Yoweri Museveni

Last updated

Janet Museveni
(m. 1973)
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Museveni September 2015.jpg
Museveni in 2015
9th President of Uganda
Assumed office
29 January 1986
Acting: 26–29 January 1986
Children4, including Muhoozi
ParentAmos Kaguta (father) Esteri Kokundeka Nganzi (mother)
Education University of Dar es Salaam
Signature M7 signature.jpg
Website Official website
Military service
AllegianceFlag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
Branch/service Front for National Salvation
Popular Resistance Army
National Resistance Army
Years of service1971–1986
Rank General
Battles/wars 1972 invasion of Uganda
Uganda–Tanzania War
Ugandan Bush War

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa [a] (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2024, he is the third-longest consecutively serving current non-royal national leader in the world (after Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Equatorial Guinea and Paul Biya in Cameroon). His government is considered autocratic.

Contents

Born in Ntungamo, Museveni studied political science from the University of Dar es Salaam where he initiated the University Students' African Revolutionary Front. In 1972, he participated in the abortive invasion of Uganda against the regime of President Idi Amin. The next year, Museveni established the Front for National Salvation and fought alongside Tanzanian forces in the Tanzania–Uganda War, which overthrew Amin. Museveni contested the subsequent 1980 general election on the platform of Uganda Patriotic Movement, though claimed electoral fraud after losing to the unpopular Milton Obote. Museveni unified the opposition under the National Resistance Movement and started the Ugandan Bush War. In January 1986, after the decisive Battle of Kampala, Museveni was sworn as president.

As president, Museveni suppressed the Ugandan insurgency and oversaw involvement in the Rwandan Civil War and the First Congo War. He ordered an intervention against the Lord's Resistance Army in an effort to halt their insurgency. His rule has been described by scholars as competitive authoritarianism, or illiberal democracy. The press has been under the authority of government. His presidency has been characterized by an upsurge in anti-gay legislation and activity and numerous constitutional amendments like the scrapping of presidential term and age limits in 2005 and 2017, respectively.

On 16 January 2021, Museveni was reelected to a sixth term with 58.6% of the vote, despite many videos and reports showing ballot box stuffing, over 400 polling stations with 100% voter turnout and human rights violations. As of 2022, after 36 years of his authoritarian rule, Uganda has been ranked 166th in GDP (nominal) per capita and 167th by Human Development Index.

Early life and education

Museveni was estimated to be born on 15 September 1944 [3] to parents Mzee Amos Kaguta (1916–2013), a cattle keeper, and Esteri Kokundeka Nganzi (1918–2001), in Ntungamo. He is an ethnic Hima of the kingdom of Mpororo (now part of Ankole). [4] [5]

According to Julius Nyerere, Museveni's father, Amos Kaguta, was a soldier in the King's African Rifles' 7th battalion during World War II. Yoweri was born, relatives used to say, "His father was a mu-seven" (meaning "in the seventh"). This is how he obtained the name Museveni. [6]

His family migrated to Ntungamo,[ when? ] then within the British Protectorate of Uganda. Museveni attended Kyamate Elementary School, Mbarara High School, and Ntare School for his primary and secondary education. He attended the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania for his tertiary education, where he studied economics and political science. The university at the time was a hot bed of radical pan-African and Marxist political thought. While at university, he formed the University Students' African Revolutionary Front student activist group and led a student delegation to FRELIMO-held territory in Portuguese Mozambique where they received military training. Studying under the leftist Walter Rodney, among others, Museveni wrote a university thesis on the applicability of Frantz Fanon's ideas on revolutionary violence to post-colonial Africa. [7]

Career

1971–1979: Front for National Salvation and the toppling of Amin

The exile forces opposed to Idi Amin invaded Uganda from Tanzania in September 1972 and were repelled. [8] [9] [10] [11] In October, Tanzania and Uganda signed the Mogadishu Agreement that denied the rebels the use of Tanzanian soil for aggression against Uganda. [12] Museveni broke away from the mainstream opposition and formed the Front for National Salvation (FRONASA) in 1973. [8] In August of the same year, he married Janet Kainembabazi. [13]

In October 1978, Ugandan troops invaded the Kagera Salient in northern Tanzania, initiating the Uganda–Tanzania War. Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere ordered the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) to counter-attack and mobilized Ugandan dissidents to fight Amin's regime. Museveni was pleased by this development. In December 1978 Nyerere attached Museveni and his forces to Tanzanian troops under Brigadier Silas Mayunga. [14] [15] Museveni and his FRONASA troops subsequently accompanied the Tanzanians during the counter-invasion of Uganda. He was present during the capture and destruction of Mbarara in February 1979, and involved in the Western Uganda campaign of 1979. [16]

In course of these operations, he alternatively spent time at the frontlines and in Tanzania. While in Tanzania, he discussed the cooperation of various anti-Amin rebel groups as well as the political future of Uganda with Tanzanian politicians and other Ugandan opposition figures such as Obote. He played a significant part in the Moshi Conference which led to the unification of the opposition as the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF). Yusuf Lule was appointed as UNLF chairman and the potential President of Uganda after Amin's overthrow. Museveni felt dissatisfied with the results of the conference, believing that he and his followers were not granted enough representation. [17]

1980–1986: Ugandan Bush War

Military Monument in Park - Dedicated by President Musevenis Wife - Entebbe - Uganda Military Monument in Park - Dedicated by President Museveni's Wife - Entebbe - Uganda.jpg
Military Monument in Park - Dedicated by President Musevenis Wife - Entebbe - Uganda

Obote II and the National Resistance Army

With the overthrow of Amin in 1979 and the contested election that returned Milton Obote to power in 1980, Museveni returned to Uganda with his supporters to gather strength in their rural strongholds in the Bantu-dominated south and south-west to form the Popular Resistance Army (PRA). They planned a rebellion against the second Obote regime (Obote II) and its armed forces, the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA). The insurgency began with an attack on an army installation in the central Mubende district on 6 February 1981. The PRA later merged with former president Yusufu Lule's fighting group, the Uganda Freedom Fighters, to create the National Resistance Army (NRA) with its political wing, the National Resistance Movement (NRM). Two other rebel groups, the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF) and the Former Uganda National Army (FUNA), engaged Obote's forces. The FUNA was formed in the West Nile sub-region from the remnants of Amin's supporters. [18]

The NRA/NRM developed a "Ten-point Programmed" for an eventual government, covering: democracy; security; consolidation of national unity; defending national independence; building an independent, integrated, and self-sustaining economy; improvement of social services; elimination of corruption and misuse of power; redressing inequality; cooperation with other African countries; and a mixed economy. [19]

The Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook estimates that the Obote regime was responsible for more 100,000 civilian deaths across Uganda. [20]

1985 Nairobi Agreement

On 27 July 1985, sub factionalism within the Uganda People's Congress government led to a successful military coup against Obote by his former army commander, Lieutenant-General Tito Okello, an Acholi. Museveni and the NRM/NRA were angry that the revolution for which they had fought for four years had been "hijacked" by the UNLA, which they viewed as having been discredited by gross human rights violations during Obote II. [21]

