As Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected for his seventh term this month, the country’s youth expressed deep disappointment and a desire for change. Despite making up over three-quarters of the population, many young Ugandans feel their voices have been suppressed and their hopes for a brighter future crushed.
Sarah Namubiru, a 21-year-old university student aspiring to be a teacher, did not vote for Museveni due to the low salaries in the profession. “The results were not a reflection of what we want and I am disappointed because it seems my vote was not respected,” she said. With 87% of graduates unable to find employment, the youth unemployment crisis has left many disillusioned.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine, who secured 25% of the vote, was forced into hiding after a police raid on his home. His supporters, like 32-year-old Norman Turyatemba, fear Uganda will continue to be ruled by the same family as Museveni grooms his son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to be his successor. “The current leadership seems designed to suppress voices of young people,” Turyatemba said. “Imagine a system where leaders hold positions for over 40 years, is there any room for the next generation?”
Dr Shamim Nambassa, a 26-year-old leader in Bobi Wine’s party, described Museveni’s victory as a “stolen” one. “Nothing is going to come out of the next five years apart from misery,” she said. “We do not expect anything good because even the peace he once gave us has been taken away.”
Despite Museveni’s claims of stability, his rule has been marked by brutal crackdowns on dissent and widespread human rights abuses. The detention of prominent opposition figure Dr Kizza Besigye, who is being held in inhumane conditions despite grave illness, has further eroded trust in the political system.
As the country’s youth grapple with unemployment, poverty, and a bleak future, many have lost faith in the ability of elections to bring about meaningful change. “That idea that the ballot alone will save us has been beaten out of people,” said opposition politician John Katumba. “But that doesn’t mean people have accepted the system.”
With Museveni’s grip on power seemingly unshakable, Uganda’s young population is left to navigate a landscape of limited opportunities and diminished hope. As one engineering graduate, Ahmed Ssentongo, put it: “We need change, not just as young people but as a country. Museveni did a lot of good things but he is now wiping them out. I want to see a future for my child brighter than what I am going through now.”
