In a recent interview with the UKs Channel 4 News, for example, Museveni claimed that Wine was being encouraged by Western homosexuals. The interviewer, Lindsey Hilsum, pushed back, asking what have the homosexuals got to do with it? and Museveni struggled to give a coherent answer, live on television.

Some local media has also withstood Musevenis attempts to make the political conversation about homosexuality. When Wines supporters, urban youth, took to the streets in protest and eventually riots after his arrest by state security, Museveni claimed the mayhem was an insurrection sponsored by homosexuals. Police said they arrested Wine for gathering a campaign crowd of more than 200 supporters, contrary to coronavirus restrictions.

The Kuchu Times responded by foregrounding voices that criticised Musevenis populist tactics and evasion of accountability, writing: These [homophobic] sentiments are usually heightened during campaign season and like clockwork, this same tired card is now being played to distract the citizenry.

Other shifts in the political landscape also made Musevenis homophobia less potent this election season. While he has been the default candidate for Christian moralists in the past, this time the Catholic Church threw its weight behind Wine and the evangelical church fielded three presidential candidates of their own.

Museveni has never had much traction with young, urban, middle-class Ugandans who watch international news shows like Amanpours. They love to hate him. For weeks now, #WeAreRemovingADictator, has been trending online.

His election campaign created a fake social media network to counter such online rejection. But his team was caught in the act, first by investigative journalists, and then by Facebook for coordinated inauthentic behavior. The social media giant closed numerous associated accounts, including those owned by Musevenis own press secretary.

This election season has been Musevenis hardest and in this context, Amanpour giving him a platform for his homophobia gave him a ray of light, and a rare opportunity for him to connect with voters on terms that he enjoys.

Some people who may otherwise see him as a dictator have actually rallied around him because of this interview. They see an African leader dismissing one of the Wests most famous journalists, in a way that allows them to feel self-righteous. They seem to have heard: Take that, world! We are independent people too!

Journalism has the potential to advance and add nuance to public debate about sexual rights and politics without inflaming outrage and without doing PR for populists.

I think Amanpour got it wrong on this occasion but she is an exception. Journalists around the world can learn from how the majority of their colleagues have covered the Ugandan leaders homophobia. These lessons include: talk about the people on the ground, not the political debates. Also, hot seat interviews are probably not the best way to hold politicians accountable. Do investigative journalism on these issues instead.

On 16 January 2020, two days after the controversial and disputed election, Museveni was declared the winner with 58% of the vote. It is the lowest majority he has ever got at the polls. On this occasion, every vote for him helped him stay in power.

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The media must not give African leaders platforms to spout homophobia it only helps their populism - Open Democracy