{"id":30998,"date":"2026-05-13T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=30998"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:31:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:31:03","slug":"after-40-years-in-power-81-year-old-ugandan-president-begins-fresh-term","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/13\/after-40-years-in-power-81-year-old-ugandan-president-begins-fresh-term\/","title":{"rendered":"After 40 Years in Power, 81 Year Old Ugandan President Begins Fresh Term"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP), Yoweri Museveni, Uganda\u2019s 81 year old president who has ruled the country since 1986, was sworn in Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term, extending his tenure to four decades and cementing his place as one of Africa\u2019s longest serving leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museveni\u2019s rule now spans nearly half of Uganda\u2019s post\u2011independence history, a longevity that few leaders worldwide can match. His continued grip on power underscores both the stability he has brought, and the democratic deficits critics say have deepened under his watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uganda\u2019s future is tightly bound to Museveni\u2019s leadership. Supporters hail him for transforming the economy, expanding infrastructure, and maintaining relative peace after years of turmoil. But opponents argue his government has stifled dissent, weakened institutions, and entrenched authoritarianism. The question facing Ugandans is whether the nation can imagine a political future beyond Museveni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUganda under Museveni has seen undeniable progress in health and education, but the cost has been political freedoms,\u201d said Sarah Biryomumaisho, a Kampala based analyst. \u201cThe institutions remain fragile, and succession is the looming challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"After
After 40 Years in Power, 81\u2011Year\u2011Old Ugandan President Begins Fresh Term<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Others argue Museveni\u2019s longevity reflects genuine popularity. \u201cHe remains the only leader many Ugandans have known, and for them, continuity is preferable to uncertainty,\u201d said political scientist Michael Mutua.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public reaction is sharply divided. In rural areas, many Ugandans welcome continuity, crediting Museveni with roads, schools, and healthcare. \u201cHe has kept us safe and given us development,\u201d said one farmer in Gulu. In Kampala and other urban centers, frustration runs deep. Young voters aligned with opposition leader Bobi Wine say the election was unfair and their voices silenced. \u201cWe want change, not another five years of the same,\u201d said a university student in the capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museveni\u2019s extended rule resonates beyond Uganda. Western allies, who rely on Kampala for regional security cooperation, face a dilemma: balancing support for stability with calls for democratic reform. China has deepened economic ties, investing in infrastructure projects, while neighboring countries watch closely as succession debates intensify.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speculation continues around Museveni\u2019s son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, seen by many as a likely successor. Critics warn of a \u201cMuhoozi Project\u201d that could entrench hereditary leadership, while supporters argue it would ensure continuity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Museveni begins his fresh term, Uganda stands at a crossroads. The president\u2019s familiar refrain urging citizens to \u201cget to work\u201d may rally supporters, but the deeper question lingers: after 40 years of one man\u2019s rule, can Uganda\u2019s democracy still find room to breathe?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP), Yoweri Museveni, Uganda\u2019s 81 year old president who has ruled the country since 1986, was sworn in Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term, extending his tenure to four decades and cementing his place as one of Africa\u2019s longest serving leaders. Museveni\u2019s rule now spans nearly half of Uganda\u2019s post\u2011independence history, a longevity […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":30999,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3699,2096,4,458,1138],"tags":[15852,15861,15850,15862,15847,15864,15857,15863,15853,15849,15859,15856,15848,15846,15855,15854],"class_list":["post-30998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-africa","category-economics","category-featured","category-legal","category-politics","tag-african-longest-serving-leaders","tag-kampala-swearing-in-ceremony","tag-museveni-40-years-in-power","tag-museveni-inauguration-2026","tag-museveni-seventh-term","tag-museveni-son-muhoozi-succession","tag-uganda-authoritarian-rule","tag-uganda-citizens-reaction","tag-uganda-democracy-debate","tag-uganda-election-results","tag-uganda-future-of-democracy","tag-uganda-political-stability","tag-uganda-politics-2026","tag-uganda-president-yoweri-museveni","tag-uganda-regional-security","tag-uganda-succession-politics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uganda.jpg?fit=2048%2C1109&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30998"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31002,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30998\/revisions\/31002"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}