President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. Photo: AFP<\/p>\n
Members of Uganda\u2019s opposition <\/a>held a prayer gathering on Sunday at the home of an imprisoned politician, highlighting concerns over state repression ahead of Thursday\u2019s presidential election.\n<\/p>\n The event, attended by young and older supporters, reflected both a sense of defiance and the risks involved in challenging the ruling government.\n<\/p>\n Kampala Mayor Erias Lukwago, addressing the assembly, framed the vote as a \u201cface off\u201d between ordinary Ugandans and President Yoweri Museveni. \u201cAll of you are in two categories: political prisoners and potential political prisoners,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n Museveni, 81, who has led Uganda for more than four decades, is widely expected to win again, benefiting from near-total control of the state and security apparatus. He came to power in the 1980s as a bush fighter and has maintained a heavily militarised governance structure, frequently cracking down on political challengers.\n<\/p>\n The current campaign has already seen hundreds of opposition supporters detained and at least one killed. Police have described these incidents as efforts to control \u201chooligans\u201d. The main opposition candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has faced repeated arrests and reported torture while in military custody and is rarely seen in public without a flak jacket.<\/p>\n Another opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, was abducted in Kenya in 2024 and taken to a military prison in Uganda to face treason charges. His wife, UNAIDS<\/a> director Winnie Byanyima, who hosted Sunday\u2019s prayer meeting, described Uganda as operating under \u201ca thin veneer\u201d of democracy. <\/p>\n