the Humanist view

2015

Among fundamental transformations that President Museveni has achieved, is from being among those heralded ‘new generation of African leaders’ to being among the ‘African problem leaders’ he once criticized in his youth.

Analysts now categorize President Museveni among those problematic leaders who cannot bear to retire.

But then again, did President Museveni go through a transformation or is it actually the case that he is still who he has always been?

Might President Museveni have governed differently, including retiring within 10 years as he had promised:

If his individual autocratic, megalomaniac tendencies had been checked from the onset?

If he had been subjugated and restricted to operate and conform within the collective of genuine democratic decision-making structures of the nation-sate?

Put another way, and generally, might presidents govern differently if from the onset of their term in office, the media focus on their leadership is not to popularize a single story; but that rather the media tells dual or multiple stories?

That is to say, for example, that while celebrating presidential decrees, the media and all other active citizens also at the same time analyze what the full implications of presidential decrees are.

Anyway, unchecked and believing there isn’t another Uganda able to do the job of president, in 2016, thirty years since he took power, President Museveni will again be one of the choices on Presidential Election Ballot Papers.

And again one of his main challengers is long-time friend, Dr. Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (retired Colonel of the Uganda Peoples Defense Forces).

Another on the 2016 ballot is Mr. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, Uganda’s immediate former Prime Minister, who has allegedly also fallen out with President Museveni.

2011

The two friends, President Museveni and Dr Besigye, were the main protagonists in the 2011 presidential elections.

By the official declared election results, Dr. Besigye’s popularity had waned. He was voted by 26% of the voting electorate; an 11% drop in his popularity in comparison to the 2006 elections.

While President Museveni enjoyed a 9% gain in popularity. Voted back into office by 68.4% of the voting electorate.

Some are of the view that Dr. Besigye’s egotistical, abrasive, confrontational and bulldozer style tendencies repulsed a significant section of undecided voters. And may have chosed to vote for President Museveni within the logic of  the English idiom  “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”.

2006

By 2006, indeed, President Museveni’s popularity had significantly waned. It became crystal clear that he had irreversibly broken his promises to the people of Uganda.

Same as ‘African problem leaders’, those such as he had criticized in the past for overstaying in power, he too was doing the same.

While, according to the official declared results, President Museveni won the 2006 presidential elections, he was endorsed by less Ugandans – 59.3% of the voting electorate; a 10% drop in his popularity in comparison to the 2001 elections; and a 16.2% drop, in comparison to the 1996 elections.

His main challenger in 2006, again Dr. Besigye, according to the official declared results, had a 10% gain in his popularity, as compared to the 2001 elections. In 2006 Dr. Besigye was voted by 37.4% of the voting electorate.

2001

Reality checks among Ugandans began to truly sink in during the 2000s, as may be deduced from the fact that the media began to tell another single story for President Museveni – he was not the messiah after all.

Nevertheless, in 2001 President Museveni again contested and, according to official declared results, won with the endorsement of 69.4% of Uganda’s voting electorate.

President Museveni’s long-time friend turned foe, Dr. Besigye, was his main challenger in the 2001 elections. According to official declared results, Dr. Besigye was voted for by only 27.7% of the voting electorate.

It is popularly believed that many voters thought that the 2001-2006 term would be President Museveni’s last term in office and that is why they overwhelmingly voted for him once more.

Apparently, the logic followed:

Let us reward and show appreciation of the messiah one more time for he is a great leader.  

Some may find similarities with what is currently going on in Rwanda.

The Rwanda parliament has changed Rwanda’s Constitution, in order to allow for President Kagame to remain president longer – he is great, and there isn’t yet another like him, kind of logic.