How Museveni Engineered Power to Be Permanent For nearly four decades » The Hoima Post –

Uganda’s Closed System: How Museveni Engineered Power to Be Permanent
For nearly four decades, Uganda has been ruled by one man: Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who took power in 1986 after a five-year guerrilla war. What began as a reformist promise of democracy has hardened into one of Africa’s most entrenched political systems.
Uganda today is not governed by competitive politics. It is governed by a security architecture built to prevent political change.
From Reform to Permanence
When Museveni came to power, he argued that Africa’s problem was leaders who overstayed. In 1986, he famously said:
“The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people but leaders who want to overstay in power.”
Yet over time, Museveni dismantled the very legal barriers that would have removed him.
Key constitutional changes:
2005: Presidential term limits removed
2017: Presidential age limits removed
Result: Museveni can run indefinitely
During the age-limit debate, Museveni told supporters:
“I am not a servant of the Constitution. The Constitution is for the people.”
That moment marked a turning point: the law was no longer a limit on power, but a tool of it.
Power Is Secured by the Gun
Uganda’s real power lies not in parliament or courts, but in the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and elite security units.
Museveni has placed:
His son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in command of elite forces
Former bush-war comrades in top army and intelligence roles
Loyalists in police, prisons, and internal security
The result is a personalized security state.
According to the International Crisis Group:
“The Ugandan military is no longer simply a national army; it has become a central political actor whose loyalty is tied to the president personally.”
This structure ensures that elections can be managed, protests suppressed, and court rulings ignored when necessary.
Elections Without Change
Uganda holds regular elections, but international observers consistently describe them as unfair.
After the 2021 election, the European Union Election Observation Mission concluded:
“The electoral process was marred by widespread use of excessive force, arbitrary arrests, and severe restrictions on freedoms of assembly and expression.”
Human Rights Watch reported:
“Security forces killed, abducted, and tortured opposition supporters. Media coverage was blocked and the internet shut down.”
Museveni won with 58.6%. Bobi Wine disputed the result and was placed under house arrest.
The message was clear:
Voting is permitted. Changing power is not.
Criminalizing Opposition
Opposition figures in Uganda are not merely challenged at the ballot box — they are criminalized.
Dr. Kizza Besigye, Museveni’s former ally turned rival, has been:
Arrested more than 30 times
Tried in military and civilian courts
Placed under house arrest repeatedly
Amnesty International notes:
“Uganda uses the justice system as a tool of political control rather than accountability.”
Bobi Wine’s party has faced:
Banned rallies
Arrested organizers
Military raids on campaign offices
The opposition is allowed to exist — but not to grow.
Youth Without Power
Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world. About 78% of its population is under 30.
Yet:
Youth unemployment exceeds 60% by some estimates
Protest is treated as treason
Digital activism is monitored
The World Bank warns:
“Uganda’s demographic youth bulge is not translating into political or economic empowerment.”
Large numbers do not automatically become political power when fear and poverty dominate daily life.
Dynastic Succession in Plain Sight
Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is not a hidden figure. He publicly tweets political threats, foreign policy positions, and succession hints.
In 2022 he wrote:
“It is not yet time, but the country knows who will protect it.”
He commands the Special Forces Command, which guards:
The president
State House
Strategic installations
Analysts increasingly describe Uganda as moving toward hereditary rule.
According to political scientist Prof. Michaela Wrong:
“Uganda has evolved from a liberation movement into a family-centered security state.”
A System Designed Not to Lose
Uganda’s power system now has four key features:
Constitutional flexibility – Laws change to fit the ruler
Military loyalty – Guns answer to family and history, not institutions
Judicial pressure – Courts issue rulings, but enforcement is selective
Managed dissent – Opposition exists, but is tightly controlled
Freedom House classifies Uganda as:
“Not Free”, citing “entrenched rule, militarized politics, and suppression of opposition.”
Conclusion: The Wall Around Power
Uganda is not facing a simple leadership crisis. It is facing a structural lock.
Elections alone cannot change a system where:
The army answers to one family
The constitution bends to one man
Protest is treated as rebellion
Succession is already being rehearsed
Until those pillars change, political competition remains symbolic.
Uganda’s future is therefore not just a question of who rules next, but whether rule can ever change at all.
As Museveni once warned before becoming the system he criticized
power that cannot be challenged becomes power that cannot be removed.

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