Yoweri Museveni Emerges Strong in Uganda's Presidential Polls Amid Controversy

Fri Jan 16 2026 11:45:41 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Uganda's incumbent president, Yoweri Museveni, is leading the early results of the presidential race, securing 76% of votes. Opposition leader Bobi Wine has raised allegations of fraud in the tense electoral atmosphere.

In the early results of the Ugandan presidential election, President Yoweri Museveni is leading with 76% of the votes from 45% of polling stations. His challenger, Bobi Wine, claims there was massive electoral fraud amid a campaign marred by violence. The election was held under a controversial internet blackout, raising concerns regarding transparency.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has taken a strong lead in provisional results from Thursday's presidential election, according to the electoral agency.

The results announced on Friday morning show Museveni leading with 76% of the votes, based on data from 45% of the country's polling stations.

He is followed by opposition leader Bobi Wine, who has around 20% of the votes.

Ugandans faced a tense election environment on Thursday, marked by violence and the severe restrictions of an internet blackout. At 81 years old, Museveni is seeking a seventh consecutive term in office.

Wine, the pop star-turned-politician, has alleged massive electoral fraud, a claim he made during a campaign fraught with accusations. However, he has not provided documented proof, and the authorities have yet to respond to his statements.

Shortly after the elections, Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) reported that military and police forces had effectively put him and his wife under house arrest at their residence in Kampala.

The party claimed security officers unlawfully breached their property, raising questions about their treatment post-election.

Voting faced significant delays across many polling stations, attributed to the poor arrival of ballot boxes and malfunctioning biometric machines that were supposed to verify voters' identities. Many citizens are linking the voting issues to the ongoing internet outage.