(4 minutes read)
· Uganda is gearing up for elections this week in the aftermath of a violent campaign. President Yoweri Museveni is contesting again and opposition is accusing him of seeking to hold onto power at any cost
· During the campaign trail of the January 14 elections,
candidates have been arrested, rallies banned, and dozens of protesters killed in the chaotic and bloody run up
· The country also recorded a surge in Covid-19 cases, which some point out due to scant attention given during the electioneering for social distancing and other safety measures
Uganda is gearing up for elections this week in the aftermath of a violent campaign. President Yoweri Museveni is contesting again and the opposition is accusing him of seeking to hold onto power at any cost.
During the campaign trail of the January 14 elections, candidates have been arrested, rallies banned, and dozens of protesters killed in the chaotic and bloody run up. The country also recorded a surge in Covid-19 cases, which some point out due to scant attention given during the electioneering for social distancing and other safety measures.
The keenly fought election will have close to 18 million voters. The elections are held concurrently for the presidential and parliamentary seats. Museveni (76) and his dominant National Resistance Movement (NRM) are pitted against several opposition candidates. Museveni has been president since 1986. That makes him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders and is largely expected to retain the position, according to pollsters, despite the charges against him by the opposition parties, who accuse him of playing dirty games to seek his selfish ends.
Museveni’s strongest challenger is singer-turned-MP called Bobi Wine. He has spent most of the campaign in a bulletproof vest and combat helmet, canvassing for votes from the open top of a moving car. There was violence while his election cavalcade passed through various places, killing at least 54 people in two days of violence in November after Wine’s arrest sparked widespread protests. Bobi Wines (38) with his real name Robert Kyagulanyi, is giving hard time to Museveni, despite dozens of his close confidantes are under detention or intimidated.
Other opposition leaders also are complaining about intimidation into their election campaigning by the police and other authorities. For instance, Patrick Amuriat, another presidential aspirant, lost his shoes during a scuffle with police while trying to file his candidacy papers.
