KAMPALA — Uganda’s Electoral Commission has declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner of Thursday’s general election, awarding him more than 71.6% of the vote and extending his rule, which began in 1986, into a seventh term. Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, took about 24.7% and rejected the outcome as fraudulent, calling the official results “fake.”
Turnout stood at 52%, the lowest recorded in Uganda since the country’s return to multiparty elections in 2006, according to reporting citing election officials and observers. Analysts say the participation slump reflects, in part, a tense security environment in which arrests, abductions and violence allegations created fear in some communities.
The election was also disrupted by a multi-day internet shutdown, with authorities later partially restoring access while keeping some social media restrictions in place, Reuters reported. Opposition parties and observer missions criticised the shutdown as undermining transparency and monitoring, while government-aligned voices defended it as a security and public order measure.
Operational credibility suffered further after widespread failure of biometric voter verification kits, which delayed voting at some stations—particularly in urban areas such as Kampala—and forced officials to fall back on manual registers. Ugandan media reported that the Electoral Commission suspended biometric use in multiple locations after “massive failures,” while regional reporting questioned whether the country wasted substantial funds on the system.
Bobi Wine has cited the biometric failures as evidence of a compromised process and is expected to weigh a legal challenge. Previous petitions seeking to overturn Museveni’s victories have failed in court, though judges have sometimes recommended electoral reforms.
Museveni’s supporters, however, argue that his longevity is rooted in stability and expanded social services. Speaking to Africanews, charity worker Jane Atuku said her support was shaped by access to schooling through Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) system. Another supporter, chef Annet Muigyaala, credited Museveni with maintaining peace over decades in which she says she has not witnessed war.
Critics counter that Museveni has entrenched power by weakening constitutional checks, including the removal of term and age limits, and by sidelining rivals through arrests and intimidation—claims Museveni’s government has repeatedly disputed. AP and Reuters noted renewed scrutiny of the security services’ role during the campaign and vote.
With the final results now declared, attention turns to whether the opposition can mount an effective court challenge—and whether authorities can prevent post-election unrest while rebuilding confidence after a process marked by technical failures and a sweeping digital blackout.
