The Making of Uganda’s Deepening Autocracy

President Yoweri Museveni, in power for four decades, has overseen a steady drift toward autocracy in Uganda. Elections have been held regularly since 1996, yet they have led not to democratization but its opposite. The ruling party uses state coercion and patronage to maintain its political dominance and demobilize the opposition. The emergence of a charismatic opposition candidate, former pop star Robert Kyagulanyi (also known as Bobi Wine), so far has not disrupted this system. After a campaign marked by intensified repression, the official result of the January 2026 elections was another victory for Museveni, with his son positioning to inherit the presidency.