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Yoweri Museveni

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, born on September 15, 1944, is a prominent Ugandan military leader, politician, and revolutionary, who has held the position of Uganda's president since 1986, marking him as the nation's ninth leader. His tenure has often been characterized by an autocratic style of governance. Following his defeat in the 1980 elections, Museveni ignited the Ugandan Bush War, ultimately leading to the ousting of Milton Obote.

Scholars have frequently labeled Museveni's rule as competitive authoritarianism or illiberal democracy, citing a lack of media independence and numerous allegations of electoral malpractice. Since he took office, none of the elections have been deemed free and fair. Under his administration, Uganda has witnessed a rise in stringent anti-gay laws, involvement in regional conflicts such as the First Congo War and the Rwandan Civil War, and the prolonged insurgency of the Lord's Resistance Army, which resulted in significant humanitarian crises. Notably, constitutional changes in 2005 abolished presidential term limits, followed by the removal of age restrictions for presidency in 2017.

In the most recent election on January 16, 2021, Museveni secured a sixth term with 58.6% of the vote amidst widespread allegations of electoral fraud and human rights abuses. By 2022, after over three decades in power, Uganda was ranked 166th in terms of GDP per capita and 167th on the Human Development Index.

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