Banking & Finance
Museveni Seeks Seventh Term in Uganda 2026
Museveni launches seventh-term bid for Uganda’s 2026 vote, facing stiff opposition from Bobi Wine and jailed veteran Kizza Besigye.
KAMPALA, Uganda (July 13, 2025) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 80, has officially declared his intention to seek a seventh term in office, collecting nomination papers on Saturday from his ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) headquarters in Kampala.
Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986 after leading a successful rebellion, pledged to eliminate systemic corruption if re-elected. “In this time I want us really to wipe out corruption,” he told cheering supporters gathered at the party’s office.
Once a fierce critic of African leaders who overstay their welcome, Museveni has extended his presidency through constitutional amendments, including the removal of presidential age limits in 2017. This paved the way for a potential lifelong presidency, as Uganda has never experienced a peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1962.
His son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba—now a top military official—has also publicly expressed interest in leading Uganda, fueling speculation of a planned dynastic succession.
Museveni’s main rival is again expected to be Robert Kyagulanyi, a.k.a. Bobi Wine—a popular opposition leader and former musician who ran against him in 2021. Wine has already confirmed his candidacy for the upcoming January 2026 elections and has denounced Museveni’s government as authoritarian.
Wine’s party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), has faced widespread arrests, harassment, and intimidation. Many of his campaign associates remain in jail or in hiding, as Uganda’s security forces continue to suppress opposition activity.
Meanwhile, longtime opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye, a former presidential contender and retired army colonel, remains jailed since November 2024 on controversial treason charges. From behind bars, he recently launched a new opposition movement—the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF)—indicating that resistance to Museveni’s rule is intensifying, even from prison cells.
With nearly 40 years in power, Museveni remains one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. Critics say his presidency has become increasingly autocratic, marked by:
- Suppression of civil liberties
- Surveillance of opposition
- Erosion of democratic institutions
While Museveni insists he brings “stability and experience,” many Ugandans—particularly the youth—see his seventh-term bid as a step away from democracy and accountability.
As the 2026 elections approach, Uganda faces a defining political moment: whether to uphold a dynastic status quo or open the door to peaceful transition and reform.