Uganda: Front Page of Ugandan Daily New Vision Calling President Yoweri Museveni the 'Worst Dictator' Is Fake

IN SHORT: A viral image, mimicking the weekend edition of Uganda's New Vision newspaper, calls president Yoweri Museveni the "worst dictator". But the front page is fake and should be ignored.

A front page making the rounds on Facebook claims that the weekend edition of the Ugandan newspaper New Vision has labelled president Yoweri Museveni a dictator and urged citizens to pick their next president wisely.

Uganda's next general election will be held in January 2026, during which voters will elect the president and members of parliament.

The circulating front page, dated 21-22 June 2025, features the headline: "Worst Dictator." It has subheadings alleging illegal detentions of citizens, judicial killings and corruption.

It also features a large photo of Museveni in military uniform alongside the Ugandan flag and further claims to present a "Citizens' Manifesto" ahead of the elections.

In power since 1986, Museveni is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Over the years, he has often been accused of authoritarianism, including suppressing opposition and manipulating electoral processes through the use of state institutions.

Museveni has announced plans to seek re-election in the upcoming elections.

The front page was also posted here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)

But is this a legitimate front page? We checked.

Doctored front page

The language and tone are highly critical of Museveni, which is inconsistent with the New Vision's editorial approach.

Notably, the Ugandan government holds a 53.3% majority stake in the publisher, while the public has the remainder. As a government-controlled outlet, the New Vision is unlikely to publish content that openly condemns the long-term head of state.

A search of New Vision's official X account, where it routinely posts its front pages, showed that the headline for the Weekend Vision edition of 21-22 June 2025 was "Race to Presidency".

There was no mention of the "Worst Dictator" or any of the other claims made on the viral front page. This confirms that the front page in circulation is fake.

The doctored front page also appears here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. X @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org