UGANDA opposition leader and musician Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has officially announced his intention to run for president in the upcoming elections scheduled for January 12, 2026. Wine, 42, revealed his decision in an interview with Uganda’s Monitor newspaper on Sunday, setting the stage for a potential rematch with long-serving President Yoweri Museveni.
In the last election, held in 2021, Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) secured over 35 percent of the vote, while Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) claimed victory with over 58 percent. Despite his loss, Wine emerged as a powerful voice for change, particularly among Uganda’s younger population.
Museveni’s accusations of vote rigging
On September 12, President Museveni alleged that Wine’s NUP had ‘cheated by one million votes’ in the 2021 election. Museveni, who won approximately 6 million votes compared to Wine’s 3.6 million, claimed that vote rigging occurred in areas where the electronic voting system failed. He challenged NUP to take legal action if they believed they had been falsely accused.
However, NUP swiftly denied the allegations. Joel Ssenyonyi, the leader of the opposition in Uganda’s parliament and a prominent member of NUP, responded by saying that President Museveni is concerned by the growing support for NUP, particularly among Uganda’s youth.
A clash of visions for Uganda
As the country prepares for the 2026 election, both leaders have laid out starkly different visions. Museveni, now 80, has been in power since 1986 and argues that his leadership guarantees ‘continuity, experience, and stability.’ In contrast, Bobi Wine insists that Uganda is ready for change. ‘A whole generation of citizens is hungry and angry,’ Wine stated, adding that they are ‘yearning for change.’
With both leaders gearing up for what is expected to be a heated election, Uganda’s political future hangs in the balance. Wine’s decision to run once again highlights the deep divisions in the country, with many younger voters eager to see an end to Museveni’s decades-long rule.