Despite these reservations, the NRM/NRA eventually agreed to peace talks presided over by a Kenyan delegation headed by President Daniel arap Moi. The talks, which lasted from 26 August to 17 December, were notoriously acrimonious and the resultant ceasefire broke down almost immediately. The final agreement, signed in Nairobi, called for a ceasefire, demilitarization of Kampala, integration of the NRA and government forces, and absorption of the NRA leadership into the Military Council. [22] These conditions were never met.[ citation needed ]

Battle of Kampala

While involved in the peace negotiations, Museveni was courting General Mobutu Sésé Seko of Zaire to forestall the involvement of Zairean forces in support of Okello's military junta. On 20 January 1986, several hundred troops loyal to Amin were accompanied into Ugandan territory by the Zairean military. The forces intervened following secret training in Zaire and an appeal from Okello ten days previously. [23]

By 22 January, government troops in Kampala had begun to quit their posts and masse as the rebels gained ground from the south and south-west. [22]

Presidency

Museveni was sworn in as president on 29 January. "This is not a mere change of guard, it is a fundamental change," said Museveni, after a ceremony conducted by British-born Chief Justice Peter Allen. Speaking to crowds of thousands outside the Ugandan parliament, Museveni promised a return to democracy: "The people of Africa, the people of Uganda, are entitled to a democratic government. It is not a favor from any regime. The sovereign people must be the public, not the government." [24] [25]

Rise to power: 1986–1996

Museveni's meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House in October 1987 ReaganMuseveni.jpg
Museveni's meeting with President Ronald Reagan at the White House in October 1987

Political and economic regeneration

Uganda began participating in an IMF Economic Recovery Program in 1987. Its objectives included the restoration of incentives in order to encourage growth, investment, employment, and exports; the promotion and diversification of trade with particular emphasis on export promotion; the removal of bureaucratic constraints and divestment from ailing public enterprises so as to enhance sustainable economic growth and development through the private sector and the liberalization of trade at all levels. [26]

Human rights and internal security

The NRM came to power promising to restore security and respect for human rights. This was part of the NRM's ten-point programmed, as Museveni noted in his swearing in speech: [27] [28]

The second point on our programme is security of person and property. Every person in Uganda must [have absolute] security to live wherever he wants. Any individual, any group who threatens the security of our people must be smashed without mercy. The people of Uganda should die only from natural causes which are beyond our control, but not from fellow human beings who continue to walk the length and breadth of our land.

Although Museveni headed a new government in Kampala, the NRM could not project its influence fully across Ugandan territory, finding itself fighting a number of insurgencies. From the beginning of Museveni's presidency, he drew strong support from the Bantu-speaking south and southwest, where Museveni had his base. Museveni managed to get the Karamojong, a group of semi-nomads in the sparsely populated northeast that had never had a significant political voice, to align with him by offering them a stake in the new government. The northern region along the Sudanese border proved more troublesome. In the West Nile sub-region, inhabited by Kakwa and Lugbara (who had previously supported Amin), the UNRF and FUNA rebel groups fought for years until a combination of military offensives and diplomacy pacified the region. [29]

The leader of the UNRF, Moses Ali, gave up his struggle to become the second deputy prime minister. People from the northern parts of the country viewed the rise of a government led by a person from the south with great trepidation. Rebel groups sprang up among the Lango, Acholi, and Teso peoples, though they were overwhelmed by the strength of the NRA except in the far north where the Sudanese border provided a safe haven. The Acholi rebel Uganda People's Democratic Army (UPDA) failed to dislodge the NRA occupation of Acholiland, leading to the desperate chiliasm of the Holy Spirit Movement (HSM). The defeat of both the UPDA and HSM left the rebellion to a group that eventually became known as the Lord's Resistance Army, which turned upon the Acholi themselves. [29]

Museveni (first row, third from right) at Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday celebrations in 1992 80th Anniversary Kim Il-Sung.jpg
Museveni (first row, third from right) at Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday celebrations in 1992

The NRA subsequently earned a reputation for respecting the rights of civilians, although Museveni later received criticism for using child soldiers. Undisciplined elements within the NRA soon tarnished a hard-won reputation for fairness. "When Museveni's men first came they acted very well—we welcomed them", said one villager, "but then they started to arrest people and kill them". [30] [31]

In March 1989, Amnesty International published a human rights report on Uganda, Uganda, the Human Rights Record 1986–1989. [32] It documented gross human rights violations committed by NRA troops. According to Olara Otunnu, a United Nations Diplomat argued that Museveni pursued a genocide to Nilotic – Luo people living in the Northern part of the country. In one of the most intense phases of the war, between October and December 1988, the NRA forcibly cleared approximately 100,000 people from their homes in and around Gulu town. Soldiers committed hundreds of extrajudicial executions as they forcibly moved people, burning down homes and granaries. [33] In its conclusion, the report offered some hope:

Any assessment of the NRM government's human rights performance is, perhaps inevitably, less favourable after four years in power than it was in the early months. However, it is not true to say, as some critics and outside observers, that there has been a continuous slide back towards gross human rights abuse, that in some sense Uganda is fated to suffer at the hands of bad government.

On 13 September 2019, Museveni's former Inspector General of Police (IGP) General Kale Kayihura was placed on the United States Department of the Treasury sanctions list for gross violation of Human rights during his reign as the IGP (from 2005 to March 2018). This was due to activities of the Uganda Police's Flying Squad Unit that involved torture and corruption. Kayihura was subsequently replaced with Martin Okoth Ochola.

First elected term (1996–2001)

Elections

The first elections under Museveni's government were held on 9 May 1996. Museveni defeated Paul Ssemogerere of the Democratic Party, who contested the election as a candidate for the "Inter-party forces coalition", and the upstart candidate Kibirige Mayanja. Museveni won with 75.5 percent of the vote from a turnout of 72.6 percent of eligible voters. [34] Although international and domestic observers described the vote as valid, both the losing candidates rejected the results. Museveni was sworn in as president for the second time on 12 May 1996. [35]

In 1997 he introduced free primary education. [36]

The second set of elections were held in 2001. Museveni got 69 percent of the vote to beat his rival Kizza Besigye. [34] Besigye had been a close confidant of the president and was his physician during the Ugandan Bush War. They had a terrible fallout shortly before the 2001 elections, when Besigye decided to stand for the presidency. [37] The 2001 election campaigns were a heated affair with Museveni threatening to put his rival "six feet under". [38]

The election culminated in a petition filed by Besigye at the Supreme Court of Uganda. The court ruled that the elections were not free and fair but declined to nullify the outcome by a 3–2 majority decision. [39] The court held that although there were many cases of election malpractice, they did not affect the result in a substantial manner. Chief Justice Benjamin Odoki and Justices Alfred Karokora [40] and Joseph Mulenga ruled in favor of the respondents while Justices Aurthur Haggai Oder and John Tsekoko ruled in favor of Besigye. [41]

International recognition

Museveni was elected chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1991 and 1992.

