President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has officially won Uganda’s presidential election, securing a seventh term in office and extending his leadership of the East African nation to over 40 years.
The Uganda Electoral Commission announced the results on Saturday, stating that Museveni, the candidate of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), had won Uganda’s presidential election.
The chairperson of the electoral commission, Simon Byabakama announced that Museveni received 71.65% of the valid votes, totaling approximately 7.94 million votes.
His main challenger, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine of the National Unity Platform (NUP), garnered 24.7%, or about 2.74 million votes.
The remaining votes were distributed among six other candidates.
“Having obtained the highest number of votes in the election and the votes cast in his favour being more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast at the election, the Commission hereby declares Candidate Yoweri Museveni as the winner of the election,” Byabakama stated.
According to official figures, 11.4 million citizens participated in Thursday’s election, amounting to a turnout of 52.50 per cent of registered voters.
Museveni, who won Uganda’s presidential election, first came to power in 1986 as a rebel leader who overthrew a military regime.
Since then, he has won every election, often amid allegations of irregularities, repression, and state control over institutions.
The January 15 election took place under challenging conditions. A nationwide internet blackout was imposed days before polling, which authorities justified as a measure to prevent misinformation, fraud, and violence. Critics, including the United Nations human rights office, condemned the move as an attempt to suppress transparency and opposition coordination.
Wine, has also condemned what he described as “fake results” and “ballot stuffing”.
This comes after Wine’s party said that he had been abducted from his home in the capital, Kampala – a claim denied by the police.
Wine later issued a statement on X saying that he had managed to evade a nighttime raid by security forces and was in hiding.
He had previously said he was under house arrest.
The statement reads: “Last night was very difficult at our home in Magere. The military and police raided us. They switched off the power and cut off some of our CCTV cameras. Helicopters were hovering over.
“I want to confirm that I managed to escape from them. Currently, I am not at home, although my wife and other family members remain under house arrest. I know that these criminals are looking for me everywhere, and I am trying my best to keep safe. I understand that there has been great concern and speculation regarding my whereabouts. Please understand this is the context of a nationwide internet shutdown. Given the commotion that happened at our house at night, and given that no one is allowed to access the house, our neighbours concluded that they had succeeded in abducting us and spread the news.
“I reiterate our COMPLETE REJECTION of the fake results Byabakama is reading. In addition to the ballot stuffing, the military takeover of the election, the detention of our leaders and polling officials, and other electoral offences, their results have zero backing!
“We condemn the murder of numerous citizens who have thus far attempted to peacefully demonstrate against the broad daylight thuggery. The people of Uganda have the right to protest in defence of their sovereign right to determine a government of their choice – not the kind of criminality we’re witnessing.
“Aside from the blatant theft of the presidential election, these criminals have employed various fraudulent techniques to usurp the will of the people in numerous constituencies across the country. NUP candidates are being targeted – even when they have 100% evidence that they won. This is absolute madness.”
