A Clown, a Candidate, or a Catalyst?

Is Uganda’s Political Soul Up for Auction Once Again?

By Edward Maxus Kiweewa

"If politics is show business for ugly people, then Uganda’s stage has never lacked
star performers."

In a country where political ambition often necessitates a peculiar blend of charisma,

defiance, tribal capital, and dramatic flair, it is no surprise that Mubarak Munyagwa's
declaration for the 2026 presidency has stirred both ridicule and reflection. Dismissed
by many as comic relief in Uganda's turbulent politics, the former Kawempe South
Member of Parliament (MP) is now repositioning himself as a self-proclaimed
redeemer of the Republic. His sudden shift from sarcastic populist to aspiring
commander-in-chief is both bizarre and revealing, reflecting Uganda's changing and
paradoxical political culture.

This piece examines the Munyagwa story through a historical lens, using a SWOT
matrix to examine his goals and determining what his phenomena indicates about the
pathology of Uganda's political elite and electorate.

A Brief Political Dossier: Uganda's Spectacle of Power

Uganda's politics "have" swung back and forth between authoritarian paternalism and
populist delusions since independence (1962). From Obote's doctrinaire socialism,1 to
Amin's unpredictable militarism, from H.E. Y. K. Museveni's revolutionary Marxism
to market liberalism,2 and from constitutional idealism to constitutional convenience. 3
The early pan-Africanist rhetoric which emphasised broad-based government,
decentralisation, and constitutional restoration... 4 (see the 1995 Constitution and the
NRM Ten-Point Programme)

1
Saul, J.S., 1976. The Unsteady State: Uganda, Obote and General Amin. Review of African Political
Economy, 3(5), pp.12-38.
2
Twagiramungu, N., 2016. Embracing Neo-Liberalism in Uganda and Rwanda. In African Frontiers (pp. 41-
53). Routledge.
3
Asiimwe, G.B., 2014. Of fundamental change and no change: pitfalls of constitutionalism and political
transformation in Uganda, 1995-2005. Africa Development, 39(2), pp.21-46.
4
Muhumuza, W., 2009. From fundamental change to no change: The NRM and democratization in
Uganda. Les Cahiers d’Afrique de l’Est/The East African Review, (41), pp.21-42.
 Uganda has steadily curated a political theatre in which dissent and the truth is
criminalised,5 opposition is co-opted,6 and elections are frequently choreographed
rituals of continuity.7 It is within such a framework that figures like Munyagwa
emerge as either notable comic distractions or desperate symbols of democratic
fatigue. Nonetheless, history demonstrates that when overlooked, jesters can become
prophets or revolutionaries. (think of Fela Kuti in Nigeria 8 or Beppe Grillo in Italy9)

The Common Man: Between Obote’s Ideology and Munyagwa’s Realism (The
Two Poles of the Same Spectrum)

A closer look reveals a curious irony in Uganda's political landscape: two men, half a
century apart-Apollo Milton Obote and Mubarak Munyagwa-both invoking the plight
of the common man, but articulating him through radically different lenses. One was a
doctor of ideology, the other a street preacher of comic realism. But both are curiously
correct. Let us have a sober juxtaposition of sober comparison of doctrinaire
nationalism and vernacular populism.

Obote: Ideologue of the State

Obote's ideological foundation was largely socialist in character, centralist in

application, and populist in presentation. 10 His political compass was guided by
ideological nationalism, which was bolstered by his belief in the state as the ultimate
agent of liberation. His seminal text, the Common Man's Charter (1969),11 was more
of a treatise than a political pamphlet, invoking socialism, anti-imperialism, and
African self-determination.12 To Obote, the common man was a victim of historical

5
Agabo, S., 2024. Digital activism through humour and satire: an analysis of the use of TikTok and X for
political accountability in Uganda.
6
Bertrand, E., 2021. Opposition in a hybrid regime: The functions of opposition parties in Burkina Faso
and Uganda. African Affairs, 120(481), pp.591-610.
7
5289995 (2025).
Mugamba, E., 2025. Fractured Republic: Multiparty Proliferation and the Crisis of Democratic Legitimacy
on Uganda's Road to the 2026 General Elections. Available at SSRN 5289995.
8
Saleh-Hanna, V., 2008. Fela Kuti's wahala music: political resistance through song. Colonial systems of
control, p.355.
9
Bordignon, F. and Ceccarini, L., 2016. Five stars and a cricket. Beppe Grillo shakes Italian politics. In
Protest Elections and Challenger Parties (pp. 31-53). Routledge.
10
Gershenberg, I., 1972. Slouching towards socialism: Obote's uganda. African Studies Review, 15(1),
pp.79-95.
11
Obote, M., 1970. The common man's charter. (No Title).
12
Gudeta, S.T., 2018. Political Unification Before Economic Integration: A Critical Analysis of Kwame
Nkrumah's Arguments on the United States of Africa. University of South Africa (South Africa).
 injustice who could only be liberated via the consolidation of state power 13
(centralisation of state power).

