By Ignatius Ssuuna
KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s longtime leader, President Yoweri Museveni, has taken an early lead in partial results released Friday afternoon by the Electoral Commission following Thursday’s presidential election.
According to the commission, Museveni is leading with 75 percent of the vote, followed by opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, with 20 percent.
Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said that 6,830,089 valid votes had been counted from 30,138 polling stations, representing 59.4 percent of the total nationwide tally.
“So far, the voting process has been largely peaceful,” Byabakama said, praising Ugandans for maintaining calm on election day.
President Museveni, 81, is seeking to extend his nearly four-decade rule. If re-elected, he will have governed Uganda for 45 years by 2031. His son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, a senior military commander and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), is widely viewed as a potential successor.
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However, the vote has been marred by allegations of irregularities. In several parts of the country, tensions flared following claims of voter rigging, prompting security forces to deploy teargas. In parts of the capital, Kampala, voting materials arrived late, causing delays.
Bobi Wine, 43, a former pop star turned opposition leader, alleged widespread fraud and said on Friday that the army and police had placed him under house arrest at his residence in Kampala.
“Security officers have unlawfully jumped over the perimeter fence and are now erecting tents within his compound,” his party said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Police denied the allegation, saying authorities were “simply providing” additional security. As in the 2021 election, voting took place under a nationwide internet shutdown.
On Thursday, Museveni defended the blackout, saying it was necessary to deter “criminals” seeking to destabilize the country.
Read also: Uganda Orders Nationwide Internet Shutdown as Country Goes to Polls Tomorrow to Elect President
In the 2021 presidential election, Bobi Wine won 35 percent of the vote, while Museveni secured 5.85 million votes (58.64 percent). Bobi Wine was subsequently placed under house arrest for several days. That election was marked by violence, with 52 civilians shot dead during protests in Kampala.
More than 21 million Ugandans were registered to vote in this election. Although six other candidates are contesting the presidency, the race is widely seen as a two-horse contest between Museveni and Bobi Wine.
Museveni came to power in 1986 after a five-year guerrilla war against the government of Milton Obote. His tenure has been marked by periods of relative stability and notable economic and infrastructure development, achievements for which many Ugandans credit his leadership.
Critics, however, argue that he has increasingly consolidated power through heavy reliance on the military, patronage networks, and the erosion of independent institutions.
