Page 23 - The Nile Explorer Magazine 011

East Africa

Tough Act:

Taking on

Museveni as

Uganda votes

in 2021 Opposition politician, Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine is escorted by police
officers after his arrest

ganda is heading to a general election for reelection. Broadcasting Corporation. He went to
Uin March 2021, amid the COVID-19 His meetings usually are covered by the court against the media house, which still
pandemic, in what the government presidential press unit which broadcasts never respected the court orders.
has called “scientific election” meaning on Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Kizza Beisigye has been unsuccessful
contestants will not be allowed to hold and distributes footage to other networks, candidate in Uganda’s election’s in2001,
public rallies, but conduct their campaigns according giving him the necessary 2006, 2011, and 2016 presidential elections
vi digital platforms and mass media. The visibility to the electorate. losing all of them to incumbent yoweri
so-called “scientific election” will involve The 2014 census shows that 1million Museveni, who has been president of
observance of social distancing guidelines homesteads had television sets and 3.4 Uganda since 26, January 1986. The results
to curb the spread of Covid-19. million had radio sets, against a registered of 2006 elections were contested in court.
On June 16, the Uganda Electoral voter population of about 17 million. Uganda’s previous general elections have
Commission issued an order banning Moreover, a recent study reveals that always been disputed by the opposition,
public rallies for the 2021 political Uganda’s internet penetration is about 42 under cloud of opaqueness by the electoral
campaigns as part of the country’s per cent, with up to 19 million Ugandans commission and unlevel playing ground.
Covid-19 containment measures. connected to the internet out of a total Already, things are not looking very good,
Campaigns will now be only be conducted estimated population of 46 million people. with signs that the 2021 general elections
on radio and television, in newspapers, Uganda is still under partial lockdown will not be any better.
and on the Internet. with the president determination to keep The youthful Bobi Wine whose has styled
President Yoweri Museveni, 77, who has the country’s social containment measures himself as the Uganda’s Julius Malema,
ruled the country for 34 years, is seeking amid the Covid-19 pandemic. He is yet the abrasive and eloquent South African
another term. Museveni has ruled Uganda, to lift an eight-and-a-half hour nightly opposition politician, complete with
since 1986, when he busted into Kampala, curfew imposed on the country since May. signature red beret and Nelson Mandela’s
as the leader of a rebel group, taking over Public transport is still tightly regulated; raised fist situate, is always in the crosshairs
power by the gun. with the number of passengers per vehicle with the police.
The incumbent is being challenges by halved. Commuters must wash their hands To beat restrictions, Bobi Wine, takes
at least 9 contestants, among them, and and wear masks. advantage of radio interviews—he is a
most prominent is visible musician, Bobi Uganda’s presidential elections, since the darling of the private media—and a strong
Wine. a 38-year-old opposition MP whose introduction of multi-parties, have always online presence to mobilize his base,
real name is Robert Kyagulanyi. Other been disputed, with those challenging and to push his campaigns. His frequent
prominent candidates are former Security Museveni heavily disadvantaged, and their arrests that are always dramatic make news
Minister Henry Tumukunde and former freedoms and campaigns curtailed and globally, and are shared locally on social
media to win sympathy.
army commander Mugisha Muntu. many times, manhandled by the police. Bobi’s campaign team organizes streets
The debate in the East African in the Museveni was first elected under Uganda’s demonstrate as a show of support and
country is about the feasibility of the so first multi-party elections in February, shore protest his constant mistreatment.
called digital campaigns and scientific 2006, the first in 25years, ending the The response by police is always to tear
elections, which many observe will NRM’s stranglehold on the country’s gas them and beat up the protestors, which
disenfranchise many Uganda who have politics, through what the president called certainly attracts media coverage to shore
no access to radio and television. Besides, a movement system. A Chinese style single up his visibility.
most Ugandans do not own smart phones. party rule. As the country goes through the motions
As for candidates, it is a sorry affair and Restrictions on political, parties had been of a long-drawn political campaign,
a disadvantage, particularly looking at place since NRM came to power in 1986, observers don’t expect Museveni to lose, in
the costs of running advertisements and and were upheld in a referendum in 2000. an election he has worked so hard to get to
sponsored programmes in the mainstream In March 2003, the NRM made a u-turn the ballot. In 2017, after months of heated,
media, while President Museveni has on the issue and agreed to return to multi- sometimes violent debates, Uganda’s
continued with public engagements in party politics in Uganda. parliament voted to lift the age limit for the
the pretext of opening or inspecting In 2011, opposition leader Kizza Besigye presidency, setting the stage for president
development projects, at which meetings was denied paid advertisement space for president Museveni to rule the country
he meets people, and seek public support scheduled on the State-owned Uganda indefinitely.

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