What It’s Like To Be Young and Hopeless in the World’s ‘Youngest’ Country

Former presidential candidate Bobi Wine’s election campaign in Uganda has undoubtedly posed the biggest challenge to incumbent Yoweri Museveni’s 35-year rule. Wine’s messaging and energetic rallies galvanised disenfranchised young people to get involved in politics for the first time in their lives.

In an attempt to silence him, his team was repeatedly harassed and his rallies broken up by police. In November, security forces responded violently to protests over his arrest, killing 54 demonstrators in Kampala. In the run-up to polling day, the internet was shut down and Wine has been under house arrest for the past ten days.

On the 16th of January, Uganda’s electoral commission declared President Museveni the winner, a result which Wine has claimed was rigged. Electoral observers and human rights groups have raised concerns that the election was far from free, fair and credible, citing voter suppression as one example of how Museveni has mobilised the power of the state to secure his election win.

Despite the outcome, Wine has changed the landscape of Ugandan politics, activating a generation of young Ugandans to become politically engaged. VICE World News caught up with some young people to find out what they think about the election result, Bobi Wine and the future of their country.

VICE World News: How do you feel about the election result?
Christabel: I just feel sad that we are going to have five more years of this regime's incompetence, though it was expected. Nothing is going to change. There will be nothing to look forward to. All hopes of looking forward to a new beginning for this country for me have been shattered. And after this election, I do not know whether or not it's safe to start a family here.

Do you have hope for the future?
To be honest, I'm hopeless. Although I am glad I have been alive to witness the biggest challenge Museveni has ever encountered.

Is this the end of Bobi Wine in politics?
I'm sure he won't stop. He knows how important it is to stand up for us, to be the challenge, to be the voice, to be everything we could never be.  

Have you been inspired to go into politics?
I won't say I have just been inspired, I've been challenged to be more than I could be; to reach where others wouldn't reach. But politics? Nah! I'd suck at it, I'm too emotional for it.

Did you vote?
No, I didn't. It would have been costly for me [to travel home to the constituency where I'm registered to vote] since I just lost my job and my priorities are right now surviving another day.

VICE World News: How do you feel about the election result?
Maclean: The re-election of President Museveni makes me feel like we're going to stay on the same rollercoaster of untapped corruption, social injustices and inequalities. His re-election only lowered my anticipation for a change in the unequal policies of Uganda. 

What do you hope for now?
I only hope for a balance of power between the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and other political parties, especially Bobi Wine’s National Unity Party (NUP) that's now the largest opposition party in Parliament. Also, President Museveni should consistently walk the walk within these next five years. It will be very absurd if he does not practise what he preaches.  

Should Bobi Wine continue in politics?
I believe Bobi Wine should continue in politics because his party has seen great success in parliament as well as its popularity amongst the masses. This win for his political party should be a platform for him to advocate for policies that are in favour of the people in the respective constituencies and the whole Uganda at large. 

Would you consider a future in politics?
No. Politics in Uganda especially if you're in the opposition has proven to be a death sentence rather than an act of democracy or demonstration of a mere human right. 

VICE World News: Are you surprised by the results?
Arinda: Quite disappointing but rather not surprised. This has been the norm since the 2011 election. The whole electoral process has always been mired with a lot of irregularities. 

What do you expect now from Museveni?
One thing the incumbent has always excelled at is division. We Ugandans who don't support Mr Museveni have been labelled hooligans, unpatriotic and enemies of progress. We've been pitted against the state. I expect more of gross corruption: violence meted against political opponents, increased income disparities among the population, and a deeply divided state since some Ugandans are becoming resentful against regime enablers. 

What do you hope for now?
I hope for the best for my motherland. It’s the only place I can comfortably call home. But sadly, the incumbent and his henchmen are rather far detached from the problems that face the general population. I pray for peace, justice and equality.

What’s next for Bobi Wine?
The political actor that is Robert Kyagulanyi [Wine’s real name] has inspired a lot of us. I hope he continues. I think he'll continue. I hope he wins the court case against electoral malpractices, although this is quite unlikely. He has the impetus and zeal to move forward.

Have you been inspired to go into politics?
Yes, I've been inspired to join. Although our systems have been institutionalised in that even if you're elected to serve, you have no significant role to play towards the betterment of your people.

