Public Resistance Grows Over Plans to Scrap Uganda’s Presidential Age Limit

A widely shared WhatsApp video has sparked renewed concern among Ugandans over alleged plans to amend Article 102 of the Constitution, which currently bars anyone above 75 from running for president. The anonymous narrator recalls losing his brother and his fiancée during the war that brought President Yoweri Museveni to power 35 years ago, warning citizens against another violent political upheaval. He urges Ugandans to speak out against lifting the age limit.

Amid rumors that the Constitution may be amended to allow Museveni—who will be above the age limit in 2021—to run again, social media platforms are buzzing with activism. WhatsApp groups, including some involving ministers and ruling party MPs, have become battlegrounds between supporters and opponents of the proposed amendment. Citizens have begun circulating phone numbers of Members of Parliament to lobby them not to support the change. Petitions addressed to Museveni are also being drafted.

Sources reveal that a detailed plan has already been developed to ensure the amendment passes before the end of 2018, distancing it from the 2021 elections. The strategy supposedly involves presenting the removal of age limits alongside the reintroduction of term limits as a political “sweetener,” potentially accompanied by a special exemption allowing Museveni to run again.

Learning from past experiences in Africa, notably Burundi’s violent backlash following President Nkurunziza’s controversial third-term bid, planners have reportedly studied these cases to avoid similar unrest in Uganda. Additionally, a security strategy is allegedly in place to suppress resistance, with designated police and military officers ready to respond.

Financial incentives are also said to play a major role. Key opinion leaders, especially religious figures, are reportedly being targeted with money to either support or remain silent on the issue. Members of the ruling NRM are allegedly benefiting from increased allowances, while top party officials are poised to receive salaries.

However, some internal resistance exists, particularly from Western Uganda, Museveni’s home region. To avoid framing the amendment as a regional agenda, champions of the proposal are being selected from other parts of the country.

As tensions rise, activists and concerned citizens call on Museveni to cement his legacy by stepping down peacefully at the end of his term—becoming the first Ugandan president to do so voluntarily. Historical appeals such as that of the late Eriya Kategaya, who in 2005 urged Museveni to be the first leader to hand over power peacefully, are being echoed once again.

Despite past statements where Museveni himself appeared to accept the age limit, questions remain as to whether he will uphold it or support its removal.