Wiki Countries Uganda

Uganda

Country profile: how Uganda fits the patterns described in the main guide, with every development linked to its source.

Last updated . Every factual claim links to its source.

This profile mirrors and is kept in sync with the Uganda entry in the main guide's case studies.

Overview

President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was declared the winner of a seventh term in the January 15, 2026 election, held amid a government-imposed internet shutdown. Human Rights Watch documented soldiers besieging the home of his main rival, musician-turned-opposition-leader Robert "Bobi Wine" Kyagulanyi — assaulting his wife and staff and forcing him into hiding — while at least two senior opposition figures were forcibly disappeared, more than 118 of Kyagulanyi's National Unity Platform supporters were charged with election-related offenses, and at least ten NGOs were suspended. Museveni's son and military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said on social media that he was praying Kyagulanyi would become the "23rd person killed," and separately denied that soldiers had assaulted Kyagulanyi's wife.

Democracy indicators

Liberal Democracy Index, 1990–2025

V-Dem's Liberal Democracy Index for Uganda was 0.16 in 1990, peaked at 0.25 in 2007, and stood at 0.17 in 2025 (scale 0–1). Dashed lines mark events described in the timeline below. Source: V-Dem via Our World in Data, retrieved November 7, 2026. Compare with other countries in the comparison tool.

Show the data
Country199020152025Regime type, 2025
Uganda0.160.220.17Electoral autocracy

Timeline

Key dated developments, each linked to the reporting that confirms it. Wording is kept neutral; where a government disputes a characterization, its stated position is included. See also the master timeline across all countries.

  1. Parliament voted 232 to 50 to remove presidential term limits from the constitution. Source: The Irish Times

  2. Parliament voted 315 to 62 to scrap the presidential age limit of 75, which would otherwise have barred Yoweri Museveni in 2021. Source: Africanews

  3. Museveni was declared winner with 58% against Bobi Wine's 34%, after an internet shutdown. Wine alleged rigging. Source: NPR via KUNC

  4. Veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye was abducted in Nairobi and brought before a military court in Kampala days later. Source: Amnesty International

  5. The Supreme Court ruled that military courts lack jurisdiction over civilians. Source: Human Rights Watch

  6. A new law signed by Museveni restored military trials of civilians in certain circumstances, five months after the Supreme Court ruling. Source: Africanews

  7. Museveni was declared winner of an election held under an internet blackout, with 71.65%. Bobi Wine called the results fabricated. Source: NPR via KPBS

  8. Human Rights Watch documented a military siege of Bobi Wine's home, enforced disappearances of opposition officials and charges against at least 118 opposition supporters. Source: Human Rights Watch

Analytical lens

Concepts on this wiki that help explain this case: Competitive Authoritarianism, Regime Types: How Democracy Is Measured.

See also