Open letter to President Yoweri Museveni: A plea for peace and integrity in Uganda’s election
Your Excellency,
As Uganda approaches the pivotal presidential election on January 15, 2026, I write to you from Accra, Ghana, compelled by a spirit of Pan-African solidarity and a deep concern for democratic principles.
My appeal for peace, transparency, and justice is framed by personal observation, historical reflection, and the reports emerging from your nation in recent months.
Mr President, my perspective is informed by a privileged moment of diplomatic and cultural exchange.
In August 2018, as a journalist working with Ghana’s biggest newspaper, Daily Graphic, I accompanied the Asantehene, His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on his visit to you at State House in Entebbe.
That meeting was profoundly symbolic. You honoured the occasion, and by extension Ghana, by wearing Kente cloth. You spoke with respect for not only Otumfuo but Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and shared memories of your visit to Ghana during the Rawlings era.
Most critically, you articulated a principle that resonates with greater urgency today: that politicians must not spill blood in their quest to win or maintain power. That statement, made before the Asante monarch whose own kingdom values stability, was a powerful commitment to peaceful politics.
Your Excellency, the context of that visit was the 25th coronation anniversary of the Kabaka of Buganda, which Otumfuo was the Special Guest. The event held in the capital Kampala, spoke to a deeper, shared African history.
In the late 19th century, both the Asantehene Prempeh I and Kabaka Mwanga II suffered colonial exile in the Seychelles, forging a bond of resistance.
Your noted policy of restoring Uganda’s cultural institutions, for which Otumfuo Osei Tutu II praised you at the anniversary durbar, aligns with this tradition of affirming sovereign identity. The rapport between government and traditional authority that was celebrated that day is a cornerstone of genuine, culturally-grounded stability.
Mr President, more than seven years later, as you seek a new term, the climate in Uganda appears to be telling a different story. The principle you voiced stands in stark contrast to the documented pre-electoral environment, which independent observers describe as one of widespread repression and intimidation.
Your principal opponent, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine), and his National Unity Platform (NUP) are reported to be operating under severe constraints that fundamentally undermine the fairness of the contest. Human rights organisations detail a pattern of state action including, violent dispersal of opposition gatherings, arbitrary arrests by security forces, intimidation of journalists, and restrictions on civil society.
Such an environment makes a free, fair, and peaceful electoral process difficult. It represents a betrayal of the spirit of mutual respect and cultural dignity that was the foundation of the dialogue you had with Otumfuo in 2018.
Your Excellency, the stability of a nation is not measured by the absence of contestation, but by the integrity of its processes for managing political competition. The vision of unity celebrated during Otumfuo’s visit was rooted in respect. Today, that same stability can only be upheld through electoral integrity.
A legacy cemented by a transparent, impartial, and peaceful election where every citizen can participate without fear of coercion or violence, would be your greatest tribute to Uganda’s heritage. It would affirm the sovereignty of the Ugandan people and honour the Pan-African ideals of self-determination and dignity that you have historically endorsed.
I therefore join my voice with those of concerned Africans and global citizens in respectfully urging you to make the grounds fertile for a process that will earn the confidence of your nation and the world.
The outcome on January 15 must reflect the genuine will of the Ugandan people. Upholding the principle you once voiced so clearly—rejecting the spilling of blood for power—is the only path to securing a legacy of honour and principled leadership.
Africa, and the world, are watching.
Respectfully,
Kwame Asare Boadu
Accra, Ghana
9th January 2026
