Violence as Routine: Gendered Political Agency in Uganda’s Electoral Arena

While a growing body of scholarship has examined gender and political violence, much of this literature focuses on the scope and form of violence in Western liberal democracies. Less attention is paid to how the normalization of political violence shapes political behavior across genders in non-Western hybrid regimes, where violence is not exceptional but embedded in political processes. This article addresses this gap by asking: How does the normalization of political violence in Uganda shape politicians’ behavior, and what are the gendered implications for political participation and resilience? In contexts where violence is expected and routinized, candidates may interpret violent incidents simply as the cost of doing politics, resulting in higher tolerance and strategic adaptation. Drawing on a mixed methods approach, this study combines survey data from 977 candidates who contested Uganda’s 2016 and 2021 legislative elections with qualitative interviews from candidates standing in the 2026 elections. Survey findings reveal that candidates who have experienced violence—regardless of gender—are more likely to run for office again. Qualitative narratives illuminate how candidates navigate informal protection networks, community mediation, and party structures to campaign under threat. This article argues that in hybrid regimes like Uganda, normalized violence produces adaptive behaviors that reflect both strategic resilience (flexible campaigning and protective security arrangements) and constrained agency (adopting coded language and self-censorship, avoiding formal reporting because enforcement is politicized). These adaptations are deeply gendered: while men may interpret violence as a sign of political relevance, women face distinct forms of exclusion and receive less institutional support, reinforcing structural inequalities in political participation. By shifting the analytical focus from the form of violence to its behavioral and institutional consequences, this study expands feminist analyses of political violence beyond Western contexts and contributes to our understanding of gendered political agency under threat