Museveni was sworn in as president on 29 January 1986. After a ceremony conducted by British-born Chief Justice Peter Allen, he said this was not "a mere change of guard" but "a fundamental change." Speaking to crowds of thousands outside the Ugandan parliament, Museveni promised a return to democracy, stating: "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."
Rise to power: 1986–1996 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.
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 programme, as Museveni noted in his swearing in speech: 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. 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. In March 1989,
Amnesty International published a human rights report on
Uganda,
Uganda, the Human Rights Record 1986–1989. 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. In its conclusion, the report offered some hope: 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 74.3 percent of the vote from a turnout of 72.9 percent of eligible voters. There were 15,615 polling stations by then with 8,492,231 registered voters out of which only 6,193,816 voters voted with 5,997,626 valid votes and 196,190 invalid votes representing 3.2%.15,615 polling stations sent their results of votes. 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. In 1997, he introduced free primary education. 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. 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 and
Joseph Mulenga ruled in favor of the respondents while Justices Aurthur Haggai Oder and
John Tsekoko ruled in favor of Besigye.
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. Museveni had 5,088,470 votes, which stood at 69.4%, followed by his counterpart Besigye, who got 2,029,190 votes standing at 27.7%. The total number of voters who registered were 10,775,836 out of which only 7,511,606 voted with total vaild votes of 7,327,079 and invalid votes of 184,527. The leading district in voting was
Kamwenge in which 111,146 voters voted and 110,188 voters were valid standing at 92.1%. In a populist publicity stunt, 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. There was 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."
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. The 2001 election campaigns were a heated affair, with Museveni
threatening to put his rival "six feet under".
Political pluralism and constitutional change 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. 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: 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. 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. In an opinion article in the
Boston Globe and in a speech delivered at the
Wilson Center, former
US 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". "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". 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. 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". A confidential
World Bank report leaked in May suggested that the international lender might cut its support to non-humanitarian programmes 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." 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." "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". 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." 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. 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". In September 2004, President Museveni delivered the keynote address at the
Ugandan North American Association (UNAA) convention in Seattle, Washington, accompanied by First Lady
Janet Museveni and U.S. Congressman
Jim McDermott.
Death of John Garang 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. Garang had been Sudan's vice-president for three weeks before his death. 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." 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.
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. 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. On 2 January 2006, Besigye was released after the High Court ordered his immediate release. 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. 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.
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.
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.
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"). Sharlet reports that Douglas Coe, leader of The Fellowship, identified Museveni as the organization's "key man in Africa". 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. 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. In 2023, Museveni signed an anti-LGBTQ+ bill and called on other African leaders to reject the "promotion of homosexuality".
Fourth term (2011–2016) and Yoweri Museveni in 2012 Museveni was reported a winner on Sunday, 20 February 2011 at 4:32:54PM with a 68.38 percent majority with 59.29 percent of registered voters having voted. In this election cycle, the electoral commission registered the first female presidential candidate. Total number of voters who reigistered were 13,954,129 across a total of 23,968 polling stations of which 23,851 sent the results to the Electoral Commission representing 99.51% of total polling stations. In the results sent, 7,938,212 votes were valid representing 95.96%, 334,548 votes were invalid that is 4.04% giving an overall total of votes cast to be 8,272,760. 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. Following the fall of Egypt's
Hosni Mubarak and Libya's
Muammar Gaddafi, Museveni became the fifth-longest serving African leader. In October 2011, the annual inflation rate reached 30.5 percent, principally due to food and fuel increases. 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. Besigye's arrest led to more riots in Kampala. Besigye promised that "peaceful demonstrations" would continue. The government's response to the riots has been condemned by donor nations. in August 2014.|223x223pxIn 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." 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". 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. 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".
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 reported again another winner on
Monday,22 February 2016 with 60.62% percent of the vote followed by
Besigye's 35.61 percent. 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. The registered number of polling stations was 28,010 across the country with a total of 15,277,198 registered voters, although not everyone voted. Only 10,329,131 voters (representing 69.61% 9D the total) voted, out of which 9,851,812 votes were valid, indicating 95.38% voting precision. 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. 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), the general public protested, as they had been doing prior to the signing of the bill, using all avenues including on social media. In October 2017, some MPs returned what they alleged were bribes to facilitate the bill. 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. They also argued 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. The third argument they made was that the bill violated other constitutional clauses in relation to the extension of terms and electoral procedures. One legislator,
Mbwaketamwa Gaffa, is quoted as saying, "when the president to the bill, it might be legal, but it will be illegitimate, and we are going to challenge it."
Public reaction to the new bill The law enforcement agencies in Uganda, such as 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Independent organizations and democracy experts confirmed the elections were neither free nor fair. The Electoral Commission published a Declaration of Results form that turned out to be fraudulent. The Electoral Commission then promised an investigation, which did not take place. Wine was placed under house arrest on 15 January. Independent international observers called for investigation into potential election fraud amidst a nationwide internet shutdown, human rights abuses, and denied accreditation requests. Wine was released on 26 January. In June 2021, 44 people were arrested at an LGBT center, with the pretext of violating COVID SOPs. In July 2022, Museveni hosted Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov, saying that "We don't believe in being enemies of somebody's enemy." In October 2022, Museveni apologized to Kenya on behalf of his son,
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had tweeted that he could invade Kenya in two weeks. In July 2023, Museveni attended the
2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg and met with Russian President
Vladimir Putin. 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." 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. In June 2025, Museveni announced his candidacy for the January 2026 presidential election. Museveni was formally declared the candidate of his party the following month. On 27 August 2025, the ruling
National Resistance Movement endorsed Museveni as presidential candidate for the 2026 election. The party, which was holding its 5th National Conference, also endorsed Museveni as the party chairperson until 2031.
Seventh term (2026–present) Initial results released on 16 January showed Museveni leading in
the 2026 presidential election with 76.25% of the vote, followed by Bobi Wine with 19.85%. Wine's supporters
protested the results. On 17 January, Museveni was officially declared the winner of the presidential election with 71.65% of the vote. == Other responsibilities ==