Perhaps Museveni's most widely noted accomplishment has been his government's successful campaign against AIDS. During the 1980s, Uganda had one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, but now Uganda's rates are comparatively low, and the country stands as a rare success story in the global battle against the virus. One of the campaigns headed by Museveni to fight against HIV/AIDS was the ABC program. The ABC program had three main parts "Abstain, Be faithful, or use Condoms if A and B are not practiced." [42] In April 1998, Uganda became the first country to be declared eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, receiving US$700 million in aid. [43]

Museveni was lauded by some for his affirmative action program for women in the country. He had a female vice-president, Specioza Kazibwe, for nearly a decade, and has done much to encourage women to go to college. On the other hand, Museveni has resisted calls for greater women's family land rights (the right of women to own a share of their matrimonial homes). [44]

The New York Times in 1997 said about Museveni: [45]

These are heady days for the former guerilla who runs Uganda. He moves with the measured gait and sure gestures of a leader secure in his power and his vision. It is little wonder. To hear some of the diplomats and African experts tell it, President Yoweri K. Museveni started an ideological movement that is reshaping much of Africa, spelling the end of the corrupt, strong-man governments that characterized the cold-war era. These days, political pundits across the continent are calling Mr. Museveni an African Bismarck. Some people now refer to him as Africa's "other statesman", second only to the venerated South African President Nelson Mandela.

In official briefing papers from Madeleine Albright's December 1997 Africa tour as Secretary of State, Museveni was claimed by the Clinton administration to be a "beacon of hope" who runs a "uni-party democracy", despite Uganda not permitting multiparty politics. [46]

Museveni has been an important ally of the United States in the War on Terror. [47]

Regional conflict

Following the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the new Rwandan government felt threatened by the presence across the Rwandan border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of former Rwandan soldiers and members of the previous regime. These soldiers were aided by Mobutu Sese Seko, leading Rwanda (with the aid of Museveni) and Laurent Kabila's rebels during the First Congo War to overthrow Mobutu and take power in the DRC. [48] :267–268

In August 1998, Rwanda and Uganda invaded the DRC again during the Second Congo War, this time to overthrow Kabila, who was a former ally of Museveni and Kagame. Museveni and a few close military advisers alone made the decision to send the Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) into the DRC. A number of highly placed sources indicate that the Ugandan parliament and civilian advisers were not consulted over the matter, as is required by the 1995 constitution. [48] :262–263 Museveni apparently persuaded an initially reluctant High Command to go along with the venture. "We felt that the Rwandese started the war and it was their duty to go ahead and finish the job, but our President took time and convinced us that we had a stake in what is going on in Congo", one senior officer is reported as saying. [49]

The official reasons Uganda gave for the intervention were to stop a "genocide" against the Banyamulenge in the DRC in concert with Rwandan forces, [50] and that Kabila had failed to provide security along the border and was allowing the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) to attack Uganda from rear bases in the DRC. In reality, the UPDF were deployed deep inside the DRC, more than 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) to the west of Uganda's border with the DRC. [51]

Troops from Rwanda and Uganda plundered the country's rich mineral deposits and timber. The United States responded to the invasion by suspending all military aid to Uganda, a disappointment to the Clinton administration, which had hoped to make Uganda the centerpiece of the African Crisis Response Initiative. In 2000, Rwandan and Ugandan troops exchanged fire on three occasions in the DRC city of Kisangani, leading to tensions and a deterioration in relations between Kagame and Museveni. The Ugandan government has also been criticized for aggravating the Ituri conflict, a sub-conflict of the Second Congo War. The Ugandan army officially withdrew from the Congo in 2003 and a contingent of UN peace keepers was deployed. [52] In December 2005, the International Court of Justice ruled that Uganda must pay compensation to the DRC for human rights violations during the Second Congo War. [53] [54]

Second term (2001–2006)

2001 elections

In 2001, Museveni won the presidential elections by a substantial majority, with his former friend and personal physician Kizza Besigye as the only real challenger. In a populist publicity stunt, a pentagenarian Museveni travelled on a bodaboda motorcycle taxi to submit his nomination form for the election. Boda-boda is a cheap and somewhat dangerous (by western standards) method of transporting passengers around towns and villages in East Africa. [55]

There was much recrimination and bitterness during the 2001 presidential elections campaign, and incidents of violence occurred following the announcement of the win by Museveni. Besigye challenged the election results in the Supreme Court of Uganda. Two of the five judges concluded that there were such illegalities in the elections and that the results should be rejected. The other three decided that the illegalities did not affect the result of the election in a substantial manner, but stated that "there was evidence that in a significant number of polling stations there was cheating" and that in some areas of the country, "the principle of free and fair election was compromised." [56]

Political pluralism and constitutional change

Museveni and U.S. President George W. Bush in June 2003 BushMuseveniEntebbe2003.jpg
Museveni and U.S. President George W. Bush in June 2003

After the elections, political forces allied to Museveni began a campaign to loosen constitutional limits on the presidential term, allowing him to stand for election again in 2006. The 1995 Ugandan constitution provided for a two-term limit on the tenure of the president.

Moves to alter the constitution and alleged attempts to suppress opposition political forces have attracted criticism from domestic commentators, the international community, and Uganda's aid donors. [57] [58] [59] In a press release, the main opposition party, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), accused Museveni of engaging in a "life presidency project", and for bribing members of parliament to vote against constitutional amendments, FDC leaders claimed:

The country is polarized with many Ugandans objecting to [the constitutional amendments]. If Parliament goes ahead and removes term limits, this may cause serious unrest, political strife and may lead to turmoil both through the transition period and thereafter ... We would therefore like to appeal to President Museveni to respect himself, the people who elected him, and the Constitution under which he was voted President in 2001 when he promised the country and the world at large to hand over power peacefully and in an orderly manner at the end of his second and last term. Otherwise, his insistence to stand again will expose him as a consummate liar and the biggest political fraudster this country has ever known. [60]

As observed by some political commentators, including Wafula Oguttu, Museveni had previously stated that he considered the idea of clinging to office for "15 or more" years ill-advised. [61] Comments by the Irish anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof sparked a protest by Museveni supporters outside the British High Commission in Kampala. "Get a grip Museveni. Your time is up, go away", said Geldof in March 2005, explaining that moves to change the constitution were compromising Museveni's record against fighting poverty and HIV/AIDS. [62] In an opinion article in the Boston Globe and in a speech delivered at the Wilson Center, former U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Johnnie Carson heaped more criticism on Museveni. Despite recognizing the president as a "genuine reformer" whose "leadership [has] led to stability and growth", Carson also said, "we may be looking at another Mugabe and Zimbabwe in the making". [63] "Many observers see Museveni's efforts to amend the constitution as a re-run of a common problem that afflicts many African leaders – an unwillingness to follow constitutional norms and give up power". [64]

In July 2005, Norway became the third European country in as many months to announce symbolic cutbacks in foreign aid to Uganda in response to political leadership in the country. The UK and Ireland made similar moves in May. "Our foreign ministry wanted to highlight two issues: the changing of the constitution to lift term limits, and problems with opening the political space, human rights and corruption", said Norwegian Ambassador Tore Gjos. [65] Of particular significance was the arrest of two opposition MPs from the FDC. Human rights campaigners charged that the arrests were politically motivated. Human Rights Watch stated that "the arrest of these opposition MPs smacks of political opportunism". [66] [67]

A confidential World Bank report leaked in May suggested that the international lender might cut its support to non-humanitarian programmed in Uganda. "We regret that we cannot be more positive about the present political situation in Uganda, especially given the country's admirable record through the late 1990s", said the paper. "The Government has largely failed to integrate the country's diverse peoples into a single political process that is viable over the long term... Perhaps most significant, the political trend-lines, as a result of the President's apparent determination to press for a third term, point downward." [68]

