On the 14 of January 2021, Uganda will vote to elect a new president. The political climate in the country has been tense as the incumbent Yoweri Museveni and the popular opposition, Bobi Wine, stage campaigns across most of Uganda. The campaigns have been one of the bloodiest in Uganda’s history with reports of police brutality and use of force on supporters of the opposition candidate, Bobi Wine. A member of Wine’s security team, Francis Senteza Kalibala, was run over and killed on 27 December by a military police truck.
The vote will hold in a climate where Mr Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is employing several tactics to stifle the opposition.
A No-Internet Vote
Authorities in Uganda have ordered internet service providers to block all social media platforms and messaging apps on Tuesday until further notice, effectively cutting off Ugandans from major social media platforms including Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook. “Uganda Communications Commission hereby directs you to immediately suspend any access and use, direct or otherwise, of all social media platforms and online messaging applications over your network until further notice,” the letter said.
Prior to this shutdown, Facebook reportedly took down hundreds of accounts belonging to or associated with supporters of President Yoweri Museveni. Facebook said the accounts were taken down because they were manipulating or attempting to influence voter choices.
The Winner Does Not Stand Alone
President Museveni has easily won every vote since the first election that held under his presidency in 1996 but these elections present a fresh challenge for him––the resilient reggae singer, Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu also known as Bobi Wine, who flies the National Unity Party Flag. Other challengers include Patrick Amuriat of the Forum for Democratic Change, Mao Nobert of the Democratic Party, and Kalembe Nancy Linda and Independent and the lone female candidate in the race. Now more than ever, Museveni is fighting on every side to maintain his grip on power.
Videos surfaced on the internet showing military vehicles being deployed to parts of Uganda, an indication that Thursday’s polls will be heavily militarized.
The elections in Uganda will set a precedent for what can be expected from polls in other countries in the continent like Ethiopia which has also been nursing political tensions. The hashtag #WeAreRemovingADictator is trending on Twitter as Ugandans count down the hours to one of the most important moments for the country. It remains to see if history repeats itself or if Uganda will have a new leader.
