforms, transparent voter registration, and the restoration of political freedoms, Uganda risks descending further into authoritarianism under the guise of electoral democracy.
With Museveni now confirmed as the NRM flagbearer, Uganda stands at a critical crossroads between political continuity and generational change.
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