Museveni responded to the mounting international pressure by accusing donors of interfering with domestic politics and using aid to manipulate poor countries. "Let the partners give advice and leave it to the country to decide ... [developed] countries must get out of the habit of trying to use aid to dictate the management of our countries." [69] "The problem with those people is not the third term or fighting corruption or multiparters", added Museveni at a meeting with other African leaders, "the problem is that they want to keep us there without growing". [70]

In July 2005, a constitutional referendum lifted a 19-year restriction on the activities of political parties. In the non-party "Movement system" (so-called "the movement") instituted by Museveni in 1986, parties continued to exist, but candidates were required to stand for election as individuals rather than representative of any political grouping. This measure was ostensibly designed to reduce ethnic divisions, although many observers have subsequently claimed that the system had become nothing more than a restriction on opposition activity. Before the vote, the FDC spokesperson stated, "Key sectors of the economy are headed by people from the president's home area... We have got the most sectarian regime in the history of the country in spite of the fact that there are no parties." [71] Many Ugandans saw Museveni's conversion to political pluralism as a concession to donors – aimed at softening the blow when he announces he wants to stay on for a third term. [72] Opposition MP Omara Atubo has said Museveni's desire for change was merely "a façade behind which he is trying to hide ambitions to rule for life". [73]

Image of Dr John Garang De Mabior John Garang of Sudan.jpg
Image of Dr John Garang De Mabior

Death of John Garang De Mabior

On 30 July 2005, Sudanese vice-president John Garang was killed when the Ugandan presidential helicopter crashed while he was flying back to Sudan from talks in Uganda. [74] Garang had been Sudan's vice-president for three weeks before his death. [75]

Widespread speculation as to the cause of the crash led Museveni, on 10 August, to threaten the closure of media outlets that published "conspiracy theories" about Garang's death. In a statement, Museveni claimed that the speculation was a threat to national security. "I will no longer tolerate a newspaper which is like a vulture. Any newspaper that plays around with regional security, I will not tolerate it – I will close it." [76] The following day, popular radio station KFM had its license withdrawn for broadcasting a debate on Garang's death. Radio presenter Andrew Mwenda was eventually arrested for sedition in connection with comments made on his KFM talk show. [77]

February 2006 elections

On 17 November 2005, Museveni was chosen as the NRM’s presidential candidate for the February 2006 elections. His candidacy for a further third term sparked criticism, as he had promised in 2001 that he was contesting for the last time.

The arrest of the main opposition leader Kizza Besigye on 14 November – charged with treason, concealment of treason, and rape – sparked demonstrations and riots in Kampala and other towns. [78] Museveni's bid for a third term, the arrest of Besigye, and the besiegement of the High Court during a hearing of Besigye's case (by a heavily armed Military Intelligence group dubbed by the press as the "Black Mambas Urban Hit Squad"), led Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom to withhold economic support to Museveni's government because of their concerns about the country's democratic development. [79] [80] On 2 January 2006, Besigye was released after the High Court ordered his immediate release. [81]

The 23 February 2006 elections were Uganda's first multi-party elections in 25 years and were seen as a test of its democratic credentials. Although Museveni did worse than in the previous election, he was elected for another five-year tenure, having won 59 percent of the vote against Besigye's 37 percent. Besigye alleged fraud and rejected the result. The European Union and independent Ugandan electoral observers described the 2006 elections as not a fair and free contest. [82] The Supreme Court of Uganda later noted that the election was marred by intimidation, violence, voter disenfranchisement and other irregularities; it voted 4–3 to uphold the results. [83]

Third term (2006–2011)

In 2007, Museveni deployed troops to the African Union's peacekeeping operation in Somalia.

Also in this term, Museveni held meetings with investors that included Wisdek, to promote Uganda's call centre and outsourcing industry and create employment to the country. [84]

September 2009 riots

In September 2009 Museveni refused Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi, the Buganda King, permission to visit some areas of the Buganda Kingdom, particularly the Kayunga district. Riots occurred and over 40 people were killed while others were imprisoned. Furthermore, nine more people were killed during the April 2011 "Walk to Work" demonstrations. According to the Human Rights Watch 2013 World Report on Uganda, the government failed to investigate the killings associated with both of these events. [85]

Fundamentalist Christianity

In 2009, MSNBC and NPR reported on Jeff Sharlet's investigation regarding ties between Museveni and the American fundamentalist Christian organization The Fellowship (also known as "The Family"). [86] [87] Sharlet reports that Douglas Coe, leader of The Fellowship, identified Museveni as the organization's "key man in Africa". [87]

LGBT rights

Further international scrutiny accompanied the 2009 Ugandan efforts to institute the death penalty for homosexuality, with British, Canadian, French, and American leaders expressing concerns for human rights. [88] [89] British newspaper The Guardian reported that Museveni "appeared to add his backing" to the legislative effort by, among other things, claiming "European homosexuals are recruiting in Africa", and saying gay relationships were against God's will. [90]

Museveni and members of NRM continue to use the terms 'gay' and 'homosexuals' to degrade opponents and in particular members of the National Unity Platform. [91] [92] In 2023, Museveni signed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill and called on other African leaders to reject the "promotion of homosexuality". [93]

Fourth term (2011–2016)

Vladimir Putin and Yoweri Museveni in 2012 Vladimir Putin and Yoweri Museveni.jpg
Vladimir Putin and Yoweri Museveni in 2012

Museveni was reelected on 20 February 2011 with a 68 percent majority with 59 percent of registered voters having voted. The election results were disputed by both the European Union and the opposition. "The electoral process was marred with avoidable administrative and logistical failures", according to the European Union election observer team. [94] [95]

Following the fall of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, Museveni became the fifth-longest serving African leader. [96]

In October 2011, the annual inflation rate reached 30.5 percent, principally due to food and fuel increases. [97] Earlier in 2011, opposition leader Kizza Besigye staged "Walk to Work" protests against the high cost of living. On 28 April 2011, Besigye was arrested because Museveni said Besigye had attacked first, a charge he denied. [98] Besigye's arrest led to more riots in Kampala. [99] Besigye promised that "peaceful demonstrations" would continue. The government's response to the riots has been condemned by donor nations. [100]

Museveni is greeted by US President Barack Obama in August 2014 Yoweri Museveni with Obamas 2014.jpg
Museveni is greeted by US President Barack Obama in August 2014

In more recent years, infringements on press freedom have increasingly been a central focus. According to Human Rights Watch, "Between January and June [2013], a media watchdog organization registered 50 attacks on journalists, despite multiple pledges to respect media freedom." [101] During this period, two widely read periodicals, The Daily Monitor and The Red Pepper, were shut down and seized by the government because they published allegations about a "plot to assassinate senior government and military officials who [were] opposed to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni ... and his plans to hand over power to his son when he retires". [102]

Another issue of human rights became an issue in early 2014 when Museveni signed an anti-homosexuality bill into law. In an interview with CNN, Museveni called homosexuals "disgusting" and said that homosexuality was a learned trait. Western leaders, including United States President Obama, condemned the law. [103]

Museveni has criticized the US's involvement in the Libyan Civil War, and in a UN speech argued that military intervention from African countries produces more stable countries in the long term, which he calls "African solutions for African problems". [104]

Fifth term (2016–2021)

