Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed that he will contest the January 2026 elections, setting the stage for yet another bid to extend his rule that began in 1986.
The country’s electoral commission announced on Tuesday that the 81-year-old leader would appear on the ballot, a decision welcomed by his National Resistance Movement party, which endorsed him earlier in June as its flagbearer.
Museveni, who has already served six terms, is now seeking to stretch his leadership into a fifth decade.
In a message to his supporters on X, Museveni highlighted his economic record, noting that Uganda’s GDP has doubled from US$34 billion to US$66 billion in recent years. He pledged to transform the country into a US$500 billion economy within five years.
“You have everything today that you lacked in the past: electricity, roads, telephones, manpower, the educated people, and peace,” he wrote, insisting that Uganda’s stability has made it attractive to foreign investors.
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Museveni also outlined key priorities for the next five years, focusing on wealth creation, free education in government schools, improved infrastructure, healthcare, clean water, and tackling corruption.
Museveni first took power after leading a guerrilla war that ousted General Tito Okello in 1986. Since then, he has maintained a firm grip on Ugandan politics, winning multiple elections often marred by allegations of fraud and intimidation.
In 2017, lawmakers scrapped the constitutional age limit for presidential candidates, clearing the path for Museveni to run beyond the age of 75. While he has at times suggested his next campaign would be his last, he has repeatedly returned to the ballot.
His main rival in 2026 is expected to be Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, a former pop star who now leads the National Unity Platform.
Despite concerns, Museveni continues to project himself as the only leader capable of maintaining peace and guiding Uganda into a new era of economic growth.
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