Yoweri Museveni: Meet 81-Year-Old President Who Wants to Rule Uganda for 7th Term
- Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, 81, is seeking a seventh term after nearly four decades in power, having ruled the country since 1986
- While supporters credit him with stability, economic growth and security, critics accuse him of weakening democratic institutions, suppressing opposition and amending the constitution
- With a youthful population largely unfamiliar with any other leader, concerns are growing over succession, especially amid speculation about a possible family dynasty
Legit.ng's Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award-winning journalist with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
For Ugandans under 40, who make up more than three-quarters of the population, there has only ever been one president, Yoweri Museveni.
He seized power in 1986 following a five-year guerrilla war, and at 81, he shows no sign of stepping down.
Source: Getty Images
According to the BBC, his long rule has brought relative peace and notable development, earning gratitude from many, but critics argue that his tenure has been defined by sidelining opponents and undermining independent institutions.
“We don't believe in presidential term limits,” Museveni once told the BBC, secure in his authority after winning a fifth election.
A year later, the age limit for presidential candidates was removed, paving the way for what many believe could be a lifetime in office.
Who is Museveni?
Museveni was born in 1944 in Ankole, western Uganda, into a family of cattle keepers.
He came of age during Uganda's struggle for independence from Britain, a period followed by political turmoil under Milton Obote and the notorious Idi Amin.
Reflecting on his early years, he later wrote that he did not even know his exact birth date, as life-threatening challenges such as extra-judicial killings and looting left little time for such concerns.
In 1967, Museveni left Uganda to study economics and political science at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where he forged alliances with politically active students from across the region.
His political profile rose in the 1970s after Amin's coup, and he played a key role in forming the Front for National Salvation, a rebel group that, with Tanzania’s support, helped overthrow Amin.
Amin’s brutal eight-year rule had left an estimated 400,000 dead and expelled much of Uganda’s Asian community.
How Museveni came into power
After Amin’s fall, Milton Obote returned to power through a general election, but Museveni rejected the results as rigged.
He launched a guerrilla campaign in 1981, and by 1986, his National Resistance Movement had captured Kampala, bringing Museveni to the presidency.
The following decade saw steady economic growth averaging over 6% per year, primary school enrollment doubled, and HIV infection rates declined due to nationwide anti-AIDS campaigns.
Museveni became a darling of the West, though his reputation suffered in 1998 when Uganda and Rwanda invaded the Democratic Republic of Congo to support rebels, as reported by the BBC.
Around this time, critics noted his decreasing tolerance for dissent and his apparent unwillingness to relinquish power.
Once a vocal critic of African leaders overstaying their welcome, he oversaw constitutional changes in 2005 that removed presidential term limits and, in 2017, eliminated the age cap for presidential candidates—a move that sparked a chaotic parliamentary brawl.
Source: Getty Images
Allegations of institutional weakening have also marked Museveni’s rule. The judiciary has been accused of recruiting loyalist “cadre judges,” and media independence has repeatedly come under threat. Opposition figures, including Kizza Besigye and pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine, have faced arrests, imprisonment, and harassment.
Bobi Wine, who now commands significant youth support, was tear-gassed and even shot at during protests in 2021, while UN reports indicate security forces have recently used firearms and unmarked vans to disperse opposition activities.
Museveni supporters are in support
Despite these concerns, Museveni’s supporters point to decades of stability and humanitarian contributions. Uganda now hosts more than 1.7 million refugees, a dramatic reversal from its previous status as a net exporter of refugees in the 1980s.
Some Ugandans, like Ndyasima Patrick, who attended a rally for Bobi Wine, admit they would vote for Museveni, crediting him with keeping the country stable and noting that younger opposition leaders may not yet have the experience to govern.
Over the years, Museveni has also cultivated Uganda’s economy and foreign relations, forging deals with China, the UK, and the UAE, and envisioning a middle-income Uganda by 2040.
He has made personal efforts to show vitality, from doing press-ups in 2020 during lockdown to publicly addressing his health. Yet critics worry that the presidency is becoming a family enterprise: his wife Janet serves as Education Minister, his son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba commands the army, and his grandson has recently joined military ranks.
Museveni's son may succeed him
Speculation abounds that Muhoozi may eventually succeed his father, a scenario that could alter Uganda’s legacy of stability.
For now, however, Museveni appears confident in his ability to secure another term. During a New Year’s Eve address, he told Ugandans, “Uganda is secure. Go out and vote.
The Ugandan NRM are unstoppable.” At 81, with nearly four decades in power, Museveni remains both a symbol of continuity and a focal point of controversy as Uganda approaches another pivotal election.
Bobi Wine's plan to end Museveni's reign failed
Meanwhile, Bobi Wine had earlier expressed determination that he would end the over three-decade rule of Museveni.
In a chat with Legit.ng in 2019, when he visited Nigeria, Bobi Wine expressed confidence that he was going to be the next president of Uganda.
He, however, said that his presidential ambition is not the most important thing. He said what is important is to "infect" Africans with the (revolutionary) mentality.
Source: Legit.ng