2016 election

The presidential candidates included Museveni and Kizza Besigye, who complained of rigging and violence at polling stations. Voting was extended in several locations after reports of people not being allowed to cast their votes. According to the Electoral Commission, Museveni was reelected (18 February 2016) with 61 percent of the vote to Besigye's 35 percent.[ citation needed ] Opposition candidates claimed that the elections were marred by widespread fraud, voting irregularities, the repeated arrest of opposition politicians, and a climate of voter intimidation. [105]

2018 age limit bill

Yoweri Museveni speaking at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London, October 2018 Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference London 2018 (44526034314).jpg
Yoweri Museveni speaking at the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference in London, October 2018

Museveni, as the incumbent president of Uganda, signed the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 2 2017, [106] commonly known as the "Age Limit" bill on 27 December 2017. The bill was passed by the 10th parliament of Uganda on 20 December 2017. [107] As of 27 December 2017, in accordance with articles 259 and 262 of the Constitution of Uganda, the bill has effectively amended the Constitution to remove the presidential age limit caps. Before the amendment, article 102 (b) barred people above 75 and below 35 from running for the highest office. The current age limit bill also extends the term of office of parliament from five years to seven. The bill also restores presidential two-term limits which had been removed in a 2005 constitutional amendment.

Challenge to the bill

After Museveni signed the 2018 Age Limit Bill into law on 27 December 2017 (but parliament received the letter on 2 January 2018), [108] the general public protested as they had been doing prior to the signing of the bill, using all avenues including on social media. [109] In October 2017, some MPs returned what they alleged were bribes to facilitate the bill. [110]

The Uganda Law Society and members of the opposition house sued and challenged the bill in court, citing that the process leading to the vote was in violation of Articles 1, 2, 8A, 44 (c), 79 and 94 of the Ugandan constitution because the Speaker of Parliament [Kadaga] closed debate on the Amendment after only 124 out of 451 legislators had debated the bill. [111] They also argue that the use of force by the army and police during the bill debate was inconsistent with and in contravention of Articles 208(2), 209 and 259 among others. [112] The third argument they make is that the bill violates other constitutional clauses in relation to the extension of terms [113] and electoral procedures. One legislature [Mbwaketamwa Gaffa] is quoted as saying, "when the president ascents[sic] to the bill, it might be legal, but it will be illegitimate, and we are going to challenge it." [114]

Public reaction to the new bill

President Museveni of Uganda speaking at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London, January 2020 President Museveni of Uganda, speaking at the UK-Africa Investment Summit, London, 20 January 2020 20200120134339 GMCB9543 (49415272631).jpg
President Museveni of Uganda speaking at the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London, January 2020

The law enforcement agencies in Uganda, i.e. the police, the military etc., have arrested at least 53 people, including opposition leader Kizza Besigye, for demonstrating against the bill to scrap the presidential age limit. [115] [116]

A group of legislators from the ruling party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM), clandestinely agitated to remove the age limit because it would give Museveni leeway to run for another term in the 2021 elections. [115]

A three-month survey conducted between September and November by civil society organizations recorded that 85 percent of the sampled population opposed the removal of the age limit, with only 15 percent in support. [117]

Ugandan lawmakers have voted predominantly to remove the presidential age limits because they want to pave way for the Museveni to spend a sixth term in office. [118] Human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo said that removing the age limit one of the most important safeguards will entrench a dictatorial and autocratic regime in Uganda. [118]

Sixth term (2021–present)

Museveni and US President Joe Biden at the United States-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. in December 2022 P20221215AS-1181 (52651359240).jpg
Museveni and US President Joe Biden at the United States–Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. in December 2022

On 16 January 2021 the electoral commission of Uganda announced that Museveni had won reelection to a sixth term with 58.6% of the vote. [119] [120] Runner-up Bobi Wine, and other opposition leaders refused to accept the results, claiming that the election was the most fraudulent in Uganda's history. [121] During the campaign for the presidential elections on 19 November 2020, Museveni described Wine's campaign as being financed by foreigners, and, in particular, foreign homosexuals. [91] Independent organizations and democracy experts confirmed the elections were neither free nor fair. [122] [123] The Electoral Commission published a Declaration of Results form that turned out to be fraudulent. [124] The Electoral Commission promised an investigation which did not take place. [125] Wine was placed under house arrest on 15 January. [126] Independent international observers called for investigation into potential election fraud amidst a nationwide internet shutdown, human rights abuses, [127] [128] and denied accreditation requests. [129] [130] Wine was released on 26 January. [131]

In June 2021, 44 people were arrested at an LGBT center, with the pretext of violating COVID SOPs. [132]

In July 2022, Museveni hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, saying that "We don't believe in being enemies of somebody's enemy." [133]

In October 2022 Museveni apologized to Kenya on behalf of his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba who tweeted that he could invade Kenya in two weeks. [134]

In July 2023, Museveni attended the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. [135] Without specifically mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine or any other war, Museveni said that the "only justified wars are the just wars, like the anti-colonial wars. Wars of hegemony will fail and waste time and opportunity. Dialogue is the correct way." [136]

After the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, Museveni expressed concern over the situation and called for dialogue and a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. [137]

Personal life

Museveni is an Anglican and a member of the Church of Uganda.

He is married to Janet Kataaha Museveni, née Kainembabazi, with whom he has four children:

Honours and awards

Foreign honours

Honorary degrees

UniversityCountryHonourYear
Humphrey School of Public Affairs United States Doctor of Laws 1994 [151]
Mbarara University of Science and Technology UgandaDoctor of Laws2003 [152]
Latin University of TheologyUnited States Doctor of Divinity 2007 [153]
Fatih University Turkey Honorary degree 2010 [154]
Makerere University UgandaDoctor of Laws2010 [155]
University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania Doctor of Literature 2015 [156]

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uganda</span> Country in East Africa

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southern part includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region, it lies within the Nile basin, and has a varied equatorial climate. As of 2024, it has a population of over 49 million, of which 8.5 million live in the capital and largest city, Kampala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Uganda</span>

The politics of Uganda occurs in an authoritarian context. Since assuming office in 1986 at the end of the Ugandan civil war, Yoweri Museveni has ruled Uganda as an autocrat. Political parties were banned from 1986 to 2006 in the wake of the 2005 Ugandan multi-party referendum which was won by pro-democracy forces. Since 2006, Museveni has used legal means, patronage, and violence to maintain power.

