Museveni re-elected after 40 years in power: Africa’s ‘40 Years Club’
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has been re-elected for a seventh term in office, marking 40 years since he first assumed power in Uganda and placing him among a small group of current African heads of state who have ruled for four decades or more.
Museveni took power on 29 January 1986 after leading a guerrilla war that overthrew the government of Milton Obote. With his re-election in January 2026, he reached the four-decade milestone.
His new five-year term runs until 2031 and, if completed, will extend his time in office to 45 years.
Born in 1944, Museveni is 81 years old. Constitutional amendments removing presidential term limits in 2005 and the age limit of 75 in 2017 enabled him to continue standing for re-election.
Africa’s leaders with four decades in power
As of January 2026, four African heads of state have ruled their countries for 40 years or more, measured by total time in power rather than uninterrupted tenure.
Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is the longest-serving president in the world. He seized power in a military coup in August 1979 and has now ruled for about 46 years.
Over time, power in Equatorial Guinea has increasingly concentrated within Obiang’s family. His son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, widely known as Teodorín, was appointed vice-president in 2016. He oversees defence and security and is widely regarded as the most powerful official after his father, positioning him as a potential successor.
The younger Obiang has faced corruption investigations abroad, including convictions in France, which the Equatorial Guinean government has rejected as politically motivated.
In Cameroon, President Paul Biya has been in office since November 1982 and has governed for about 43 years. Now in his early 90s, Biya is the world’s oldest serving non-royal head of state.
Biya’s long absences from public view in recent years have fuelled persistent speculation about his health, though the Cameroonian government has repeatedly dismissed such concerns. He has periodically spent extended periods abroad, particularly in Switzerland, while continuing to rule through a tightly controlled executive system centred on the presidency.
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, is led by Denis Sassou Nguesso, whose time in power spans two periods. He first ruled from 1979 to 1992, returned to office in 1997 following a civil war, and has now accumulated about 41 years as president.
His rule has not been continuous, a distinction often noted in comparisons of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
Museveni and the family dimension
In Uganda, Museveni’s long rule has also seen close family members occupy influential positions. His son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is a senior military officer who has served as commander of land forces and currently holds a cabinet position. His public statements and rapid rise within the security establishment have repeatedly sparked debate about succession, though Museveni has denied grooming a successor.
Museveni’s wife, Janet Museveni, has served in cabinet for years and is currently the minister of education and sports.
A monarch nearing four decades
Outside the presidency, King Mswati III of Eswatini is also approaching 40 years in power. He was crowned on 25 April 1986 and has ruled for nearly four decades as Africa’s last absolute monarch.
Mswati III is known for his large royal household. He has more than a dozen wives, several of whom were selected through traditional ceremonies, and has more than 30 children. One of his wives is Nomcebo Zuma, the daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma, a marriage that drew regional attention.
The king exercises ultimate executive, legislative and judicial authority in Eswatini, where political parties are banned from contesting elections. His long reign has been marked by periodic protests calling for democratic reforms.
Power across generations
All these leaders preside over countries with youthful populations, many of whose citizens were born long after their leaders first took office. In Uganda, the majority of the population has lived under only one president.
Museveni’s re-election has once again drawn attention to Africa’s “40 Years Club”, where power has endured across generations, often reinforced by constitutional changes, strong security establishments and the growing political prominence of family members.
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