Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been declared winner of the country’s presidential election, securing a seventh term in office and extending his four-decade rule, according to official results released on Saturday.
The Electoral Commission said Museveni, 81, polled 71.65 per cent of the votes cast in Thursday’s election, which was conducted amid an internet shutdown and reports of violence and intimidation. His closest challenger, opposition leader Bobi Wine, garnered 24.72 per cent.
Wine, a 43-year-old former pop star turned politician, rejected the outcome, describing the results as “fake”. He said he had gone into hiding after security forces raided his residence on Friday night.
“I managed to escape from them,” Wine wrote on X on Saturday, adding that his wife and other family members were under house arrest. He claimed security agents were searching for him nationwide.
The election was marked by heavy security deployment, particularly in the capital, Kampala, as authorities moved to prevent protests similar to those recently seen in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania.
Observers also raised concerns over the failure of biometric voter identification machines in several urban areas, including Kampala, forcing officials to resort to manual voter registers — a development opposition figures say could form the basis of legal challenges.
Police denied raiding Wine’s home, saying officers merely restricted access to what they described as security hotspots. However, residents near his residence reported the presence of helicopters, drones and armed personnel, prompting many people to flee the area.
African election observers, led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, said they found no evidence of ballot stuffing but expressed concern over reports of intimidation, arrests and abductions targeting opposition figures and civil society groups.
Jonathan noted that the internet shutdown hampered effective election monitoring and eroded public trust, although he said voting on election day was largely peaceful.
Museveni’s ruling National Resistance Movement was also leading in parliamentary races, according to provisional results. Analysts say the outcome was widely expected, given Museveni’s firm grip on state institutions and the security apparatus since taking power in 1986.
There were also conflicting reports of election-related violence. While opposition figures alleged the killing of campaign agents by security forces, police said clashes occurred after opposition supporters attempted to attack a tally centre and police station.
With the result, Museveni remains Africa’s longest-serving leader, while Uganda’s opposition faces renewed uncertainty over its political future.
