Yoweri Museveni was sworn in for his seventh presidential term on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, extending his four-decade grip on power in Uganda.
The ceremony followed his victory in the January 2026 general elections, in which Museveni secured 71.65 percent of the vote. His main challenger, musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine, aged 43, received 24.72 percent of the vote according to official results.
At 81, Museveni begins a fresh five-year term that will further cement his position as one of Africa’s longest-serving heads of state. He has held the presidency continuously since 1986, making him a dominant figure in both Ugandan and continental politics for 40 years.
Museveni was born in 1944 in Uganda’s Mbarara district and studied political science at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where he co-founded the University Students African Revolutionary Front, an early marker of the political activism that would define his life.
His latest electoral win was not without controversy. Bobi Wine, whose political movement has attracted widespread youth support, has in previous election cycles disputed official results and alleged irregularities. Wine’s strong second-place finish in January again reflected the depth of opposition sentiment, particularly among younger Ugandans frustrated with decades of single-leader rule.
The new term raises familiar questions about succession, democratic consolidation and the trajectory of a country where no peaceful transfer of presidential power has occurred in the past four decades.