The abolition of kingdoms, the nationalisation of vital sectors, 14 and the "Move to the
Left" policies,15 were all planned actions of structural decolonisation. His Uganda
Peoples Congress (UPC) combined state-controlled economics with African
nationalism, advocating for a postcolonial identity characterised by pan-African unity,
Move to the Left policies, and a strong distrust of private enterprise.

Yet, beneath this noble creed (Common Man’s Charter), lay an authoritarian impulse.
He questioned local autonomy, crushed federalist sentiments, and most importantly,
elevated ideology above participation.16 He also weaponised law and constitutionalism
(the Pigeonhole Constitution of 1966 being a case-in-point) to concentrate power
while speaking the grammar of liberation. 17 His administration was marred by
constitutional overreach, militarisation, and ethnically polarised statecraft and so, the
law became a tool of state power rather than a platform for pluralism. 18

My Ideological Currency: Obote believed more in the state's necessity than in the
people's will. His model was technocratic, uncompromising, and often ruthlessly
idealistic. He personified the dilemma of "lawful authoritarianism"-creating
legislation to justify centralisation while depriving it of legitimacy.

Munyagwa: The Court Jester as Statesman

In sharp contrast, Hon. Mubarak Munyagwa enters the political theatre as a suit-
wearing satirist. While Obote lectured, Munyagwa laughs and in that laughter, he
exposes the anguish of the common man.19 His politics is unpretentious and brutally
local. No charters. No isms. Simply lusaniya, food, rent, and the broken hopes of the
unemployed, who wouldn't hope for politricks. (further explanation below)

My Ideological Currency: Munyagwa is trading in disillusionment and social

tiredness, channeling a political aesthetic of the common man, that lacks a solid legal-

13
Saul, J.S., 1976. The Unsteady State: Uganda, Obote and General Amin. Review of African Political
Economy, 3(5), pp.12-38.
14
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/special-reports/uganda-50/was-obote-s-nationalisation-drive-in-
1970-a-necessary-evil--1524116
15
https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:276744/FULLTEXT01.pdf
16
https://upcideologyschool.com/2025/05/18/the-common-mans-charter/
17
1-272.
Mawby, S., 2020. The End of Empire in Uganda.
18
Otunnu, O., 2016. The Obote Regime and Political Violence, 1962–1971. In Crisis of Legitimacy and
Political Violence in Uganda, 1890 to 1979 (pp. 157-235). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
19
https://patroug.com/mubarak-munyagwa-introduces-olusaniya-symbol-for-new-party/
 constitutional foundation.

In the eyes of critics, their theses are arguably two "Poles of the Same Spectrum".
Where Obote declared war on traditionalism, Munyagwa embraces it with comic flair.
His references to hunger, love, sexuality, and death are not digressions; they are the
platform. He does not seek to reconstruct the state; rather, he wants to ensure it does
not starve its people.20 His populism is not structured, but rather emotional.
Obote attempted to recode the Ugandan political DNA; Munyagwa seeks to decode
the failure of that dream. One represents the optimism of post-colonial regeneration,
while the other represents the scepticism of post-ideological degeneration. Obote’s
“common man” was a citizen-in-theory; Munyagwa’s is a hustler-in-crisis. Obote
believed that institutions must be strong;21 Munyagwa believes they must first be
fair.22 Obote centralised law to engineer justice;23 Munyagwa trivialises law to expose
injustice.24

If Obote was the Father of Ideology, Munyagwa is the Debased Son of

Disappointment, each representing a stage in our democratic adolescence. The first
taught us how to envision the state,25 while the second reminds us what happens when
the state ceases imagining us.26

Both are essential in any healthy democracy. One anchors the past, while the other
shakes the present. Perhaps the difficulty isn't choosing between them, but refusing to
listen to either. It is tempting to dismiss Munyagwa as insincere, yet this is a
misguided view of Uganda's emerging psychology of resistance.

