Kampala, Uganda – Francis Mawejje, a Cavendish University graduate and full-time boda boda rider has officially declared his intention to challenge President Yoweri Museveni rallying hundreds of fellow riders in Lungujja, a bustling suburb of Kampala to support him.
The bold announcement made just months ahead of the election has shocked Uganda’s political establishment and ignited a viral conversation about class, power and people-led democracy.
In his speech while addressing journalists in Lungujja, Mawejje didn’t mince his words;
“Here, you have the freedom to lie on the road and sleep but not to speak out against the impunity. We have the liberty to sit in bars all night but nothing in our pockets to spend. That’s the kind of freedom they’ve left us with but we say no.”
While Uganda’s politics has historically revolved around elite party structures and military influence, Mawejje’s rise signals the emergence of a bottom-up political wave driven not by money or party machinery, but by shared struggle.
The boda boda community often dismissed as informal and unorganized may have just positioned itself as a serious political force.
With Uganda’s cost of living spiraling and public discontent increases under the surface, Mawejje’s campaign ignites citizens who feel they are excluded from politics.
Unlike previous candidates who emerged from academia, military, corporate, drama and music circles, Mawejje represents the “forgotten Ugandan” the overworked, overlooked, yet vital part in the country’s economy.
Though Mawejje has not yet unveiled a full manifesto, his team confirmed that issues like job creation, education reform, public transport regulation and freedom of expression will be the centre of his campaigns.
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