The recently concluded 2021 Ugandan general election, contested between long term president Yoweri Museveni and challenger Bobi Wine, raises several issues moving forward for the women and girls of Uganda. The election itself was marred by controversy; with Museveni facing consistent allegations of fraud, gerrymandering, and corruption relating to his winning of a sixth term as Uganda’s president. The most serious of these allegations came from his direct rival, Wine— the musician-turned-activist and political leader. 

In recent years across Uganda, there has been a rising tide of progressivism and feminism, partly due to increasing accessibility to information and resources via smart phones and social media. Voices such as Stella Nyanzi and Samantha Mwesigye have given a face and pointed political power to the movement, imbuing it with direction and purpose past a general call for equality. Nyanzi (a former political prisoner under Museveni’s previous government) ran for parliament in the 2021 Election and garnered significant support from Uganda’s young female population; Mwesigye gained recognition for her public accusations of sexual indecency against the deputy solicitor-general. Social justice and the role of gender in politics has been under the microscope for the majority of Ugandans for the better part of a decade, with a number of movements arising that have openly criticised Museveni’s attempts to cling onto power. It cannot be seen as a surprise that Museveni’s campaign faced widespread accusations of political strong-arming, given his handling of feminist political prisoners such as Nyanzi in the decade prior. 

 Having initially come to power in the chaotic aftermath of Idi Amin’s and Milton Obote’s downfalls, Museveni was initially a uniquely progressive and forward-thinking presence in Ugandan politics in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Heralded for his attempts to introduce more women to positions into Parliament, combined with his efforts at addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic facing his country, Museveni has fallen into the age-old trope of the Dictator desperately hanging on to power. His progressivism has transformed into corruption and a fierce drive to remain in power at all costs, which has especially hurt the women and girls of Uganda. Museveni’s wife, the Minister of Education, failed to deliver on her 2016 election promise to provide sanitary pads for students. Wine’s NUP were noted for their intention to address Uganda’s health crisis if elected, a health crisis that disproportionately affects women and young girls. 

There has been a history of sexual violence committed against women in Uganda throughout Museveni’s governance, one which is likely to continue with his re-election. According to the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the Ugandan government, a reported 22% of all women aged 15-49 years old have experienced some form of sexual violence. This is in part connected to the country’s poverty rates, as poverty worldwide is linked to the rate of sexual violence. Intrinsically, this is also linked to the cultural perception surrounding survivors of sexual crimes, with the Ugandan police frequently placing the blame on victims for their circumstance, dress, or attitude, rather than holding aggressors accountable. 

Museveni’s government has done little to address this culture of “victim blaming”, and there has been no statement on record publicly reprimanding the police for their handling of Sexual Violence cases in Uganda. In the northern region of the country, the rate of spousal abuse is far greater than the national average, with women being overwhelmingly placed in danger as compared to men. 

Wine’s NUP Party contested the general election on a progressive platform (as compared to Museveni and his party), taking advantage of the tide of Ugandan social justice and youth politics currently sweeping the nation. Aiming to improve access to quality education, healthcare, and drinking water, Wine’s main goal throughout the campaign process was to bring light to the compromised quality of life that Ugandans currently experience. Inadvertently, this was intended to improve the lives of both men and women in Uganda, having presented a plan and a roadmap for creating more comfortable lives across the country. This was in stark contrast to Museveni’s platform, which was a continuation of the previous 15-20 years of Ugandan domestic policy.

A certain tone of conservatism has overtaken Museveni’s governments for the greater part of two decades, with repression finding a home in Uganda. Museveni’s suppression of Wine and his supporters throughout their campaign is evidence to this point; violent clashes between Wine’s campaigners and government security forces on November 18th 2020 left over 100 people dead and more than 500 injured. Coupling this with Museveni’s repeated attempts to arrest Wine, it can be said that he was actively working against progressive change in Uganda, one which would dramatically improve the lives of women and girls nationwide. 

The continuation of Museveni’s government means only one thing for the female population of Uganda; further intimidation, violence, and political repression. Museveni’s efforts to silence the tide of political dissent brought about by access to the internet and social media have largely been successful, with his internet ban on January 13th 2021 serving to quiet all voices critical of his government. As Museveni grows older, he drifts further and further away from the progressivism that brought him to power in the 1980s, relying more on conservatism than any other political device. He has long ignored problems facing women and girls in Uganda i.e., access to education, the treatment of sexual violence, and maternal healthcare. 

With the defeat of Wine in a highly contentious, controversial election, Ugandan women and girls also suffered a defeat; one which will have greater and long-lasting effects on them and their children moving forward. Figures like Nyanzi offer a glimmer of hope for the fortunes of women in the country, but as long as Museveni clings onto power in government, it is unlikely that real, positive change will be seen.