Uganda's Museveni: seven times a president, still wants another term

Thirty-nine years and counting, Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has sought reelection to the country's top seat for the seventh time, sparking debate on whether Ugandans will see meaningful political and economic change.

- Halima Athumani

Bangirana Ismael, a National Resistance Movement supporter attending Museveni's nomination celebration, voiced a common complaint: “We are earning less and spending more.

“We just want Museveni to create more jobs, so our earnings match the standard of living.”

Last year’s Uganda National Population and Housing Census indicates 33% of Ugandan households are still outside the money economy, with the majority involved in subsistence farming — for food rather than commercial purposes.

Legislator Wilson Kajwengye of the ruling National Resistance Movement party (NRM) says “the intention of the NRM is to shift that”.

Kajwengye says the government policy of the Parish development model will “uplift more Ugandans into the money economy and reduce that percentage drastically”.

The confident Kajwengye says Museveni’s seventh bid for the presidency “assures Ugandans of continuity, stability and steady growth”.

He says the NRM has progressive policies which will grow the economy tenfold, expressing hope that by 2026-27, “we are going to hopefully have our oil money coming on board”.

Uganda has about 6.5 billion barrels of oil, of which 1.4 billion barrels are estimated as recoverable. Production is expected to start in June, with the construction of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and central processing facilities completed.

After his nomination in Kampala, Museveni, wearing a yellow shirt and blue pants with his iconic grey bucket hat, outlined a “double mission” for his next term. “There’s peace in the country, but there’s some crime, corruption, and impunity. The NRM structure should come out and help expose criminals,” he said.

Africa’s fourth-longest serving president is seeking reelection under the slogan “Protecting Our Gains”.

Museveni emphasised that his government needs to tackle corruption, impunity and criminality to help everyday Ugandans benefit from the country’s transformation.