The history of Uganda comprises the history of the people who inhabited the territory of present-day Uganda before the establishment of the Republic of Uganda, and the history of that country once it was established. Evidence from the Paleolithic era shows humans have inhabited Uganda for at least 50,000 years. The forests of Uganda were gradually cleared for agriculture by people who probably spoke Central Sudanic languages. The Empire of Kitara grew out of the Urewe culture in the 10th century. Following the migration and invasion of Luo peoples c. 15th century, Kitara would collapse, and from the ashes rose various Biito kingdoms such as Bunyoro alongside Buganda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Uganda (1979–1986)</span>

The History of Uganda from 1979 to 1986 comprises the history of Uganda since the end of the dictatorship of Idi Amin. This period has seen the second rule of Milton Obote and the presidency of Yoweri Museveni since 1986, in which Ugandan politics have been dominated by the National Resistance Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Resistance Movement</span> Political party in Uganda

The National Resistance Movement has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eriya Kategaya</span> Ugandan lawyer and politician

Eriya Kategaya was a Ugandan lawyer and politician. At the time of his death he was Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs. He was also an ex officio Member of the Ugandan Parliament, on account of being a cabinet minister.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elections in Uganda</span>

The Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) provides national elections for a president and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term. The Parliament is composed of members directly elected to represent constituencies, and one woman representative for every district; as well representatives of special interest groups, including the army, youth, workers and persons with disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum for Democratic Change</span> Political party in Uganda

The Forum for Democratic Change, founded on 16 December 2004, is the main opposition party in Uganda. The FDC was founded as an umbrella body called Reform Agenda, mostly for disenchanted former members and followers of President Yoweri Museveni's National Resistance Movement (NRM). Party president Kizza Besigye, formerly a close ally of Museveni, was a candidate in 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 presidential elections. In November 2012, Mugisha Muntu was elected as President of the FDC until November 2017 when he was defeated by Patrick Oboi Amuriat the current party President until 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kizza Besigye</span> Ugandan politician

Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe, known as Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan physician, politician, and former military officer of the Uganda People's Defence Force. He served as the president of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party and was an unsuccessful candidate in Uganda's 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016 presidential elections, losing all of them to the incumbent, Yoweri Museveni, who has been president of Uganda since 26 January 1986. The results of the 2006 elections were contested in court, and the court found massive rigging and disenfranchisement. Besigye allowed an early internal FDC election for a successor president, which took place on 24 November 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Ugandan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uganda on 23 February 2006. They were the first multi-party elections since President Yoweri Museveni took over power in 1986, and followed a referendum the previous year on scrapping the ban on party politics.

The Nairobi Agreement was a peace deal between the Ugandan government of Tito Okello and the National Resistance Army (NRA) rebel group led by Yoweri Museveni. The accords were signed in Nairobi, Kenya in December 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Nagenda</span> Ugandan writer and political advisor (1938–2023)

John Mwesigwa Robin Nagenda was a Ugandan writer, political figure, and sportsman. In the 1960s, he pioneered post-colonial English literature in East Africa. He lived in exile in the United Kingdom in the 1970s and 1980s before returning to Uganda in 1986. He subsequently became a senior advisor to President Yoweri Museveni and a prominent newspaper columnist. He represented East Africa at the 1975 Cricket World Cup and was later president of the Uganda Cricket Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2001 Ugandan presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Uganda on 12 March 2001. The incumbent Yoweri Museveni won 69% of the vote and was elected to a second term. All candidates were independents, as political parties were banned at the time. Voter turnout was 70.3%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Ugandan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2011. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) was re-elected for a third time, having been in power since 1986. The NRM also won 263 of the 375 seats in Parliament.

Henry Tumukunde is a politician and retired senior military officer of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF). He ran as an independent candidate for president in the 2021 Ugandan general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom and Unity Front</span> Political party in Uganda

The Freedom and Unity Front is a political party in Uganda, led by former General David Sejusa. It has opposed President Yoweri Museveni over allegations of corruption and nepotism. It is officially headed by Amii Omara-Otunnu.

The Walk to Work protests occurred in Uganda in April 2011, as a reaction to the high cost of living. The protests took place following presidential elections in February 2011, and involved several defeated opposition candidates. The protests were suppressed by the government of Yoweri Museveni, resulting in five deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Ugandan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uganda on 18 February 2016 to elect the President and Parliament. Polling day was declared a national holiday.

The People Power, Our Power movement is a resistance pressure group in Uganda. It is led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, who is the MP for Kyadondo East constituency. The movement seeks to unite Ugandans on issues such as ending human rights abuse, corruption and redefining the rule of law, with a focus on young Ugandans. The movement was primarily sparked by civil unrest with Yoweri Museveni's extended presidency, after he announced plans to extend his third-longest tenure in Africa by seeking re-election in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Ugandan general election</span>

General elections were held in Uganda on 14 January 2021 to elect the President and the Parliament. The Electoral Commission announced Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, the incumbent ruling since 1986, as the winner with 59% of the vote, although the U.S. State Department qualified the electoral process as "fundamentally flawed" and Africa Elections Watch said they observed irregularities. The official voter turnout was 57% but was questioned as 409 polling stations were reported as having 100% voter turnout.

