Name: Longtime leader takes on Ghetto president in Ugandas election
Uploaded: 2026-01-14T18:25:55.444Z
Duration: 3 min 42 s
Description: Ugandans head to the polls on Thursday (January 15) with Yoweri Museveni, president for four decades, taking on pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine for the second time.

Ugandans head to the polls on Thursday (January 15) with Yoweri Museveni, president for four decades, taking on pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine for the second time.

Kampala

Uganda's presidential election features long-serving leader Yoweri Museveni running for a seventh term against opposition candidate Bobby Wine, a former pop star known as the 'ghetto president.' Museveni, in power since 1986, is credited with stabilizing the country and gaining international support, but his tenure has also been marked by allegations of corruption and election irregularities.

Bobby Wine, whose real name is Robert Chagulani, has mobilized Uganda's large youth population despite facing repeated arrests and violence against his supporters. Analysts note that Museveni's strong control over state institutions makes his re-election highly likely, despite Wine's popularity among young voters.

Longtime leader takes on 'Ghetto president' in Uganda's election

One is Uganda's long-time ruler and former rebel leader, the other a pop star turned politician known as the ghetto president. Now incumbent, Uweri Museveni is going head to head at the ballot box for the second time against Bobby Wyne. Here's what to know about the two main candidates in Thursday's election. When Museveni seized power in 1986, he described Africa's problem as leaders who overstay. Four decades later and he's seeking his seventh term in office. His first term came amid a wave of optimism. Museveni had led an insurgency that helped topple the brutal despot Idi Amin in 1979. I became a soldier to defend myself and my people against state-inspired violence. Museveni has since cultivated foreign allies by embracing the security priorities of the West, sending peacekeepers to hotspots such as Somalia and South Sudan and welcoming huge numbers of refugees. His government also won praise for tackling the AIDS epidemic and for beating back the Lord's Resistance army that brutalised Ugandans for nearly 20 years. But widespread corruption has hollowed out state services. Under a privatisation programme, dozens of state enterprises were sold to Museveni's relatives and cronies at fire sale prices. That's according to parliamentary reports that said some of the proceeds were embezzled. Museveni has acknowledged that some government officials have engaged in corrupt practices but says all those who have been caught have been prosecuted. Museveni's opponents have also rejected previous election results citing alleged irregularities, which the government has denied. Successive elections have also been marred by violence and crackdowns on the government's opponents. And that brings us to Bobby Wine. He has, he says, been beaten, tasered and attacked with tear gas and pepper spray while campaigning against what he calls Museveni's dictatorship. He first stood for the presidency in 2021 in an election period in which security forces killed more than 50 opposition supporters. Wine was detained several times and started wearing a bulletproof jacket and helmet. This time around, security forces have detained hundreds of opposition supporters and repeatedly fired live bullets and tear gas at campaign events. The government has said security forces only intervene when Wine supporters violate campaign rules. A lot of impunity has been ongoing. Unfortunately, under the watch and conspicuous silence of the electoral commission. Wine, legal name Robert Chagulani, was just three when Museveni came to power. His musical career took off in the early 2000s with songs decrying urban poverty and political repression. His music and his politics, he says, were inspired by his mother's struggles as she hawked street food in a slum in the capital Kampala. By mobilising millions of young Ugandans, Wine has emerged as Museveni's most formidable challenger in years. Uganda has one of the world's youngest populations with over 73% of its 46 million people under the age of 30. However, Wine faces an uphill battle as, according to political analysts, Museveni's grip on state institutions means his victory is all but assured.

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