From Guerrilla fighter to President: Museveni's 40-year political journey

When Yoweri Museveni was sworn in January 1986, after leading a guerrilla war against President Milton Obote. Many Ugandans saw his reign as a beacon of hope.

After experiencing political and economic instability, Ugandans welcomed Museveni promises of peace and security with relief and anticipation.

During the swearing-in ceremony, hundreds of hopeful Ugandans went to witness the new dawn, songs of praise filed the air: young old, male female all listened with bated breath and eyes filled with hope as Museveni promised them change and tongue-lashed leaders who over stayed in power.

However, power has a way of bringing out the worst in people, they say Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

During his swearing-in speech, Museveni talked about democracy.

“Point number one in our program is the restoration of democracy. The people of Africa, the people of Uganda are entitled to a democratic government. It is not a favour from any regime it is the right of the people. The people should be able to hire and fire any government. “

Following applause from the crowd, Museveni added that the people should be able to hire and fire anybody.

Museveni would lead Uganda for 40 years, while his main opponents, Kizza Besigye and Bobi Wine faced arrests and intimidation.

During a 2012 CNN interview, Museveni was asked why African leaders have a hard time stepping down.

He defended himself, “I have been in leadership for those years you have mentioned, on the basis of being voted by the public. I am not in government because I have imposed myself on the people.”

He continued to defend his decades in power by introducing a grammar lesson on interrogative pronouns also known as the WHs-Who and what, sometimes referred to as relative pronouns.

“Many spend a lot of time on who is doing what, instead of spending time on what needs to be done. Africa has problems because of not tackling the question of the what. The who is important but the what is more important than the who.”

Musevenis Guerilla Days

When Milton Obote went back to power in 1980, Museveni rejected the election results, claiming they were rigged. He formed a rebel group known as the National Resistance Army (NRA), with the aim of overthrowing the government and bringing political change to Uganda.

The guerrilla war was mainly fought in the Luwero Triangle in central Uganda between 1981 and 1986. Museveni and his fighters used guerrilla tactics such as surprise attacks, moving through villages, and relying on support from local communities. During this period, Museveni emerged as a disciplined and strategic leader, emphasizing political education among his fighters and building a strong command structure.

In 1986, after years of fighting, the NRA defeated the government forces and captured Kampala. Museveni became president and showered Ugandas with promises.

Shutting Opposition

One of Museveni’s opponents is Dr Kizza Besigye, who was his personal doctor during the guerrilla war. Besigye first vied against Museveni in 2001 after criticizing his leadership.

In an interview with Uganda media, Besgiye talked about his relationship with Museveni.

“In the bush we had something called a joint meeting. That combined political leaders and military leaders. I was a member of the high command. I was a member of the cabinet when we came into government, I was a member of parliament where he was the speaker, because in the first 10 years he was the president and speaker of parliament.”

Over the years, Besigye has been arrested, humiliated and tortured just for daring to question Museveni’s leadership and vying against him during general elections.

One might think that since he stopped vying against Museveni, finally he is somewhere enjoying the cold breeze and hot tea or tasty cold drinks, but no, Kizza Besigye is still in detention in Uganda. Charged with offences including illegal possession of firearms and treason a charge that carries the death penalty under Ugandan law. The charges came after he was arrested in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2024. He has been at Luzira Maximum Security Prison in Kampala. Bail applications denied.

When Besigye hung his election-vying boots, and before Museveni could rest and win elections with landslides without planning how to bar the opposition from campaigning and organizing house arrests, came Robert Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine.

When Museveni was being sworn in 1986, he did not know that a 4-year-old boy from Kamwokya slum in the north eastern part of Kampala, would vie against him decades later.

Just like Besigye, Kyagulanyi has had his fair share of torture, humiliation, and arrests.

Kyagulanyi is vying for the second time against Museveni, but he still believes he is going to emerge as a winner.

During an interview with CNN on 12th January, Kyagulanyi said it is important to challenge Museveni until victory is theirs.

“Not challenging him means giving up, we know the odds are against us the military, police and all institutions of state. But also, it I clear that the people of Uganda are standing firmly behind the forces of change that I am leading,”

Kyagulanyi says he was under house arrest immediately after he cast his vote during the previous elections, and he is expecting the same today.

“We have learnt that dictators might not go with the first, second or third push, but eventually they fail,”

On young Ugandans, Kyagulanyi added that he has constantly told them that democracy works only when people stand firm. They do not believe in violence.

Museveni Longevity

Dr Hassan Khannenje, Director of The HORN International Institute for Strategic Studies, says Museveni’s longevity was contributed to by being part of a group that fought against Idi Amin, then part of the group that fought against Tito Kello, Milton Obote, and all others. 

“He had served previously as a defence minister, before eventually going back to the bush, and then coming back as president in 1986. Now, that has given him an understanding of Uganda that many people did not have.”

Coming in as a guerrilla, who organised popular revolt, using mostly young men and women to conduct a war, he understands Uganda's terrain, as well as Uganda's culture.

“He understood Uganda's fear of a return to civil war, and that is why he is constantly invoked the possibility of returning to the bush, and reminding people how Uganda was before he came to power,”

Khannenje says that alone allowed him to get a lot of support for many years, especially among the rural communities.

“Contrary to popular belief that Museveni has always stolen elections, actually, Museveni has remained very popular in rural areas for a very long time. And 80% of Ugandans don't live in Kampala or in Entebbe, they live in these rural areas,” he says

Khannenje says another reason for his longevity is he's had a monopoly when it comes to media, as well as logistics. And so, to the extent that his opposition has always been limited to campaigning previously in the cities alone, meant that it's never been a fair playing ground for political opposition to be able to mobilize and campaign sufficiently n ways in which they can pose a real threat to his reign.

“Also, there is a question of incumbency and the fact that he controls institutions that run elections, including the Electoral Commission, the main government media, and then just the state legis in terms of resources to be able to buy influence and buy votes. And so that incumbency has given natural advantages of a sitting president in the African context,”

Another reason is that he has not faced a lot of critical opposition. The last credible opposition before now was Kizza Besigye.

He adds that Bobi Wine, despite the fact that he's also had a lot of support, there are people who did not think he could be president, because they still viewed him from the prism of a musician.

In a multi-party democracy, you require a very strong civil society that is active.

“In East Africa, I think only Kenya has enjoyed that for more than three decades. Uganda has not had a very strong civil society, since civil society normally serves as an alternative government. That is a reservoir from which you actually recruit the next leaders, you know, the next attorneys general, the next parliamentarians.”

How Ugandan Politics has influenced East Africa

According to Khannenje, Uganda is important in part because it has been very central in East African integration. It's been pushing for political federation longer than anybody else.

“Uganda has influence in DRC, has been involved militarily, and is still involved today. Uganda has been involved, sometimes jointly, or sometimes unilaterally, in South Sudan, which of course also makes it a party to the South Sudan conflict. But also in certain other aspects, maybe looked at as a stabilizer of the government in South Sudan,”

Uganda is a big contributor to the army forces in Somalia, and so, to the extent that it's been doing that adds to the significance of Uganda in the region, but also has a fast-growing population and extremely fast-growing economy.

“Museveni himself has been an elder statesman on the continent and a Pan-Africanist, who, despite internal shortcomings at home, is fairly respected by other leaders around the continent and even by some African populations,” he adds.