Article by Musse Bashir.
This month – January 2026 – presidential and parliamentary elections will be held across Uganda. A cause for celebration! Sadly, the answer is no, because what the world will see is fraud and nothing more. A blatant lie, perpetrated against the citizens of Uganda, instigated by a handful of elites manipulating the system so that they, and not the people, decide who wins.
Uganda’s political landscape is cursed by design. Fatally flawed due to the NRA/NRM governing system that was, and is, designed to facilitate a powerless opposition that the elites know can do no harm (to them). Such a stalemate is, however, also doomed to failure, because in the modern world, young and ambitious politicians can see right through this ridiculous façade. Better still, a new generation of civic-minded, well-educated Ugandans, are dedicated to changing a broken system so that every man and woman knows their vote counts.
To be fair, it is of course true that Uganda (in common with many African countries) has, for years, suffered from weak institutional infrastructure and transparency. De-colonization and liberation came at a terrible cost – with violence, revolution, and war inflicting misery upon Uganda. But those days are fading into memory. The modern Ugandan is a confident, well-read person, who wants stability, prosperity, and fairness for themselves and their communities. In other words, any excuse older politicians have for being ‘the strong man’ and inflicting crooked elections on the people simply to maintain the ‘greater good’ cannot be justified.
It does not matter how well-meaning the old elites claim to be. It does not matter if they shout from the rooftops ‘We only want peace’. NO! The youth of Uganda will no longer tolerate this attitude and a new breed of leader is going to make sure that change comes and that it will be for the better. Yes, older generations will be respected, and their views listened to, but the stranglehold a select few have on political discourse in Uganda must end and do so quickly.
But who are these new leaders?
One is a Mr. Wasibi Derrick. The founder of Open Hearts Initiative Uganda, Mr. Derrick is also a farmer and former lecturer. In the past, he has specialized in security matters, and today prides himself on being an expert in the Great Lakes and East African region. His approach to politics is to be proactive and practical, yet optimistic too, with an emphasis on inclusion and grassroots interaction.
Well-traveled and multi-lingual, Mr. Derrick has received several degrees from reputable academic institutions – something that has furnished him with a multi-layered understanding of Geo-political dynamics. Not that he is lacking in practical knowledge, as he is also (as mentioned before) the Chief Executive Officer of a civil society organization – the Open Hearts Initiative Uganda in Uganda (OHIU). A body that has for years focused on transforming the lives of countless Ugandans, while also promoting peace in Somaliland under the BAADBADO ORGANIZATION in Erigavo.
Here (Somalia) Mr. Derrick spent two years working on peace-building projects, especially among the youth. Indeed, under his leadership and guidance, these initiatives helped reduce violence throughout the areas where they operated being praised at the time.
After the success of OHIU he began to shift his focus towards education, concentrating on the youth of Uganda, but also within Somalia (including Puntland). He was one of the very few civilian (foreign) lecturers working in Somalia at that time as there were risks to his person from criminals and gangs.
However, he was determined to teach his fellow Africans political science and other subjects. Anti-corruption was one of his cornerstone subjects, a fact that attracted many enemies who did not want a light shone on their illegal activities.
Due to the above, Mr. Derrick gained much expertise in both the security and civilian spheres of governance, something that stood him in good stead when he entered politics. Now, as a leader, he is determined to become a member of Uganda’s parliament. He wants to make a difference and to do that he needs to be part of the policy-making system. Change must happen, for at present Uganda is crippled by lazy, unmotivated politicians, who circumnavigate the democratic system, and only survive by giving handouts to undeserving lackeys and lickspittles.
A pluralistic and forward-thinking man, Mr Wasibi Derrick is convinced that if Uganda is to prosper it must first become secure and democratic. The people hunger for their voice to be listened to and to know the government is on their side. In addition, Uganda has to expand its economy and encourage business in all sectors because nothing creates stability more than wealth.
Mr. Derrick is also outraged by the injustices he has seen. Rampant and unfair land-grabbing at the expense of minority ethnic groups is disgusting and he wants to stop it. The disenfranchisement of Uganda’s traditional agricultural communities has been a disaster turning some isolated villages into slave camps for the rich.
Uganda is mostly Mubende, and agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, so he will use his expertise to educate and support the farmers, encouraging them to move from substance farming into a more commercial system. One idea is to set up communal processing plants (similar to what happens in Italy with olive pressing factories) allowing indigenous farmers to market processed products instead of raw ones. This cuts out a middleman and will surely help the farmer’s profitability. In order to achieve this goal he is encouraging outside agencies to bring their knowledge to Uganda.
The change that is blowing across Uganda cannot be stopped. It is not based on past ethnic hatred, vengeance, or even self-interest. Instead, Mr. Derrick represents a new age, where someone is judged by their abilities and nothing else. He believes every Ugandan is worthy of attention and that is what he is going to bring – a government of the people, by the people, for the people – and I for one wish him luck.