Arrests and abductions marred Ugandan president’s victory

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni won a seventh term in office after an election that was marred by violence, an internet shutdown, as well as arrests and abductions that had “instilled fear,” as reported by France 24 via AFP plus AP, on January 17th.

Museveni, 81, secured 71.65 percent of the vote, the Electoral Commission said, amid reports of at least 10 deaths and widespread intimidation of opposition supporters and civil society. His victory extends his 40-year rule of the East African nation.

He defeated opposition leader Bobi Wine, 43, the former singer‑turned‑politician who won 24.72 percent and said he was in hiding after security forces raided his home.

Wine has faced sustained pressure since entering politics, including multiple arrests before his first presidential bid in 2021. He declared his “complete rejection of the fake results” and said he fled his home after the nighttime raid.

“I want to confirm that I managed to escape from them,” he posted on X. “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,” he added.

A heavy police presence was visible across Kampala, AFP journalists reported, as security forces sought to prevent protests similar to those seen recently in Kenya and Tanzania.

Electoral officials also faced scrutiny over the failure of biometric voter identification machines. After the machines broke down, polling staff reverted to manual voter registers, a setback for activists who had long pushed for biometric systems to curb rigging. The failure is expected to form the basis of any legal challenges.

Police denied raiding Wine’s home, saying they had merely “controlled access in areas we feel are security hotspots” and believed he was still inside. “We have not necessarily denied people accessing him but we cannot tolerate instances where people use his residence to gather and … incite violence,” police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke said.

A nearby stall‑owner, 29‑year‑old Prince Jerard, said he heard a drone and helicopter over Wine’s residence and saw numerous security personnel. “Many people have left the area,” he said. “We have a lot of fear.”

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has become Museveni’s most prominent challenger in recent years, branding himself the “ghetto president” after the Kampala slums where he grew up. He accused the government of “massive ballot stuffing”.

African election observers said they found no evidence of ballot stuffing but condemned “reports of intimidation, arrest and abductions” targeting the opposition and civil society.

Such actions “instilled fear and eroded public trust in the electoral process”, former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan said in Kampala. He represented observer missions from the African Union and regional blocs COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development).

Jonathan said the internet shutdown “disrupted effective observation” and “increased suspicion”, although he described election‑day voting as “peaceful.”

Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter who seized power in 1986, maintains tight control over the state and security apparatus and has repeatedly crushed challengers. Another major opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who ran against him four times, was abducted in Kenya in 2024 and returned to Uganda to face an ongoing treason trial in a military court. Reports of election‑related violence continued to emerge.

Muwanga Kivumbi, an MP from Wine’s party in central Uganda’s Butambala area, told AFP that security forces killed 10 of his campaign agents after storming his home. Police offered a different account, saying an “unspecified number” of people had been “put out of action” when opposition members allegedly planned to overrun and burn a tally centre and police station.

Yusuf Serunkuma, an academic and columnist for the Observer newspaper, told the Associated Press that Wine “didn’t stand a chance” against Museveni. “He has quite successfully emasculated the opposition,” Serunkuma said. “You would have to credit him for that.”

France 24 via AFP and AP, Maghrebi.org