March 2024

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Former Prime Minister Mbabazi knows how to dethrone a tyrant. He helped get rid of Idi Amin – one of Africa’s most brutal dictators – as well as Milton Obote, another tyrannical ruler, six years later. He has now set his sights on the current president of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. Mbabazu is now 66 years old and knows that he may get arrested, but he has no fear. “If I didn’t fear Idi Amin then, I won’t have fear now,” he says.

Former allies

Museveni and Mbabazi used to be allies. They both fought against the tyrannical regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote. But their relationship has taken a turn for the worse. The president has made enemies in Western countries when he introduced an anti-gay and lesbian bill that threatened the death penalty. He keeps promising that he will step down when he finds a successor who is “a nationalist, patriotic and pan-African, one that promotes social economic transformation and is democratic” according to him. But some think that this just means he will be president forever unless someone takes him down.

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Problems plaguing Uganda

There are issues in Uganda that many feel the president is not properly addressing. 78% of the country’s population is under 30 years old. Even though Uganda has witnessed solid economic growth for the last ten years, there is a severe job shortage. The health care and education systems are also facing problems. Lastly, economic corruption is a major problem in the nation. The current president has held onto power for twenty nine years and does not seem to be leaving anytime soon.  “The population doesn’t think Museveni is the leader to take us to the level of development that we’d like to pursue,” Mbabazi states. Though the population respects the president’s past accomplishments, faith in his ability to lead the country is waning.

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A lofty goal

If he manages to displace Museveni, Mbabazi does not intend to take over for too long. He aims to only be a transitional president. Once he addresses issues he feels need attention, such as the job shortages for young people, he will hand the power over. Mbabazi believes that the next generation of leaders needs to take control. “There is a very strong feeling in the population that it is time to change leadership,” he said.

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Danger to anyone backing him

The police tried to stop Mbabazi from promoting his campaign, warning him that his aspirations are illegal. In the past few days, “at least 33 of my supporters from all corners of Uganda have been arrested by the police,” Mr. Mbabazi said. “They’ve been arrested simply because they’ve expressed the opinion that they support Mbabazi for president. That’s all, they’ve not done anything else.”

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