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Life in Uganda’s bustling capital city of Kampala seemingly goes on as normal, something that seems far out of reach in many European countries. Most citizens seem more preoccupied with the political climate though, than with any disease-causing microorganism. The Ugandan presidential elections took place a few weeks ago, on January 18th, and while the city is now peaceful, tension is in the air. This is perpetuated by the pickup trucks full of military police on the roads, armored vehicles parked in byways and the restrictions on access to social media. As well as this, the leader of the most prominent opposition party, Bobi Wine, was held in house arrest for over 11 days after the votes were cast.
This is not new for Bobi, a pop star turned politician, who has been a regular target of state oppression. Since being elected head of his party, the National Unity Platform, he has been arrested copious times, and has even claimed that an attempt had been made on his life. During a campaign in 2018, Wine was arrested, and in custody was beaten so viciously that he travelled to the United States to be treated for his injuries. In 2020, after he was arrested again in November, nationwide protests led to the deaths of at least 54 people. Needless to say, the tactics of the current party in power, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) led by President Museveni, have been far from the conventional definition of democratic. Somewhat ironically, murals along a main road in the city proclaim ‘Power belongs to the people’ ‘Your vote is your power’ and give instructions for casting ballots. Conversations I’ve had with uber drivers, boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) men, and other (mostly older) Kampala residents left an impression of resignation- most said that they didn’t even vote, as intimidation from armed police was rife, queues at polling stations interminable, and ‘Museveni was going to win anyway’. This is not an unreasonable assumption, as he has been winning elections for the past 35 years. Some older citizens who still remember Uganda’s long history of war support the NRM because, true to their slogan of stability, they have kept the country peaceful.
The audience I have not had as much interaction with are the youth of Kampala. This demographic is the most threatening to Mr. Museveni’s reign. As The Conversation’s article titled “Museveni has failed to win over young, urban Ugandans” claims, support for Museveni has waned in the capital city. Young people make up most of Uganda’s population; the median age in the country is 17, and in 2018, 78% of the population was under 30. Most of these young people are also without jobs; university graduates turn to driving for Uber, many more cannot afford higher education and try to find other informal work. This young, urban population is the foundation of Bobi Wine’s support. Their dissatisfaction is rooted in economic and political exclusion and lack of opportunity for stable employment.
It is unclear whether the polls this year really were ‘rigged’ as Wine has claimed; the fact remains that Museveni still dominates rural Uganda, where three quarters of the population reside. What is clear, is that the NRM are using violence and oppression of both other political parties and the civilian population to remain the only voice in Uganda. What is also increasingly apparent, is that people are becoming tired of hearing it.
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