VICE World News: Are you satisfied with the election result?
Flavia: I am not satisfied. The electoral commission lacked transparency regarding the results transmission and origins of the votes. The internet was also shut down countrywide. Some moments couldn't be captured because voters were prohibited from using their personal mobile phones and cameras. Voting time was reduced and yet the election materials reached the polling stations late.

What do you expect from another Museveni term?
More regional development imbalance, increased income inequality, more foreigners disguised as investors, more sectarianism. However, I am looking forward to an improvement in service delivery if the president considers gaining favour from the people. 

Would you go into politics?
To a certain extent, yes. I believe it's possible to lead and change people's lives by basing on Bobi Wine's story. I now know that I don't have to be highly associated with an already built political party to thrive in politics. I understand that it's all about speaking to people's hearts, and pledging to stand by your words.

VICE World News: Do you believe the election result?
Ibrahim: I don't believe in the final voting figures that were announced, I believe many more Ugandans voted. I think 14 or 15 million Ugandans voted compared to the purported 10 million that was announced. Many young people voted for Robert Kyagulanyi.

The voting was peaceful, but the whole process was marred by violence. Killings, kidnappings and election malpractices, and the switching off of the internet was a blow to democracy, since we were unable to receive information.

What does a Museveni presidency mean for the next five years for you?
The next five years means business as usual: more corruption, misplaced priorities and unfulfilled promises. I have hope with what we saw in the outcomes of the election of NUP Members of Parliament (MPs) within the central region and local government leaders. I pray that he implements what he says he needs to do: bring back the rule of law, strengthen institutions, allocate budgets where it’s needed — health, agriculture, infrastructures, schools. Above all, they should start involving the youths in the affairs of this country, we have been sidelined for so long.

Do you hope Bobi Wine will continue in politics?
Yes, I do hope he continues. I wouldn't like to see him appeal the results because the process will further legitimise what happened as Museveni appoints all the judges. It's time to build structures in each and every village in Uganda, have other political players join the party. Let's build the numbers. It's now time for the opposition to come together and we do away with personality politics for the better of this country.

Have you been inspired to go into politics?
Yes, I have been inspired. I have seen many youths across the country participate and stand for election which is a good thing. But I will only participate when I see that politics isn’t commercialised, it's one of the biggest challenges. I heard that the amount of money spent by the NRM alone during this election was abnormal. 

VICE World News: What do you think about the election result?
Saasi: The results announced by Justice Simon Byabakama on Saturday 16th, January can not be called results, it was a coup. The coup did not happen just on one day, it has been implemented for a very long time, most probably since Bobi Wine formally declared his intention to run for the presidency. If you can challenge Byabakama to tell you the source of the results he read, he will not prove it. He doesn't know the source, I am very certain.

Also, the brutality we've been subjected to, the raid on our Secretariat and all the enforced restrictions during campaigns were all done to ensure that no one puts up a serious challenge against Mr. Museveni. All this was made to convince contenders like Bobi Wine to pull out from the contest. 

We saw a story in one of the local newspapers saying that SFC [Special Forces Command - a special force that guards President Museveni] men dressed in Electoral Commission shirts were manning a National Tally Centre. We have Declaration Results forms from different polling stations. If you look at the forms we have and what was read by the media, you get to see how false the media reports were. We shall prove this in time. 

What does a Museveni presidency mean for the next 5 years?
Museveni presidency means worse than what we've already been through. We are now going to see websites like Facebook being banned or users being required to have a license before they can operate a page like it is in a few other authoritarian countries. You're going to see prices of commodities going up, you're going to see less tourists coming in because we are getting negative press, you're going to see more angry people, more violent confrontations and it won't be business as usual. 

What do you hope for now?
What I hope for now is that sanity prevails, especially in the NRM camp. They should wake up and realise that people are tired of President Museveni. They've been tired of him for a long time. Yes, the declaration was made that he won but Museveni knows the truth. 

Will Bobi Wine continue in politics?
Hon. Kyagulanyi must continue what he started. It is not a crime that he has woken up the young people to realise that what is happening in our country is not okay. He has been subjected to a lot of brutality but that simply validates his current political stand. We need him now and in the near future. He must certainly continue in that path. 

Do you see yourself standing for election?
No, and that is why I did not contest for any position. My thinking is that if I contest, the public will think that whatever I was saying was because I was eyeing a position. I will continue saying what I say without any particular position. You don't need to be a politician to speak out about the wrongs happening in your society.