Opinion: Forty Years Under One Regime? Uganda’s Youths We Have Been Patient Enough

By Herbert Kayongo

Diaspora Connect International (DCI)

Uganda has lived under the shadow of military power since January 30, 1986, when President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni took power through the bush war. For nearly forty years, we—the youth of Uganda—have been born, raised, and shaped under the same political regime. Ours is a generation that has never experienced leadership beyond the Museveni era, yet we are constantly told in school that “we are the leaders of tomorrow.” The question is: when will that tomorrow ever come?

Today, as young Ugandans, we are no longer content with waiting. We want our tomorrow to begin now. We see in Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) a reflection of our voice, our energy, and our vision for the future. His presidential bid in the 2026 elections represents more than a contest for office—it symbolizes the hope of an entire generation that has been sidelined, silenced, and underestimated.

Even senior figures who once fought alongside Museveni, such as Hon. Kahinda Otafiire, are now warning the regime to stop the abductions, stop the violations of human rights, and stop using security forces as a weapon against political opponents. When a comrade of the liberation struggle says, “stop treating Kyagulanyi as a slave,” it is a sign that the truth can no longer be hidden: this regime has drifted far from its original promises.

As Uganda prepares for the 2026 elections, we call upon the police, the military, and all security agencies to remember their true mandate. You are not here to protect a regime—you are here to protect the people. Your loyalty must be to the nation, not to an individual. The New Uganda that we are building will still have the police and the army, but these institutions must serve all Ugandans equally, not just those in power.

We, the youth, are not asking for charity. We are demanding fairness. We are demanding the right to organize, to speak, to choose our leaders, and to dream of a Uganda where human rights are respected. We are demanding that every aspiring leader, whether from the ruling party or the opposition, be given equal protection under the law.

This is our generational struggle. The same way the bush war was fought in the 1980s for liberation, today’s youth are fighting for democratic space, fairness, and a future beyond fear. We are the majority of the population, and our voices cannot be silenced forever.

The New Uganda belongs to us, and we will not leave its future in the hands of a few. It is time to rise, to demand accountability, and to claim the tomorrow we were promised. The future is not tomorrow—it is now.

For God and my Country.