After supporting Dr. Kizza Besigye, who unsuccessfully opposed the NRM government for two decades, Ugandans go to poll this week with renewed hopes and aspirations pinned on Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine—a populist opposition figure and a former self-styled Ghetto President.

From the music club to political arena, Bobi Wine is running against the longest-serving and current leader of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, ex-military combatant who never lost a democratic presidential election since ascending to power more than three decades ago.

Museveni held grip to power for 35 years. He has used both brutal and diplomatic tactics to either scare or compel electorate into supporting him. The tactics have worked, they kept Museveni to power for this long, they could keep him even farther.

The 75-year-old head of state will be making another stab at the top for umpteenth time; even though, many indications are that he will duplicate similar tricks to clinch it.

‘Charming to submission’

Museveni uses charm offensive on electorates compounded by powerful rhetoric denigrating his opponents. He does not stop there. On campaign trail, Museveni never makes empty election promises. He delivers and ask electorate to vote for him for more developmental projects.

In November last year, Museveni launched the 92KM Muyembe – Nakapiripirit road construction project, which, if completed, will link Uganda to Kenya, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. The implementation of multiple projects ahead of an election has been a recurring trend for Museveni. And, it has always paid out.

“The NRM has worked for a united Uganda. We have fought and rejected tribal and religious chauvinism,” Museveni said in a tweet on Friday, January 1, 2021. “What matters to us are the interests of Ugandans and Africans, never their identity.”

He ends the tweet with an affirmation that “We are sure these credentials will deliver victory on January 14”.

On the contrary, like any other African autocrat, Museveni is brutal on opposition figures seen as threats to the incumbent government and revolutionary party NRM.

From the days of campaign to the day of voting, he makes sure the main opposition figure is threatened, physically harassed, and sent behind bars to realign his psychological mind-set and get released after the results have been announced – usually in Museveni’s favour.

The Forum for Democratic Change President, Besigye can attest to the post-election brutal force Museveni employs to silent dissents and retain power, a precedence that could worsen after the United States demonstrated Wednesday last week that peaceful transfer of political power is not at the centre of democracy.

The U.S., which has always intervened in the affairs of African countries, especially in the wake of post-election violence has hit the global walls of shame after right-wing protesters incited by outgoing president Donald Trump stirred mayhem at Capitol Hill in a desperate attempt to block Congress from officially certifying Joe Biden as the new President of the United States as Trump unconstitutionally refuses to relinquish power with baseless claims of electoral fraud.

Many African Heads of State scoffed American model of democracy and questioned whether America still has any moral obligation to lecture other countries how democracy.

“Yesterday’s [Wednesday’s] events showed that the U.S. has no moral right to punish another nation under the guise of upholding democracy,” Emmerson Mnangagwa, the President of Zimbabwe said in a tweet after the violent protest at Capitol Hill.

As Trump era ends in chaos and shame, America will have a new President in the name of Joe Biden after January 20^, 2021, or earlier as Congress push the 25^th Article of impeachment to remove his predecessor from the White House.

Until then, the U.S. post-election drama will keep the world detracted from the affairs of other countries; Uganda’s election is no exception, which gives Museveni an opportunity to exercise his key tactic – sending Bobi Wine behind bars and releasing him upon NRM victory.