Kagwanja questions the essence of conducting elections in Uganda
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, January 21, 2026Political analyst Peter Kagwanja has dismissed the need for Ugandan citizens to be subject to an electoral process, disputing its credibility and lack of democracy in the country.
Speaking to a local TV station on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Kagwanja said that it will take a strong decision for Uganda to be a democratic country as opposed to the current situation, where President Museveni controls every aspect of power in the country, with control of all the government machinery.
He argued that there would never be a level playing field among the political players in Uganda unless the decision to claim democracy was arrived at.
“There was not supposed to be an election in Uganda, and I don’t think in the near future there will be what you can call an election comparable to the kind of competition we have in Kenya, where President William Ruto would win in an election between him and his competitors or rivals. In Uganda, you can’t see that,” Kagwanja said, despite several leaders, including President William Ruto, congratulating Museveni and the poll process.
Further, Kagwanja has indicated that the turnout for the people of Uganda indicates that the Ugandans need democracy as part of the East African community and have seen democracy work in other countries like Kenya, and therefore, they have a knowledge of what democracy feels like, and that is all they want.
Museveni is a revolutionary leader
Kagwanja has termed Museveni as a revolutionary leader as opposed to a democratic leader, terming his main aim in leadership as bringing revolution in his country and not democracy. He has also noted that in Uganda, the lack of democracy is not only associated with Museveni as the president but also with the larger ruling party of NRM, which has posed a security threat to opposition leaders like Bobi Wine and Kizza Besigye, suggesting that democracy has a future in Uganda if the young people could embrace it.
Harassment of opposition leaders in Uganda
Kagwanja’s sentiments have come at a time when Uganda’s democracy is on trial after the recently held general elections, where Museveni was declared the winner and the main opposition leader, Bobi Wine, fleeing in fear for his life, and the former outspoken opposition leader, Kizza Besigye ailing in detention, facing treason charges.