As Uganda’s 2026 general elections draw near, a sickeningly familiar and insidious pattern re-emerges: the deliberate reduction of Baganda candidates to mere buffoons in a grotesque political theatre. Since 1996, this calculated mockery has been orchestrated by a corrupt and despotic regime determined to strip the Baganda, one of Uganda’s most historically significant ethnic groups, of their rightful political influence.
What was once the political bedrock of the nation has been ruthlessly dismantled and replaced with a shameless parade of so-called “candidates” whose only purpose is to amuse and distract. From the absurd antics of Charles James Ssenkubuge in 2001 to the farcical spectacle of John Katumba in 2021, the Baganda have been systematically and maliciously relegated to the role of jesters, a pathetic charade designed to undermine their serious political ambitions.
This grotesque manipulation is no accident. It is a deliberate, vile strategy by a regime desperate to cling to power at any cost. The Baganda, whose ancestors were at the forefront of Uganda’s political evolution, are now reduced to the punchline of a cruel joke, their political relevance hollowed out and replaced with a caricature. This is the final insult in a long history of betrayal, beginning with the 1966 crisis and continuing through decades of systematic disenfranchisement.
The rise of Robert Kyagulanyi, a.k.a Bobi Wine, in 2021 briefly threatened to break this cycle, igniting hope for a Baganda resurgence. But this hope was swiftly quashed as the regime’s manipulative tactics ensured that his legitimate campaign was overshadowed by a parade of court jesters masquerading as candidates. These puppets of the regime are nothing but tools in a macabre show, designed to ridicule and discredit the Baganda’s political aspirations.
The irony and the pain of this manipulation are undeniable. The Baganda, who once shaped the destiny of Uganda, are now force-fed a role in this degrading circus, their legacy trampled underfoot by a corrupt, iron-fisted government intent on erasing their influence.
As the 2026 elections approach, it is almost certain that another “Baganda clown” will be thrust into the spotlight, further perpetuating this humiliating farce. This is not just an attack on individual candidates; it is a brutal assault on the collective identity of the Baganda, reducing them to a grotesque parody of their former glory. The question is no longer whether this insult will happen, but rather, who will be the next tragic victim of this ruthless political charade.
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