In a bid to understand the origins of Uganda’s political kingpins, political commentator Wandera Ogalo argues that President Yoweri Museveni deliberately crafted a governance model centred on individual merit to consolidate his political base and extend his hold on power.
Uganda’s political landscape in 1980 was defined by party-based politics, with elections producing a parliament dominated by the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) with 76 seats, the Democratic Party (DP) with 50 seats, and the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) securing just one.
However, by 1986, when Museveni took power through armed struggle, only UPC and DP remained widely recognized.
Museveni, however, shifted the country away from party-based politics, instead championing a system based on individual merit—a move that birthed political kingpins who directly engaged the masses.
Ogalo explains that these kingpins did not emerge independently but were strategically positioned by Museveni to serve as intermediaries between him and the people.
“It was an engineered strategy to stay longer and build a political base,” he says.
This approach ensured that even when kingpins clashed for influence, Museveni remained the common denominator in all political negotiations.
While the concept of kingpins has existed for decades, Ogalo believes the phenomenon has become more pronounced due to dwindling resources.
“They are not fighting for nothing; they are fighting for power. If you are the ultimate supreme leader, you become the one they consult—you have the final say.”
The emergence of kingpins as power brokers continues to shape Uganda’s political fabric, raising the question: Was this governance model a calculated move from the very beginning?