EP: 041 Stability, Stagnation, Blood and Ballots: Uganda’s Museveni Seeks 45 Years on Jan. 15, 2026

Send us Fan MailUganda heads into the January 15, 2026 elections under the long shadow of President Yoweri Museveni, a leader who has dominated the country’s political life for nearly four decades and is now seeking what would amount to 45 years in power. At 82, and amid visible signs of physical strain and deteriorating national infrastructure, Museveni is once again asking Ugandans for more time, paradoxically campaigning as a “grievance” candidate against the very system he has built.This election unfolds in an atmosphere marked by systemic violence, shrinking civic space, and mounting pressure on the opposition, particularly supporters of Bobi Wine and the National Unity Platform. Arrests, intimidation, and force have become familiar tools of political control, raising serious concerns about whether the ballot can still function as a credible vehicle for change.Beyond the vote itself lies a deeper question: what comes after Museveni? With persistent speculation around a managed succession involving his son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda faces the possibility of a highly contested and potentially volatile transition. Is the country headed toward stability through continuity, or stagnation enforced by coercion? And does Museveni still possess the political magic that once secured him legitimacy at home and abroad?In this episode, we unpack the forces shaping Uganda’s 2026 election the history, the power dynamics, the violence, and the ballots and examine what this moment means for Uganda’s future and the region at large.