References

  1. "How do you say YOWERI MUSEVENI?". VOA Pronunciation Guide. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  2. "Definition of 'Museveni'". Collins Dictionary. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  3. "Age is but a number". Africa Research Institute. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  4. "Yoweri Museveni - Uganda's president profiled". BBC. 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  5. Momodu, Samuel (24 May 2021). "Yoweri Kuaguta Museveni (1944- )". Blackpast. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  6. "Yoweri Museveni | Biography, Profile, Election, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. "Profile of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni". The New Humanitarian. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Chronology" (PDF). Conciliation Resources. 5 June 2013. p. 87. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  9. Joshua (4 December 2021). "Deadliest Conflicts in Uganda - Top Ten Uganda". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  10. "Uganda's Presidential Election: Voting for an Autocrat". Australian Institute of International Affairs. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  11. "Why Museveni's UPM party lost the 1980 election". Monitor. 9 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  12. Decker, Alicia C. (2014). In Idi Amin's Shadow. Ohio University Press. ISBN   978-0821445020.
  13. Butagira, Tabu (22 May 2010). "Janet Museveni Opens Up On Love, Family And Politics". Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2016 via allafrica.
  14. Avirgan & Honey 1983, p. 75.
  15. "Amin's attack on Tanzania". New African. March 1997. pp. 14–15. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  16. Avirgan & Honey 1983, pp. 85–86, 174.
  17. Avirgan & Honey 1983, pp. 114–119.
  18. "Peace, and conflict in northern Uganda 2002–06". Conciliation Resources. 2010. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2005.
  19. "Profiles of the parties to the conflict". Conciliation Resources. 2002. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2005.
  20. "CIA Factbook – Uganda". Cia.gov. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  21. Uganda, 1979–85: Leadership in Transition, Jimmy K. Tindigarukayo, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 26, No. 4. (Dec. 1988), pp. 619. (JSTOR) Archived 14 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  22. 1 2 "Kampala troops flee guerrilla attacks", The Times , 23 January 1986
  23. "Troops from Zaire step up Uganda civil war", The Guardian , 21 January 1986
  24. "Museveni sworn in as President", The Times , 30 January 1986
  25. "Uganda: Profile of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni". IRIN. 15 February 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  26. "Structural Adjustment in Uganda". Members.aol.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2000. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  27. Times, Sheila Rule, Special To The New York (30 January 1986). "Rebel Sworn In as Uganda President". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. "Museveni 24 Years Later: Ours is not a mere change of guard; it is a fundamental change". www.monitor.co.ug. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  29. 1 2 Landis, Dan; Albert, Rosita D. (2012). Handbook of Ethnic Conflict: International Perspectives. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   978-1461404484.
  30. "Africa’s child soldiers" Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Daily Times, 30 May 2002
  31. "Uganda: A Killer Before She Was Nine" Archived 10 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine , Sunday Times, 15 December 2002
  32. Uganda: The human rights record 1986–1989. Amnesty International. 1989. ISBN   0939994445. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  33. "Uganda: Breaking the Circle", Amnesty International, 17 March 1999. "Uganda: Breaking the circle: Protecting human rights in the northern war zone - Amnesty International". Archived from the original on 7 November 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2003.
  34. 1 2 "Elections in Uganda". africanelections.tripod.com. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  35. Nohlen, Dieter; Thibaut, Bernard; Krennerich, Michael (1999). Elections in Africa: A Data Handbook. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0198296454.
  36. "Uganda's first Batwa pygmy graduate" Archived 2 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine , BBC, 29 October 2010
  37. "Uganda's Kizza Besigye – veteran opposition leader profiled". BBC News. 17 February 2016. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  38. Lawrence, J. P. "In Uganda, Museveni finds biggest election obstacle in former friends". Christian Science Monitor. ISSN   0882-7729. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  39. "2001 Elections : Supreme Court Judges ruling – Uganda Elections 2016". www.monitor.co.ug. p. 2. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  40. "Justice Karokora was judge of integrity, say colleagues". Daily Monitor. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  41. "2001 Elections: Supreme Court Judges ruling – Uganda Elections 2016". www.monitor.co.ug. p. 3. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  42. Leone, Daniel A., ed. Responding to the AIDS Epidemics. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2008.
  43. "Uganda Home". Archived from the original on 17 March 2005.
  44. "Gender implications for opening up political parties in Uganda" Archived 18 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Sylvia Tamale, Faculty of Law, Makerere University, from the Women of Uganda Network Archived 9 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  45. Uganda Leader Stands Tall in New African Order Archived 29 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine , James C. McKinley, New York Times , 15 June 1997
  46. French, Howard (16 December 1997). "Albright in Africa: The Embraceable Regimes?". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2008.
  47. Helen Epstein. "Uganda: The General Challenges the Dictator". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  48. 1 2 "Explaining Ugandan intervention in Congo: evidence and interpretations", John F. Clark, The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 39, pp. 267–268, 2001 (Cambridge Journals) Archived 5 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  49. "Uganda and Rwanda: friends or enemies?" Archived 8 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine , International Crisis Group , Africa Report No. 14, 4 May 2000
  50. New Vision , 26 and 28 August 1998
  51. "L'Ouganda et les guerres Congolaises" Archived 19 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine , Politique Africaine , 75: 43–59, 1999
  52. "Will Uganda Pay Up for Congo Occupation?". iwpr.net. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  53. "Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda)". Archived from the original on 2 October 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link), ICJ Press Release, 19 December 2005
  54. Kagoro, Jude (2016), Bogaards, Matthijs; Elischer, Sebastian (eds.), "Competitive authoritarianism in Uganda: The not so hidden hand of the military", Democratization and Competitive Authoritarianism in Africa, Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft – Sonderhefte, Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien, pp. 155–172, doi:10.1007/978-3-658-09216-0_9, ISBN   978-3-658-09216-0, S2CID   155199841, archived from the original on 12 March 2024, retrieved 20 February 2022
  55. "'Boda-boda' men keep Museveni in driving seat", Telegraph, 13 August 2005
  56. "State of Pain:Torture in Uganda" Archived 15 August 2005 at the Wayback Machine – Part III, Human Rights Watch
  57. Tapscott, Rebecca (2021). Arbitrary States: Social Control and Modern Authoritarianism in Museveni's Uganda. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-259847-9. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  58. Tripp, Aili Mari (2004). "The Changing Face of Authoritarianism in Africa: The Case of Uganda". Africa Today. 50 (3): 3–26. doi:10.1353/at.2004.0035. ISSN   0001-9887. JSTOR   4187590. S2CID   154238851. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
  59. Kagoro, Jude (2016), Bogaards, Matthijs; Elischer, Sebastian (eds.), "Competitive authoritarianism in Uganda: The not-so-hidden hand of the military", Democratization and Competitive Authoritarianism in Africa, Springer, pp. 155–172, doi:10.1007/978-3-658-09216-0_9, ISBN   978-3-658-09216-0, S2CID   155199841, archived from the original on 12 March 2024, retrieved 28 June 2021
  60. "Press release: FDC Position on amending article 105(2) of the constitution" Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , Forum for Democratic Change, 27 June 2005
  61. "The Travails and Antics of Africa's "Big Men" – How Power Has Corrupted African Leaders" Archived 1 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine , Wafula Okumu, The Perspective, 11 April 2002
  62. "Ugandans march against Bob Geldof" Archived 7 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, 22 March 2005
  63. "Uganda: An African Success Turning Sour", Johnnie Carson, speech delivered at the Wilson Center, 2 June 2005
  64. "A threat to Africa's success story" Archived 7 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine , Johnnie Carson, Boston Globe , 1 May 2005
  65. "Norway cuts aid to Uganda" Archived 25 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine , Reuters , 19 July 2005
  66. "Uganda: Key Opposition MPs Arrested". Human Rights Watch . 27 April 2005. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
  67. "Justice Karokora was judge of integrity, say colleagues". Monitor. 14 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  68. "World Bank may cut aid" Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine , Paul Busharizi, New Vision , 17 May 2005
  69. "Museveni advises donors" Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine , New Vision , 27 May 2005
  70. "Donors Fear Me, Says Museveni" Archived 28 May 2005 at the Wayback Machine , Frank Nyakairu, The Monitor , 26 May 2005
  71. Uganda: Nation decides on political parties Archived 25 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine , UNOCHA-IRIN, 27 July 2005
  72. "Uganda backs multi-party return" Archived 30 January 2019 at the Wayback Machine , BBC , 30 July 2005
  73. "Referendum ends 20-year ban on political parties", Reuters , 1 August 2005
  74. "Southern Sudanese leader John Garang's mysterious death". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  75. "John Garang | Sudanese leader". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  76. Usher, Sebastian (10 August 2005). "Museveni warns press over Garang". BBC News. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  77. "Banned Ugandan radio back on air" Archived 13 October 2005 at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, 19 August 2005
  78. "Uganda riots over treason charge" Archived 29 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, 14 November 2005
  79. "The Netherlands has cut its budget support to Uganda this year by 27% or (six million Euros) over concerns about the political transition and budgetary indiscipline, an embassy statement has said". www.newvision.co.ug. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019.
