{UAH} Semi-authoritarian King of Kings in Uganda

To assess Uganda’s stability, however, we must examine these risks within the context of Museveni’s politics. Despite the outward appearance of weakness and illegitimacy, Museveni is able to check dissent by employing a style of governance perhaps best described as ‘semi-authoritarian’.

As scholar Aili Mari Tripp writes, the NRM government relies on a delicate balance of constitutionalism and autocracy, employing both carrot and stick. Over the years, Museveni hasadopted legal-democratic rhetoric, reformed the judiciary, and submitted to domestic and international pressure to broaden civic participation. All the while, however, he was been capriciously abusing civil rights, extra-constitutionally strengthening the executive, and informalising the function of political power.

As a result, institutional autonomy is purposely left in question. And a vacuum is created in which Museveni can wield broad authority.

Mitigated authoritarianism, the defining feature of Ugandan governance, is the result of Museveni’s efforts to combat democratisation in the wake of the Cold War. Fearing the end of aid from the West, Museveni bowed to demands and instituted competitive elections while reining in military influence and ensuring no reform was bold enough to induce genuine reform.

In Tripp’s words, while elections became the norm, “the early, broad-based NRM government, which had sought to incorporate a wide spectrum of political, ethnic, religious, and other interests through political appointments and processes of consensus building, was replaced by a smaller clique of loyalists, whose activities were cloaked in secrecy”.

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*A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of him/herself.

 

 We must dare invent the future!
The only way of limiting the usurpation of power by
 individuals, the military or otherwise, is to put the people in charge  - Capt. Thomas. Sankara {RIP} ’1949-1987

 *“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent

revolution inevitable”**…  *J.F Kennedy

 

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