Controlling consent, dealing with dissent, and planting misinformation: how the Museveni regime stifled Bobi Wine's youth movement in Uganda

After Uganda embraced electoral democracy in 1996, a trend emerged where Ugandans between 18 and 35 do not turn out to vote in large numbers. Although the country is astonishingly young, Ugandan youth had long shown little interest in politics and were less likely to run for public positions compared to older Ugandans. However, the meteoric rise of Bobi Wine has inspired many young Ugandans to engage in local and national politics as first-time voters, party members, cash contributors, protesters and foot soldiers. This article explains how the rise of Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, a popular singer turned opponent of President Museveni, has inspired an upsurge in youth political participation in Uganda. The article posits that, to contain a growing youth-led movement, the Museveni regime largely relied on coercion, which has thus far proved counterproductive. The more coercion is employed the more it aggravates the backlash from and determination of young Ugandans to mobilise against Museveni's rule. The response from the regime has been a mixture of repression, disinformation and disenfranchisement of young voters. Apres que l'Ouganda a adopte la democratie electorale en 1996, une tendance s'est dessinee : les Ougandais ages de 18 a 35 ans ne se rendent pas massivement aux urnes. Bien que le pays soit etonnamment jeune, les jeunes ougandais ont longtemps montre peu d'interet pour la politique et etaient peu enclins a se presenter a des postes publics, comparativement a des Ougandais plus ages. Toutefois, l'ascension fulgurante de Bobi Wine a incite de nombreux jeunes Ougandais a s'engager dans la politique locale et nationale en tant que nouveaux electeurs, membres de partis, donateurs de fonds, protestataires et fantassins. Cet article explique comment l'ascension de Robert Kyagulanyi, egalement connu sous le nom de Bobi Wine, un chanteur populaire devenu opposant au President Museveni, a suscite une recrudescence de la participation politique des jeunes en Ouganda. L'article part du principe que pour contenir un mouvement de jeunes en pleine expansion, le regime de Museveni s'est largement appuye sur la coercition, ce qui s'est revele contre-productif jusqu'a present. Plus la coercition est employee, plus elle aggrave la reaction et la determination des jeunes Ougandais a se mobiliser contre le regime de Museveni. La riposte du regime a ete un melange de repression, de desinformation et de privation des droits des jeunes electeurs.

Automated summary

This article explains how the rise of Bobi Wine, a popular singer turned opponent of President Museveni, has inspired an upsurge in youth political participation in Uganda. The Museveni regime's reliance on coercion to contain the growing youth-led movement has proved counterproductive. The more coercion is employed, the more it aggravates the backlash from and determination of young Ugandans to mobilize against Museveni's rule.