Museveni

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and former military officer who has served as the President of Uganda since 1986. He led the National Resistance Army during the Ugandan Bush War (1981–1986), which brought his movement to power. Museveni has been the chairman of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling party.

In government, Museveni pursued economic liberalization and market-oriented reforms with support from international financial institutions, including privatization and macroeconomic stabilization. A new 1995 constitution established a framework for political participation, though multiparty competition remained constrained. In 2005, Parliament amended term limits for the presidency, enabling Museveni to stand for additional terms. He has won several elections since then, amid criticisms from opponents and rights groups regarding irregularities and restrictions on opposition activities and media.

On the international stage, Museveni has emphasized regional integration and security cooperation, contributing to peacekeeping and stability efforts in the region. Uganda has participated in operations in Somalia as part of AMISOM and has engaged in regional security initiatives in the Great Lakes region.

Human rights groups and opposition figures have criticized his administration for restrictions on civil liberties and corruption concerns. Proponents credit his long tenure with political stability and gradual development initiatives in Uganda, while supporters and critics alike note the complexities of governance under his leadership.

Museveni remains a central figure in Ugandan politics and one of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state, shaping the country’s domestic trajectory and its role in regional affairs for decades.