However, one who chooses to

ignore him ignores a deeper truth: he speaks a dialect of desperation in a country wher
e constitutionalism is frequently elite theatre. His performance is a legal transgression,
a mockery of the democracy that is denied.27

At a time when the post-2021 opposition is dealing with demobilisation, state

violence, and internal betrayal, persons like him, despite their unconventionality, act

20
https://dailyexpress.co.ug/2025/07/29/bigirwa-defends-common-partys-lusaniya-symbol-says-it-
reflects-unity-ideological-depth/
21
https://www.jstor.org/stable/45341232
22
https://x.com/mubarakmunyagwa?lang=en
23
https://upcideologyschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/From-Obote-to-Obote-by-Akena-
Adoko.pdf
24
https://www.facebook.com/nbstelevision/posts/mubarak-munyagwa-i-want-nrm-people-to-know-
that-injustice-somewhere-is-injustice/4210733189017614/
25
Mazrui, A.A., 1970. Leadership in Africa: Obote of Uganda. International journal, 25(3), pp.538-564.
26
https://minbane.wordpress.com/tag/peoples-front-for-freedom-2/
27
https://youtu.be/FX6if2Qk2oQ?si=1B4K1MeKfyRAQGjT
 as cultural saboteurs mocking established political grammar. Uganda, like most post-
colonial states, is now caught between abstraction and appetite. And in that tension,
the common man still waits.

The Munyagwa Agenda: Substance or Satire? Theatrical Resistance or

Meaningful Movement? Meme or Manifesto?

Munyagwa represents anti-elitism, a comic populist rebranding of opposition politics,

fusing satire, cultural idioms, and social commentary into political messaging. He is
not a traditional revolutionary, nor a reformist in legal structure, but rather a
performative disruptor whose campaign focuses on mood rather than policy.

Has he formally lauched a clear manifesto? That is a question for his dear supporters.
What the public sees is a cacophony of social media quips, 28 disjointed policy ideas,
and the occasional philosophical monologue about "redeeming the common man".
What makes him an interesting case study, however, is not the content of his speech,
but the intentional absurdity of his modes. Munyagwa, like Donald Trump (2016),29
utilises ridicule to mock the system, whether he appears with a "lusaniya" or using
spiritual metaphors.

SWOT Analysis of Munyagwa’s 2026 Bid: A Disruptor or a Decoy?”

Munyagwa’s Bid: A Strategic Dissection in the Court of Public Reason (The
SWOT matrix)

S — Strengths: The Jester with a Judge’s Mind

Behind the theatrics is a critically underestimated mind.30 Few opponents will outspea
k him, and even fewer will outwit him. Munyagwa stands out in a political scene domi
nated by distant technocrats and robotic bureaucrats.
He speaks Luganda, fury, and laughter, the three tongues of Uganda’s political base. 31
And above all, he has no fear for ridicule. That, in itself, is the essence of power.

W — Weaknesses: When the Joke Consumes the Joker

28
https://youtu.be/NlsdXH2PYmY?si=clgtzYjaLX538j3o
29
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/03/17/how-donald-trump-uses-humor-to-make-the-
outrageous-sound-normal-00146119
30
https://youtu.be/uazyINrt9Sw?si=5pVxMZaPoSa_vPKH
31
Summers, C., 2006. Radical rudeness: Ugandan social critiques in the 1940s. Journal of Social History,
39(3), pp.741-770.
 Munyagwa’s persona is a double-edged sword. The very comedy that wins hearts
often undermines gravitas. Many voters may enjoy the meme but not tick the box.
Elites may dismiss him. Institutions may not regard him seriously. And his past
political record, distinguished more by antics than ideological consistency,32 makes
him an easy target for those wielding the “stability” card.

O — Opportunities: The Collapse of Political Monotony

Uganda's opposition has grown tired.33 Voters are tired of buzzwords, of scripted
revolutionaries, and of messianic politicians that promise the moon but deliver
potholes.34 Herein lies Munyagwa's golden opportunity: to position himself as the cure
to both state stagnation and the elitism that has infected even its opposition. If he
weaponises his authenticity in a movement, he will not only disrupt but also alter the
narrative.

T — Threats: The Gatekeepers of Seriousness

Uganda’s political terrain is not kind to outliers. 35 Electoral commissions,36 security

organs,37 media owners,38 and foreign interests,39 - none are known to bet on jesters.
If he rises too much, the system may flatten him. If he relies too heavily on humour, th
e public may misinterpret his campaign as a skit. And if he tackles holy cows too soon
, he may wind himself where many daring ones do: irrelevant, exiled, or handcuffed.

Conclusion: The Country Deserves Better, But Will It Choose Different?

Arguably, in a society where the rifle still defines authority, laughing becomes a
subversive tactic. Furthermore, in a country where the distinction between Parliament
and theatre is perilously thin, Munyagwa enters and announces, "I am both." If he
masters the art of strategic madness, calculated disruption disguised as chaos, he
could become one of the unexpected political theses Uganda has seen since H.E. Y.K.
Museveni's bush war.

