Uganda’s Electoral Commission has officially approved President Yoweri Museveni and opposition leader Bobi Wine to contest in the 2026 general elections.
The declaration paves the way for a heated political battle between the 81 year old incumbent, who has been in power since 1986, and his 43 year old challenger, a pop star turned politician with massive youth support.
Museveni, one of Africa’s longest serving leaders, is running again under the National Resistance Movement. He stressed economic growth, infrastructure projects, and stability as key achievements, while promising to prioritize wealth creation, education, healthcare, and anti-corruption efforts.
Critics, however, accuse him of violating authoritarian rule, pointing to the scrapping of term and age limits, suppression of the opposition, and repeated human rights violations.
Bobi Wine, who lost to Museveni in the 2021 election, insists he possesses the aspirations of a younger generation calling for change in the country. His nomination was confirmed on Wednesday in Kampala, where he appeared alongside his wife at the Electoral Commission.
With the elections slated for January 2026, Uganda now braces for a decisive showdown between continuity and the possibility of a new political era.
