1 The Interview that Shook a Nation
Speaking to the BBC’s Victoria Uwonkunda for The Interview podcast (aired 21 April 2025), President Kyagulanyi laid bare the cost—and the necessity—of confronting Uganda’s 39-year Museveni-Muhoozi dynasty. From his studio in Kampala he named the pillars of his struggle:
- Accountable leadership and real institutions
- An end to endemic corruption that swallows “two-thirds of our annual revenue” (The Guardian)
- Full civil liberties—speech, assembly, press—guaranteed by the constitution yet throttled in practice
“I don’t claim to be the most qualified; I speak because I live the reality our people face.” (UK Podcasts)
2 A Rigged Playing Field—and Why He Still Runs
Kyagulanyi reminded listeners that the 2021 election—ruled “fundamentally flawed” by the U.S. State Department—was preceded by arrests, torture and a nationwide internet blackout. Yet he confirmed he will stand again in 2026:
“If I’m still breathing and not in jail, I will run.” (The Guardian)
Why keep stepping into a rigged ring? Because, he says, 80 percent of Ugandans are under 35 and see their future chained to one family’s power. His candidacy is a rallying point, not a coronation:
“It is the ideas, not the individual, that stay relevant. Young people know that if you’re denied freedom, you don’t have a life.” (The Guardian)
3 The Human Cost: “I Am No Superman”
Uwonkunda pressed him on the toll—beatings, bullets, tear gas, constant surveillance. Kyagulanyi confessed the burden is heavy:
“I feel pain, I get scared. Every time another brother is abducted, I think: enough is enough. But this is a one-way mission—either freedom, or we die trying.” (X (formerly Twitter))
His frank admission destroys the regime’s propaganda that opposition activists court danger for spectacle. They endure it because all other democratic avenues have been barricaded.
4 Museveni, Muhoozi and the Corruption Trap
Asked why international donors keep pouring billions into Kampala, the President’s reply was blunt:
“Foreign money with no conditions only sponsors oppression. Aid must be tied to democracy and human rights—or it finances the bullets that kill us.” (The Guardian)
He argues that real prosperity will come only after corruption ends, citing the Inspector-General of Government’s estimate that $2.5 billion a year is looted.
5 Power’s Poison—and the Antidote
Uwonkunda challenged him: could People Power succumb to the very corruption it fights? Kyagulanyi’s safeguard is structural, not personal:
“Power corrupts. Our answer is to build institutions that outlive any leader, so citizens—not strongmen—hold ultimate authority.” (UK Podcasts)
6 A Message to Museveni: “Read Your Own Book”
For the man who once penned What Is Africa’s Problem?, Kyagulanyi’s advice is devastatingly simple:
“Respect your own words: leaders who overstay are Africa’s problem. Keep your word and history may still respect you.” (UK Podcasts)
What This Means for Ugandans—and the World
- Uganda’s 2026 vote is already under threat. International observers must deploy early—and refuse to rubber-stamp violence.
- Donors must add red-line conditions on security-sector aid; no more blank cheques for repression.
- Document everything. Every abduction, every torture scar, every shuttered radio station is evidence for tomorrow’s tribunals.
- Amplify the message. Share the interview, cite the quotes, keep #PeoplePower trending. Silence helps dictators; noise protects lives.
Uganda stands at a fork: extend one-family rule into a fifth decade, or stake a future on institutions, accountability and generational hope. President Kyagulanyi’s interview is not mere rhetoric; it is a dispatch from the front line of a struggle where the choices are stark—and the consequences are life-or-death.
Either freedom, or we die trying.
Sources
- BBC The Interview podcast, ep. “Bobi Wine: From the Streets to State?” (broadcast 21 Apr 2025) (UK Podcasts)
- The Guardian — “Bobi Wine to run for president in Uganda’s 2026 election ‘if I am still alive and not in jail’,” 11 Apr 2025 (The Guardian)
- X post quoting Bobi Wine, 18 Apr 2025: “This is a one-way mission; either getting our freedom or we die trying.” (X (formerly Twitter))
