At the recent unveiling of the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) new headquarters on November 3rd, 2023, Dr. Kizza Besigye, former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president and four-time presidential aspirant, encouraged Ugandans to transcend fear to unseat the incumbent president, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Besigye highlighted that there are primarily four factors sustaining Museveni’s power, the foremost being the fear instilled in the people. He emphasized that the president uses intimidation tactics, leveraging guns to create fear among Ugandans. Besigye firmly asserted that unless individuals overcome this fear and cultivate faith, they won’t be able to overthrow Museveni.

“Museveni uses guns to instill fear in us. There is no one that doesn’t fear, I also fear, but even when we fear, we must overcome that fear and raise our faith. Faith defeats fear,” Besigye advised.

He also outlined other strategies employed by Museveni to maintain power, including monetary corruption of opponents, widespread propaganda, and sowing divisions among his adversaries. Besigye underscored that anyone abstaining from their responsibility becomes an adversary to the campaign to dislodge Museveni.

Besigye criticized those shying away from political involvement, branding them as uninformed because political decisions directly influence the taxes and policies affecting them.

“All have a role to play. I hear some people say they are not politicians. If you are not involved in politics, you are missing out, as the taxes you pay are determined by politics. Therefore, claiming you’re not into politics is unwise,” he remarked.

He further emphasized that he isn’t waiting until the 2026 general elections to challenge Museveni’s rule and advised against solely relying on his leadership for change.