E once condemn African leaders wey hold on to power. Now e wan run for seventh term

Ugandans under di age of 40 - and wey be more dan three-quarters of di population – don only see one president.

Yoweri Museveni seize di top job for 1986 afta one armed revolution and for di age of 81, e no dey show sign of stepping down.

Im time as leader follow long period of peace and significant development, for which many dey grateful. But im critics tok say e maintain im grip on power through mixture of sidelining opponents and compromising independent institutions.

"We no believe in [presidential] term limits," e bin once tell BBC, secure in his role afta e win di election for di fifth time.

A year later, e remove di age limit for presidential candidate – wey make way, many believe, for Museveni to bicom president for life.

Museveni journey start for 1944, wen dem born am into a family of cattle keepers for Ankole, western Uganda.

E grow up during Uganda struggle for independence from UK, wey bin follow a period of brutality and turbulence under Milton Obote and Idi Amin.

For many years, Museveni no sabi di date dem born am, e write for inside im memoir: "We bin get real life-threatening challenges like extra-judicial killings and looting… we no get time to worry about details like dates of birth."

For 1967, Museveni comot Uganda to attend di University of Dar es Salaam for neighbouring Tanzania. For there, e study economics and political science and e forge alliances wit politically active students from around di region.

Museveni name gain prominence for 1970s, afta one coup by di notorious Idi Amin.

Museveni bin help form di Front for National Salvation - one of di rebel groups wey wit di help of Tanzania remove Oga Amin.

Oga Amin bin dey popular for crushing dissent and expelling di kontri Asian community. Under im eight-year rule, dem kill about 400,000 pipo.

"E bin dey part of di colonial system," Museveni tell di Global Indian Network for one recent interview. "Idi Amin dey ignorant... a bit chauvinistic".

Following Amin fall, former President Milton Obote return to power through general election. However, Museveni refuse to accept Obote leadership, e claim say dem rig di vote.

E launch one rebel struggle for 1981 and five years later, im rebel group, di National Resistance Movement (NRM), seize power and Museveni bicom leader.

Uganda economy begin to grow steadily and ova 10 years, di kontri see an average annual growth of more dan 6%.

Primary school enrolment double and HIV levels drop bicos of one anti-Aids campaign wey di president spearhead.

Museveni bicom di darling of di West, but im reputation drop for 1998, wen Uganda and Rwanda attack neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo in support of rebels wey dey fight to overthrow di govment.

Around dis time, critics also complain say di president dey grow less tolerant of opposing views. E also bicom clear say im no get plans to leave power.

Museveni bin tok for one 1986 collection of writing: "Di problem of Africa in general, and Uganda in particular, no be dat of di pipo but leaders wey wan overstay for power."

But by 2005, e be like say im view don change and Uganda constitution dey amended, wey remove di limitation on how many terms a president fit serve.

For 2017, dem also remove di age limit for presidential candidates - a move wey bin lead to MPs throwing chairs for one chaotic parliamentary brawl.

Museveni don also face allegations say e weaken di independence of key institutions.

In particular, Uganda judiciary chop accuse say dem dey employ so-called "cadre judges" wey dia loyalty lie wit di govment.

Wen judges go against di govment, dem sometimes dey see themselves at loggerheads wit di authorities.

For example, for December 2005, armed security personnel bin raid di High Court for di capital, Kampala, dem rearrest members of one suspected rebel group wey dem free from treason charges.

Di media independence also dey threatened. On di surface, Uganda get lively media industry, but dem don raid plenty organizations and detain several journalists.

Perhaps di most significant factor for Museveni longevity na di way e take subdue potential opposition forces.

Wen e bicom clear say Museveni no get plans to leave power, some of im former associates start to break away. As dem comot, security agencies turn dia attention on dem.

For instance, Kizza Besigye of di opposition Forum for Democratic Change, na Museveni doctor bifor.

E run against di president for 2001. Since then, dem don arrest and prosecute am plenty times.

For 2024, e mysteriously disappear from Nairobi, only to appear four days later for one Ugandan military court. E still dey for jail on treason charges, wey e don deny.

Di Pop star wey turn politician, Bobi Wine, na di latest Museveni critic to face di wrath of di state.

Di 43-year-old opposition leader, wey im star power draw huge crowds of youngsters, bin chop arrest, dem put am for prison and charge am wit crimes wey include treason. Dem later drop all di charges.

For 2021, police tear-gas and even shoot Bobi Wine plus im supporters. Di police say e disobey coronavirus restrictions on large gatherings.

During di current campaign period, security forces don use "firearms and live ammunition to scata peaceful assemblies" and abduct opposition party members in unmarked vans, one UN report tok.

For di middle of dis, Museveni tell kontri pipo say "one soja dey carry 120 bullets". However, e bin order police say make dem no beat opposition supporters but make dem use tear gas instead.

Museveni supporters point to di relative stability wey Uganda don enjoy for decades since e dey power.

Emmanuel Lumala Dombo, one tok-tok pesin for di NRM, tok say more dan 1.7 million pipo bin japa to Uganda afta dem run from di kasala wey dey happun for dia own countries.

"Forty years ago, we bin dey among di biggest exporters of refugees among di neighbouring countries wey surround us," Dombo tell BBC. "Right now Uganda na di biggest host of refugees for Africa."

One Museveni supporter wey bin surprisingly, turn up for one Bobi Wine rally tok di same thing.

Ndyasima Patrick tell BBC say im go vote for Museveni becos "na im keep us alive for all these years".

E also dey respect Museveni age and e feel say Bobi Wine go only dey ready to lead Uganda wen e reach im 50s.

Museveni govment recently begin encourage foreign investment, as dem don strike deals wit di likes of China, di United Kingdom plus di United Arab Emirates. E say im want make Uganda bicom a middle-income country by 2040.

Museveni see imsef no be only as a stable, ambitious presence, but also as a nurturing figure for Uganda youth. E dey fondly call im young followers Bazukulu (wey mean grandchildren for di Luganda language) and dem dey call am wir nicknames M7 or Sevo.

But wit eye on Bobi Wine, wey roughly be half of Museveni age, di president dey always show im vitality.

For 2020, to encourage exercise during lockdown, dem feem am as e dey do press-ups, and e repeat di trick several times dat year, plus in front of cheering students.

E don tok about im health on numerous occasions, late last year e say: "I don dey hia wit you for 40 years now. You don ever hear say I go hospital? Except wen I get [coronavirus] for 21 days."

As Museveni ages, critics worry say e dey turn di kontri into im family affairs.

Dem note say di president wife, Janet, na di education minister and im son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba na di head of di army.

Museveni grandson bin also enrol for di army for July, one move pipo see as say e dey extend di family dynasty.

Di NRM neva tok much on how dem plan to manage Museveni succession, but speculation full ground say im 51-year-old son, Gen Kainerugaba go take im place.

Should dis come to pass, e fit jeopardise Museveni legacy of stability. Pipo sabi Gen Kainerugaba as pesin wey dey unpredictable and provocative, especially on social media.

E bin use X to joke about invading Kenya, rile Ethiopia by backing Egypt during one kwanta between di two countries, e also admit say e detain Bobi Wine bodyguard for im basement.

At di moment, however, wit almost four decades of experience behind him, Museveni dey confident say im go win di election for di seventh time.

"Uganda dey secure. Go out and vote," e tell di public during one New Year Eve address. "Di Ugandan NRM dey unstoppable."

Additional reporting by Sammy Awami