S counterparts come and go.

It's 35 years since he took power, but now you're very much 70 is facing his biggest challenge in decades.

It comes in the form off a charismatic young opposition candidate with Hiss sites on victory in Uganda's 2021 elections.

Robert Jabulani Sentamu is a pop star turned politician.

His fans know him by his stage name.

Bobby Wine Hey has risen to prominence amid an election campaign marred by a crackdown on your position and violence, which has left does instead okay.

The self styled ghetto president wants to win Uganda's most turbulent election in decades.

Fashion A president kwon a way Jack, a president got so much tibia My mama never taught a buffet a president, a man.

But but But the leader Bobby Wine wants to unseat still enjoys high levels of public support.

Despite his increasingly authoritarian approach, you're very much 70 took how, as a young rebel leader in 1986 since then, he has won five elections, but observers have cast doubt on whether they all have been free and fair use.

70 is campaigning as the stability candidate.

As president, he helped to lift millions out of poverty and to limit the spread of HIV.

He says he is the candidate who will keep Ugandan safe president 71 but opposition to move 70 is growing.

Bobby Wine won the support of many young people with his pledges to tackle youth unemployment and corruption.

A singer has been arrested multiple times, with authorities saying his campaign rallies violate covered 19 restrictions.

He says he's being intimidated.

Even his home has been raided.

Um, I'm sorry, even right now as we speak, you are being raided by the ministry have to end the interview because I can see just beating my security guard.

Three arrests have enraged his supporters.

After he was arrested in November, protests followed and 37 people died as police violently dispersed the crowds.

The crackdown help what we want to style himself as a radical challenger to an authoritarian leader, despite being fin on policy details and lacking in experience.

But even if wine doesn't win his campaign will have severely weakened the incumbent.

With dozens already dead, there are fears, more instability and more violence could be on the way.

We're deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in Uganda ahead off the parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled for the 14th of January.

On the challenges that the situation may pose not only for voting day itself but for the post electoral period.

The stakes could not be higher When Ugandans go to the polls.

The country's neighbors will be watching the election closely with Uganda's reputation as an island of stability in the region already hanging in the balance.

Now, people in the capital Kampala expressed fear ahead of the poll.

Many have already left the capital concerned that the violence could break out further e hope for the elections to end in peace because this is our country and we're not going anywhere.

Those who have money have left but for us the poor we have remained in the city.

Hey, from the time I was born these are the elections.

I've seen it because a lot of attention no other country, I mean that most people even are not running to the villages.

They don't know the future.

We got no trouble for free and fair election.

I think the government should have come out on Explain to the people that, please, during enough election, there's gonna be peace unless people have peace of mind.

Others We're not eating people shifting.

They're doing some other things.

And VW's Julius Mogambo is in Kampala with more on the story.

Good to see you, Julia.

So we've just been listening to people saying that they're afraid of more violence As the vote draws closer.

What is the mood in the country?

I think the people who are afraid of violence have many reasons to think like that.

Travel that fee around them because this is one of the most I should say, bloody campaigns that have had the most violent campaigns have hard.

In November, you might recall we lost almost more than 54 people, more than 50 people, uh, due to violence.

So imagine if that happened during campaigns and now what will happen during the election?

So this is the mood that it's spreading across the country with very many people fearing that in case they arrived in case their demonstrations, anything could go bad and they have reasons now to think to drive tomorrow might bring anything.

Julia, let's have a listen to President was 70 and I wanna ask you something About what he's just going to say.

They have bean practices off intimidation.

Well, especially the opposition.

People have been threatening people, not come out and vote.

I held a meeting with the security forces there, ready to defend you?

There are four.

Don't fear anything.

Come out and vote.

Nobody would intimidate.

You would intimidate you.

Nobody will attack you.

If anybody tries to do that, we shall get him.

Oh ha!

A stern warning from President Museveni there, Julius.

But is there more to be read into what he's saying?

I think there is more to be read into what he's saying, because why in the world would dimension fear?

I think the head of the state is already recognizing the fact that there is fear coming out to say that the security will defend Ugandans to go and vote peacefully peacefully.

It means he has already recognize the fact that there is fear now what we what many you can and how many people are interpreting.

This is that, uh, tomorrow's election is very likely not to be like the usual elections that have had in the last four rounds.

So tomorrow is likely to be a very, very different election.

And that's not warning.

That the president has put through is also going out to people, perhaps were intending to demonstrate, intending to protest the riot.

He's telling them clearly that they will not be given chance.

It's clear that the main challenger, Bobby Wine, is a threat to, or it's seen as a threat to President Yoweri Museveni, just judging by how the authorities have have suppressed his campaign and even before the pandemic, really?

But does he have a chance?

Julius, I think Bobby wine has a chance, and so is President Yoweri Museveni.

What Ugandans will decide tomorrow is highly anticipated.

You cannot really tell who is gonna win this election, Bobby.

One years has a chance because it's been calling out young people to give him a chance to vote tomorrow on, if they really vote like he has been asking them to like they've been promising him, then he has a chance.

But also on the other side very important to note that President Yoweri um seven has also been busy campaigning on.

He's support for all these years cannot be taken for granted.

So both candidates have a chance.

I should say Do people in Uganda think that the election will be free and fair about being free and fair?

Yeah, there are some Ukrainians who think that the election will be free and fair, but the opposition for a very long time by that we're not just in this election, they've made it clear that they do not have confidence in the Uganda's Electoral Commission.

On this is the body that is organizing the election tomorrow.

But regardless of them saying that they do not have confidence in the electoral commission they have called them, there are people not to sit back home, to go in big numbers and turn up to vote.

So talking about free and fair also goes toe.

Where does someone fall when it comes to the political divide?

Those supporting the government will tell you clearly that this is the election to go for and those against the government will tell you that it is unlikely that the election will be free and fair.

All right, that's Julius Book Amber reporting in Kampala for us.