Democracy is under threat in many so-called democratic nations around the world. And as democracy is destroyed, so are people and the world.

We all know about how Trump is destroying democracy in the USA – because it is in the news all the time. And we are shocked and frightened.

But who knows (or cares) about how President Museveni and his son Kainerugaba are destroying democracy in Uganda?

There are now less than two months to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Uganda – and the Electoral Commission are removing Opposition candidates in various illegal ways as well as abducting and torturing supporters. If the Elections are not to be yet another sham, the world needs to do something about it – immediately.

My voice is a pathetic whisper which is lost in the hurricane of powerful despots before it is even heard. Where are the big voices? Why do they keep silent? Because they don’t want to interfere in other countries? Yet many do, so that can’t be a reason.

How can I raise awareness about what is going on? Is anyone listening? Is there just too much suffering, oppression and natural disasters around the world such as in Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, tiny island nations about to be submerged by rising seas, indigenous communities in the Amazon being destroyed, climate change killing millions – to name just a few crises where people are dying in their millions?

What about the billions of people born in this millenium? What does the  future hold for them? Have we already gone past the tipping point – the point of no return, the point beyond which we can no longer change the downward descent into destruction, unable to rescue people and the world? Is the tiny powerful minority, scattered throughout the world, in such complete control that we can’t change direction for the mutual benefit of the majority?

We can’t pretend it isn’t happening. So is the answer to put ear plugs in, blindfolds on and live our own lives as best we can since we can’t do anything significant to change all the tragic situations? Is it pointless to say, or try and do, anything when I am so impotent?

Am I a blackened cooking pot calling the kettle black, so tainted by the sin of the world that it is hypocritical of me to say anything? Am I the proverbial “Englishman whose home is his castle”, safe and protected from all onslaughts?

I don’t know . . . . . 

But . . . . . 

I’m not sure I’m quite ready to throw the towel in just yet! You know, “While there’s breath, there’s life” – not just for me but for everyone else. Can I continue living without trying to do something about those in power and control who are pushing us all beyond the tipping point, even though I feel completely powerless and helpless to influence or change anything? Is the picturesque story of the little boy throwing a few stranded starfish back into the sea to save their lives an encouragement? Even though most of the starfish died on the beach, at least a few survived because of what he did.

So in addition to trying to live my life more carefully and thoughtfully, I can’t ignore  the horrific ongoing abuse of human rights, corrupt justice systems and “crimes against humanity” around the world, much as I am sometimes tempted to. Isn’t that something everyone should care about and do something about? Whatever our nationality or religious beliefs, we all share the same humanity.

We obviously can’t solve all the world’s problems and so will each have our own focus. For me, my focus is very much on Uganda because it is the land of my birth and as much home to me as England is, where I currently live. Although I recognise that you may have different focuses, that doesn’t stop me trying to encourage far more people to do something about a crisis that doesn’t attract the same attention as others! Even if you have visited Uganda as a tourist or to do some voluntary work, you may not be aware of what is happening. Uganda is seen as a safe, vibrant and stable country which has so much to offer the visitor! People are still booking holidays there.

However . . . .

Uganda is a de facto military regime. It is estimated that Museveni is responsible for at least 1 million extra-judicial deaths in 40 years, more than any other African leader!  He has held onto power this long as a result of changing the Constitution, many corrupt elections and violent oppression.

But the gross violation of human rights and democracy escapes the international media because the main opposition party, the National Unity Platform under Robert Kyagulanyi (aka Bobi Wine), is committed to non-violence! Their commitment is based on their Catholic and Islamic understanding of the teachings of Jesus, the Bible and the Koran. If they had taken up arms, as opposition groups do around the world, there would have been civil war for years and the world would certainly know about Museveni and his heinous regime. They believe that violence perpetuates violence, a chain which needs to be broken. They also believe in basic human rights and democracy. The persecution of the Opposition is intensifying as campaigning gets underway in the run-up to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections due to be held on 15^th January 2026 – only two months away.

[If you haven’t already seen it, it is worth watching the National Geographic award-winning documentary film about Bobi Wine (Bobi Wine: The People’s President) on streaming services like Disney+ and Hulu or get it on platforms like Amazon Prime Video. ]

So, with one million extra-judicial deaths under Museveni, why does Amnesty International keep silent? What about Human Rights Watch? The UN? What about the UK Parliament? Uganda was once a British Protectorate (it was never a Colony). Some members of the previous Conservative government appear to have had personal and financial links with the regime – but we now have a Labour Government. What about the former Archbishop of York (now Baron Sentamu of Lindisfarne and Masooli), an ex-Ugandan lawyer who himself experienced illegal detention and torture at the hands of Amin and, as a member of the UK House of Lords, could speak out? What about the BBC?

I don’t know the answer to these questions. But I have tried over the past five years, in insignificant ways, to raise awareness and to get people of influence to act – but without any success. I think some of the reasons why many governments continue to support Museveni’s regime, or at least turn a blind eye to what is going on, is because of Uganda’s relative ‘stability’, its positive refugee policies, its oil and mineral resources and its military assistance in the Horn of Africa and the DRC – all things which benefit the West.

What if it were happening here in the UK – if it were our own children and neighbours and colleagues who were being abducted, horrifically tortured and killed because they were committed to non-violent protest in the face of gross injustices? Wouldn’t we want the world to act, perhaps imposing sanctions against the corrupt regime?

The world failed Uganda five years ago in the run-up to and aftermath of the last Elections, with appalling consequences. 

THERE IS AN URGENT NEED FOR INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS to be present in Uganda now to report on the run-up to Uganda’s Presidential and Parliamentary Elections due on 15th January 2026.

Unless the world wakes up and acts decisively in the next two months, the elections will once again be marked by gross misconduct, corruption, violence and repression, with Museveni and Kainerugaba holding on to power against the wishes of the majority. Unlike in many other African countries, even the army is so tightly under their control that the army will not revolt against them and support the opposition, as they have just done in Madagascar. 

The BBC has failed Uganda, mainly because their reporters on the ground are Ugandans who belong to the same tribe and some of whom are even friends with Museveni and his son! Even if Ugandan journalists were to report honestly and objectively, they would be “disappeared” immediately.

Non-Ugandan investigative journalists, with adequate personal protection, need to be sent to Uganda as a matter of urgency to report to the world about the serious abuse of human rights, the breakdown of democracy and of the justice system, and the use of illegal detentions and torture.

If you want to do something, perhaps you could try some of the following:

• Copy and share this article wherever you can, including social media
• Write to organisations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the UN, etc
• Write to your Government or your national and European political representatives
• Write to the BBC and other national and international News media
• Write to national and international newspapers and journals