  80. "SWEDEN said on Monday it would withhold 65 million Swedish crowns ($8.22m) in budget support from Uganda due to problems with the development of democracy". www.newvision.co.ug. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019.
  81. "Col Besigye Case Opens" Archived 18 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine , New Vision, 16 November 2005
  82. "Have Ugandan elections been free and fair in last 30 years?". Pesacheck. 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  83. "Uganda's Museveni wins election" Archived 3 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine , BBC, 25 February 2006
  84. "President Receives Call Centre Investors Says Project Will Create Employment" [ permanent dead link ], State House of the Republic of Uganda, 8 October 2010.
  85. "World Report 2013 (Uganda)". Human Rights Watch . 2013. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  86. "Rachel Maddow Show transcript". NBC News. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  87. 1 2 "The Secret Political Reach of 'The Family'". NPR Fresh Air transcript. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  88. "Harper lobbies Uganda on anti-gay bill" Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine , The Globe and Mail (Toronto), 29 November 2009.
  89. "British PM against anti-gay legislation" Archived 2 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine , Monitor Online, 29 November 2009
  90. "Uganda considers death sentence for gay sex in bill before parliament" Archived 21 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine , Guardian, 29 November 2009.
  91. 1 2 "Rigged (page 22)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  92. Atuhaire, Patience (29 March 2023). "Gay Ugandan asks 'Where will I go?' as secret shelters under threat". BBC News. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  93. McCool, Alice (3 April 2023). "Ugandan president calls on Africa to 'save the world from homosexuality'". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  94. Kron, Josh (20 February 2011). "President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda Easily Wins Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  95. "Uganda's Museveni wins disputed presidential vote". Reuters. 20 February 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  96. "Who among the seven longest serving African leaders will be deposed next?". Reuters. 21 October 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011.
  97. "Ugandan Inflation Rate Climbs to 18-Year High on Food, Fuel". Business Week. 31 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011.
  98. "Uganda: Besigye vows protests will continue". BBC. 1 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 July 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  99. "Ugandans Riot over Kizza Besigye's arrest". BBC. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  100. "Deadly Crackdown on Uganda's Walk-to-Work Protests". Time. 23 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011.
  101. Human Rights Watch. (2013). World Report 2013 (Uganda)
  102. Natabaalo, Grace. (2013). Ugandan Police Shutdown Papers Over 'Plot'. Al Jazeera .
  103. "Uganda president: Homosexuals are 'disgusting'". CNN.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  104. "AP Interview: Uganda's president says he's the one bullied". Associated Press. 6 May 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  105. Opposition leader arrested as Uganda holds elections Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Al Jazeera
  106. "THE CONSTITUTION (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) BILL, 2017" (PDF). 28 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2018.
  107. URN. "Museveni assents to age limit bill". The Observer – Uganda. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  108. "Museveni assents to controversial age limit Bill". The East African. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  109. "Uganda: Pres. Museveni signs Age Limit Bill into law". Africanews. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  110. "Ugandan MPs return 'bribes' for age-limit bill". citifmonline.com. 26 October 2017. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  111. Kiyonga, Derrick. "Government sued over age limit law". The Observer – Uganda. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  112. Kiyonga, Derrick. "MPs challenge 'age limit' law in court". The Observer – Uganda. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  113. URN. "Uganda Law Society petitions court over 'age limit' law". The Observer – Uganda. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  114. "Uganda opposition to challenge age limit law". The East African. Archived from the original on 24 April 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  115. 1 2 "Ugandan police arrests dozens over presidential age limit protest | DW | 20.07.2017". DW.COM. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  116. "Ugandan police shut down protests over presidential age limit bill". The Mail & Guardian. 26 September 2017. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  117. "85% of Ugandans opposed to age limit amendment – survey". The Observer – Uganda. 9 December 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  118. 1 2 "How Ugandan MPs voted to scrap presidential age limit". The Independent. 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  119. "Two Presiding Officers Arrested in Lugazi for Ballot Stuffing". URN. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  120. "409 Polling Stations had 100% Voter Turnout, Giving Museveni 95.8%". URN. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  121. "Museveni declared winner of disputed Uganda presidential election". Al Jazeera. 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  122. "Is it true that Uganda has not held fair elections for 30 years?". pesacheck. 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  123. Muhumuza, William (1 September 2009). "From Fundamental Change to No Change: The NRM and democratization in Uganda". Les Cahiers d'Afrique de l'Est (41): 21–42. doi: 10.4000/eastafrica.578 . ISSN   2071-7245. S2CID   198678389. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  124. "EC Admits Error in Poll Results Declaration Form". AllAfrica. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  125. "EC posts fake results to dispel "fake news"". Observer. 4 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  126. "Uganda: Bobi Wine files arbitrary detention complaint at UN". Al Jazeera. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  127. "Uganda: Elections Marred by Violence". Human Rights Watch. 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  128. "Museveni declared winner of disputed Uganda presidential election". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  129. Hancock, Sam (18 January 2021). "Ugandan opposition to challenge 'fraudulent' election result as two killed in protests" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  130. "Statement by U.S. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown on Cancellation of U.S. Diplomatic Observer Mission of Uganda's Elections". US Embassy in Uganda. 13 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  131. McSweeney, Eoin (3 February 2021). "Uganda security forces withdraw from Bobi Wine's home ending 11 days of house arrest". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  132. "Uganda Police arrests 44 at LGBTI center". Washington Blade. 2 June 2021. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  133. Muronzi, Chris (26 February 2023). "Is Africa still 'neutral' a year into the Ukraine war?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  134. Princewill, Nimi (6 October 2022). "General Muhoonzi: Uganda's Museveni apologizes to Kenya for son's invasion tweets". CNN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  135. "Zimbabwe and Uganda leaders meet with Russian President Putin". Africanews. 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 29 July 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  136. "Putin woos African leaders at a summit in Russia with promises of expanding trade and other ties". Reuters. 28 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  137. Matovu, Muhamadi (8 October 2023). "Uganda: Museveni Urges Implementation of a Two-State Solution to End Palestine-Israel Conflicts". Nile Post News. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023 via AllAfrica.
  138. Archived 16 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine Muhoozi Kainerugaba promoted to Major General – YouTube
  139. Archived 23 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Museveni promotes Muhoozi to rank of Major General – Daily Monitor
  140. "Leaders in waiting". www.africa-confidential.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  141. "Lt. Col. Muhoozi is Commander Special Forces". Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  142. "Natasha is a Fashion Guru". Archived from the original on 19 February 2010.
  143. Church, Covenant Nations. "Welcome To CNC". www.covenantnationschurch.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  144. "Patience Rwabwogo is a Pastor". Archived from the original on 25 February 2010.
  145. "Geoffrey Kamuntu and His Wife". Archived from the original on 25 February 2010.
  146. https://chimpreports.com/museveni-awarded-equatorial-guineas-highest-honor
  147. Okoth, Brian. "Uhuru awards Koome, Mugenda, Kananu EGH honours; journalists get HSC". The Standard. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  148. "Decrees on decorations signed by the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic". www.predsednik.rs/en. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  149. "1997 National Orders awards". Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  150. https://chimpreports.com/museveni-receives-order-of-south-africa-award
  151. "Honorary Degrees". University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  152. "H. E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni – Former Chancellor". Makerere University. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  153. "Museveni awarded doctorate degree". New Vision. January 2007. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  154. "Museveni gets Turkish doctorate". New Vision. 6 May 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  155. "Makerere honours President Museveni". Makerere University. 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  156. "President Museveni awarded with Doctorate of Literature". Iconz Magazine. 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.

Sources

Further reading

Books

  • Museveni, Yoweri (1997). Sowing the Mustard Seed: The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Uganda, Macmillan Education. ISBN   0333642341.
  • Museveni, Yoweri (2000). What Is Africa's Problem?. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN   0816632782
  • Ondoga Ori Amaza. Museveni's Long March from Guerrilla to Statesman, Fountain Publishers. ISBN   9970021354
  • Tripp, Aili Mari. Museveni's Uganda: Paradoxes of Power in a Hybrid Regime. Lynne Rienner Publishers. ISBN   978-1588267078
  • Epstein, Helen C. (2017). Another Fine Mess: America, Uganda and the War on Terror, New York: Columbia Global Reports. ISBN   978-0997722925

Academic papers

Political offices
Preceded by President of Uganda
1986–present
Incumbent
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Chairperson of the Commonwealth of Nations
2007–2009
Succeeded by