Manipulated video shows president Yoweri Museveni pleading with Ugandans to vote for him one last time
IN SHORT: A video circulating on social media shows Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni apparently pleading with Ugandans to vote for him one last time, claiming he has projects to complete. However, the video combines genuine footage with audio that has been generated using artificial intelligence tools.
A video of Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni seemingly pleading with Ugandans to vote for him for the last time is gaining attention on social media. In the video, Museveni claims that serving one last presidential term will allow him to complete a few projects.
He can be heard saying: "This is the last time I am vying for president in Uganda. I will never vie again after 2026. So I urge all Ugandans to come out in large numbers and vote for me for the very last time. I have few projects that I want to finish."
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The video is overlaid with the name "Michael's Desk", which may suggest the social media account it originated from.
In power since 1986, Museveni is one of Africa's longest-serving leaders. Over the years, he has faced frequent accusations of authoritarianism, including suppressing opposition and manipulating electoral processes through state institutions.
Uganda will go to the polls in 2026 when Museveni will be seeking re-election.
In 2005, the country's members of parliament amended the constitution to remove presidential term limits, allowing incumbents to run for re-election indefinitely. In 2017, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove the age limit of 75 for presidential candidates.
The video has been posted here and here.
But is it legit? We checked.
AI-generated audio
We took a closer look at the video and noticed that the presidential lectern he was speaking from bore an emblem featuring the colours of the Egyptian flag. This suggested that the footage might have been taken during his visit to Egypt.
Searching for the phrase "Museveni in Egypt" led us to several videos of the Ugandan president during his three-day state visit to Egypt in August 2025, hosted by president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
We also located the video used in the claim. It had the text "Michael's Desk" and was posted on a YouTube channel of the same name on 14 August.
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To determine whether we had found the exact video, we closely examined the section where Museveni was adjusting the microphone and took a screenshot. We then identified the same moment in the original video and captured a matching screenshot.
In the suspicious video, as he adjusts the microphone, he can be heard saying: "This is the last time I am vying for president in Uganda. I will never vie again after 2026." But in the original video, he says: "On behalf of our delegation, we thank you for inviting us to have this dialogue."
The video in question combines original footage with audio created using artificial intelligence tools to suggest that Museveni made the remarks.
The video makes false claims and should be ignored.