32
https://www.facebook.com/NTVUganda/posts/on-the-ground-as-political-parties-take-shape-and-
coalition-forms-we-speak-to-mu/1200699168767332/
33
https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-ugandans-are-tired-of-museveni-but-cant-vote-him-out/a-55701246
34
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/letters/dear-politicians-don-t-promise-what-you-cannot-
deliver-4991154
35
https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/UGA
36
https://www.voanews.com/a/uganda-electoral-commission-rejects-bias-accusations/2956474.html
37
https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/editorial/electoral-commission-security-organs-on-trial-
4951766
38
https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/01/11/keep-people-uninformed/pre-election-threats-free-
expression-and-association
39
https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/uganda/05916.pdf
 In Uganda’s ever-mutating political theatre, Obote stood for ideology, Museveni for
longevity, and Munyagwa for mockery-each bearing the burden of their own
contradictions.
The legal mind must wonder: is this comic relief a democratic breach, or the start of U
ganda's political catharsis?

Munyagwa’s candidature, however laughable it appears, is a mirror. It reflects both

the exhaustion of traditional opposition politics and the silent cry of a populace tired
of statesmanship without results. Whether he will flicker out like a shooting star or
outlast the sceptics remains to be seen.

What is certain, though, is that Uganda’s political soul - once auctioned by ideology
and later mortgaged by longevity, is again on the block. And in a land where jesters
tell the rawest truths at times, we would better not laugh too hard.

"If politics becomes pure parody, then legitimacy is sacrificed on the altar of
performance."
REFERENCES
1. Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995 (as amended), Preamble and relevant
provisions on governance.

2. Apollo Milton Obote, Common Man’s Charter (1969) (Government of Uganda

publication).

3. Mahmood Mamdani, ‘Citizen and Subject’ (Princeton University Press 1996) ch. 3, on the
colonial legacy in Uganda’s state formation.

4. Mahmood Mamdani, When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the
Genocide in Rwanda (Princeton University Press 2001).

5. Mahmood Mamdani, ‘The Politics of Naming: Genocide, Civil War, Insurgency’ (2009) 16
African Studies Review 7.

6. Phares Mukasa Mutibwa, Uganda Since Independence: A Story of Unfulfilled Hopes

(Africa World Press 1992).
7. John Lonsdale, ‘The Moral Economy of Mau Mau: Wealth, Poverty, and Civic Virtue in
Kikuyu Political Thought’ (2004) 1 Journal of African History 1.

8. Robert Jackson and Carl Rosberg, Personal Rule in Black Africa: Prince, Autocrat,
Prophet, Tyrant (University of California Press 1982).

9. Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Music is the Weapon (Interviews and biographical sources, 1970s-
1990s).

10. Andrew Mwenda, ‘Patronage Politics, Donor Reforms, and Regime Consolidation in
Uganda’ (2005).

11. Beppe Grillo, Blog and Political Speeches (Italy, 2000s).

12. Donald Trump, Presidential Campaign Speeches and Public Communications (2016).

13. A. R. Nsibambi, ‘Political Integration in Uganda: Problems and Prospects’ (1969)

14. National Resistance Movement (NRM), Ten-Point Programme (1986).

15. The Monitor Newspaper (Uganda), Various political commentary articles on Mubarak
Munyagwa, 2023-2025.

16. The New Vision Newspaper (Uganda), Editorials and opinion pieces on political
opposition and election culture.

Key Cases & Jurisprudence

1. Charles Onyango Obbo & Another v. Attorney General [Const. Petition No. 15 of 1997]

– On freedom of expression and limitations under Article 43.

2. Salvatori Abuki v. Attorney General [1997] UGCC 10 [Const. Petition No. 2 of 1997]

– On cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment under customary law.

3. Uganda v. Kizza Besigye (Various Rulings, 2005–2012)

– Multiple decisions highlighting executive interference, court siege, and violation of bail
rights.

International Instruments

1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-
and-political-rights

Articles 9 (liberty), 14 (fair trial), and 19 (expression)

1. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)

https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Articles 1 (self determination), 5 (non-derogation from certain human rights), 9 (liberty and
security), 10 (inherent dignity), and 19 (expression)

About the Author:

Edward M. I. Kiweewa is not just entering the legal arena; he is engraving his
presence into its stone. A young Ugandan legal writer and cultural commentator with
a strong interest in jurisprudence, political reform, and socio-legal critique; he
combines the sharpness of classical legal training with the edge of a man who has
seen the world for what it is: broken, beautiful, and always in need of criticism.

His tone is deliberate. It is neither ornamental nor performative, serving just one
purpose: to provoke thought, demand rigour, and reassert that the law must be more
than a procedural mask-it must be memory, sword, and mirror.

Guided by the old stoics but not bound by them, Edward's writing cuts into
complacency with surgical calm-often dark, occasionally sarcastic, and always
necessary. His columns and commentary cut across constitutional thought, criminal
psychology, and the buried truths of political regimes. He speaks not just to the
moment, but to history.
Where others bend for relevance, he carves for legacy.