Museveni Poised for Re-election in Uganda as Voters Fear Repeat of 2021 Crackdown | WPN World People News

Uganda, an East African nation, will hold a presidential election on the 15th. President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has been in power since 1986, is almost certain to extend his nearly four-decade rule. His main challenger is 43-year-old opposition leader Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, running for president for the second time. A former popular singer, Bobi Wine’s last bid in 2021 ended in bloodshed and disappointment.

Despite widespread expectations that Museveni will win re-election, human rights groups and international observers have accused authorities of arrests, abductions, and media intimidation ahead of the vote. Bobi Wine has been repeatedly detained during the campaign and has even appeared at rallies wearing a bulletproof vest, describing the election as having turned into “a war.” Speaking at a rally of his National Unity Platform (NUP) party, he said: “They cannot abduct all of us. The prisons are already full, and there are still millions of Ugandans who want change.”

Many citizens, however, fear a repeat of the violent crackdown seen in 2021. Winnie Promise Nantume, a resident of the capital, said that election left “people losing their lives and their belongings, and that makes us very afraid.” Concerns about democratic backsliding in the region also persist. Violence and allegations of fraud marred Tanzania’s election last year, with security forces killing hundreds of protesters, while a series of protests in Kenya since 2024 have left dozens of demonstrators dead, with perpetrators going unpunished.