Uganda, Museveni, and a useless election

Ugandans will be heading to the polls soon to vote in their country’s first multi-party election in a quarter century. As it stands now the race is a close one between current president Yoweri Museveni and his fiercest competitor, and former friend, Kizza Besigye.

Unfortunately, as with so many other African elections, things are not as they should be. First, Museveni had been barred by Uganda’s constitution to run for another term (after twenty years as president) so he conveniently pushed through an amendment to change that. Second, when Museveni’s former confident and personal physician Besigye decided to challenge him in the election Museveni threw Besigye in jail on what are presumed to be trumped up charges. And, just in case that isn’t enough to assure a victory, President Museveni has called out the military to “keep the peace” during the voting. Even in the very unlikely event that Museveni loses this election the incumbent has hinted that he might not give up his office that easily. The vote seems to be merely a formality.

Why does it always have to be this way with African politics? From Angola to Zimbabwe, Africa’s political leaders seem to stop at nothing to gain power and hold on to it no matter what the cost to their citizens. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi recently stood idle while dozens of opposition party protesters were killed. Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki recently attempted to pass a constitutional referendum that would have given him vastly greater powers as president, all while current estimates suggest that approximately $1 billion has been lost in Kenya due to graft during Kibaki’s term. There has even been talk recently that Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo is working behind the scenes to amend the constitution so that he may run for a currently barred third term in office.

The list goes on and on filled with leader after African leader who wishes to grab hold—and keep hold—of political power. It’s not that each of these leaders is all bad. President Museveni, for example, has helped to usher in solid economic growth in Uganda, and the country is one of the few success stories on the continent in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

These successes, however, are destined to be fleeting if they aren’t supported by the solid framework of true democracy, something that much of Africa continues to struggle creating and maintaining. The past achievements of Museveni will soon be nothing but a pleasant memory of he continues to use every means necessary to remain in office. Power corrupts, everyone knows that.

Uganda’s election will most likely be a hollow and meaningless affair, just a rubber stamp victory for a once promising—perhaps even once great—leader who is now officially ambling down the same dead end path taken by so many other inept African leaders.

Maybe one day someone will take the road less traveled.