Editor’s Note: Every Friday, WPR Senior Editor Robbie Corey-Boulet curates the top news and analysis from and about the African continent.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s bid to position himself for a new term got a boost earlier this month when the Supreme Court upheld the removal of a constitutional age limit that would otherwise have barred him from staying in office. If all goes according to plan, Museveni, who is 74 and has been president since 1986, would be able to run again in 2021 and, assuming he wins another five-year mandate, see his tenure hit the 40-year mark.
Yet whether Ugandans will allow that to happen is an open question. This week offered fresh evidence that the authorities are worried about popular frustration with Museveni’s long rule, and specifically about a politician who’s been able to channel it effectively: pop star Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine.