'I need change' Young Ugandans losing faith after 'rigged' election

When Uganda's electoral commission declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner of the 2026 general election this month, there was little surprise among the country's younger voters.

- John Musenze

Those aged under 35 make up more than three-quarters (78%) of Ugandans - the second youngest population in the world - and for many, the news of Museveni's victory confirmed what they had expected. For some, it also crushed the fragile hope inspired by the rise of the opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine.

Sarah Namubiru, 21, a university student hoping to be a teacher, says she did not vote for Museveni because of the low salaries in the teaching profession.

"The results were not a reflection of what we want and I am disappointed because it seems my vote was not respected. I am wondering where I will get a job with thousands of teachers superior than me being idle. I do not know anyone in the government and we all know you need to know someone to get a job. For me, that's why I need change."

In 2021, a report by the national planning authority highlighted that 87% of graduates in Uganda were unable to find employment, with most ending up doing odd jobs such as riding motorcycle taxis (boda bodas).

Museveni, 81, has been president since 1986. He won his seventh term this month with 70% of the vote, amid claims of fraud and after a nationwide internet shutdown in the two days before the poll. In his victory speech he accused the opposition of being terrorists, while Wine, who won 25% of the vote, went into hiding after a police raid on his home.

To his supporters, Museveni remains a guarantor of stability within the country and the region. To critics, his rule represents stagnation and a youth unemployment crisis. He has also been accused of overseeing brutal crackdowns against any dissent and widespread human rights abuses.