Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has established a significant lead in Thursday’s presidential election, currently holding 74% of the vote compared to his main challenger Bobi Wine’s 23%, based on returns from 81% of polling stations. Wine’s party has already expressed concerns regarding the credibility of the results.
Reports indicate that a helicopter landed at Wine’s residence in Kampala and allegedly took him away to an undisclosed location. Wine’s son claimed that both his parents have been detained by military personnel.
Challenges in accessing the internet have hindered verification of these claims. Local police informed the BBC that they were unaware of such an incident.
Earlier, Wine stated that he had been placed under house arrest, with security forces surrounding his residence after he raised allegations of electoral fraud. Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke remarked that as a presidential candidate, Wine was a “person of interest,” asserting that the heavy security presence around his home was for his protection.
Local journalists reported that security forces obstructed their access to Wine’s home in the Magere area of Kampala. Wine urged his supporters to disregard the “fake results” announced, alleging that authorities were “stealing the vote,” although he did not provide evidence to substantiate his claims, and authorities have not yet responded.
On Thursday evening, at least seven opposition supporters were reported killed under disputed circumstances in Butambala, located approximately 55 kilometers southwest of the capital. An internet shutdown earlier in the week delayed the dissemination of information regarding the violence, which became known only on Friday.
MP Muwanga Kivumbi of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) party informed the AFP news agency that soldiers and police used tear gas and live ammunition against hundreds of individuals gathered at Wine’s residence to follow early election results. He stated that “ten were killed inside my house.”
Human rights activist Agather Atuhaire corroborated this account to Reuters. However, local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe refuted these claims, asserting that police acted in self-defense after “a group of NUP goons” attacked a police station and attempted to overrun a tallying center. She claimed that those involved were armed with machetes, axes, and boxes of matches, and confirmed that at least seven people had died.
Later on Friday, the US embassy issued a warning to its citizens due to reports of security forces using tear gas and firing into the air to disperse crowds.
Following the 2021 election, where Wine received 35% of the vote, he faced several days of confinement at home by security forces.
Electoral chief Simon Byabakama stated on Friday that the vote counting remained unaffected by the internet blackout, as the commission utilized a “private system” to transmit results from districts to the national tally center. When asked about the timeline for announcing final results, Byabakama indicated, “We are on course to announce the winner of the presidential election within 48 hours. Before 5 PM [14:00 GMT] tomorrow, we shall have the final results.”
Thursday’s election occurred amidst an often violent campaign, with President Museveni, aged 81, seeking a seventh term in office after first assuming power as a rebel leader in 1986. Wine, a 43-year-old pop star-turned-politician representing the youth demographic in a largely young nation, has promised to address corruption and implement substantial reforms, while Museveni claims to be the sole guarantor of stability and progress in Uganda.
Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Office indicated that the election would be characterized by “widespread repression and intimidation.”
During Thursday’s voting, many polling stations experienced delays of up to four hours due to slow ballot box deliveries and malfunctioning biometric machines used for voter verification. Some have attributed these issues to the network outage.
While six other candidates participated, the presidential race primarily unfolds between Museveni and Wine. The campaign period faced significant disruption, with security forces accused of assaulting and detaining Wine’s supporters.
Rusoke, the police spokesperson, dismissed allegations of misconduct, accusing opposition supporters of causing disturbances. The internet blackout, imposed on Tuesday, was justified by Uganda’s Communications Commission as a necessary measure to prevent misinformation, electoral fraud, and incitement to violence—a move condemned by the UN Human Rights Office as “deeply worrying.”
