Polls closed on 15 January 2026 in Uganda after a chaotic day of voting marked by widespread delays, technical failures and a nationwide internet blackout, as President Yoweri Museveni seeks a seventh term to extend his nearly four-decade rule amid opposition crackdowns and international condemnation.
Voting, scheduled to begin at 07.00am (04.00 GMT), faced delays of several hours in many polling stations across the East African country. Ballot boxes arrived late, and biometric voter verification machines malfunctioned — problems opposition figures attributed in part to the internet suspension imposed on Tuesday by the Uganda Communications Commission.
The regulator cited the need to prevent misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and incitement to violence. Rights groups, including Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Office, condemned the blackout as deeply worrying and a serious barrier to transparent elections.
We are holding elections in the dark
Main opposition challenger Bobi Wine, the 43-year-old singer-turned-politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, said after casting his vote: “We are holding elections in the dark. This is done in order to facilitate the intended rigging of the regime. We would encourage the people of Uganda to resist.”
Wine, leader of the National Unity Platform, reported massive ballot stuffing, arrests of party officials and abductions of polling agents. His party deployed an offline Bluetooth-based app, Bitchat, to monitor results despite the blackout.
Museveni confident of victory
Museveni, 81, who took power in 1986 after leading a rebel army, voted in his native Rwakitura village in western Uganda. He acknowledged difficulties with the machines — even his fingerprints were not initially accepted — but said they were resolved and he voted using facial recognition. He told reporters he expected to win 80% of the vote “if there’s no cheating”, dismissing any chance of defeat by Wine.
The incumbent, Africa’s third-longest-serving leader, has benefited from constitutional changes removing age and term limits. His National Resistance Movement dominates state institutions and security forces, while critics accuse the government of years-long repression, including arrests, violence against opponents and corruption scandals that have undermined economic progress.
Heavy security presence
A heavy deployment of police and army personnel blanketed the country to prevent protests, with no major unrest reported as stations closed after 16.00 (13.00 GMT) and ballot counting began. Results are expected within 48 hours.
More than 21.6 million registered voters — in a nation where 70% are under 35 — turned out amid high unemployment as a major concern for first-time voters.
Casting his ballot in Kasangati township north of Kampala, Ronald Tenywa, a 45-year-old university researcher, said political leaders “cling on for a long time. If we vote for someone who cares, things will be better for Uganda.”
Yet Museveni retains support for restoring stability after post-independence turmoil and driving growth, despite corruption. “Peace and security in the country is very good. The party is well-organised,” said Angee Abraham Lincoln, a 42-year-old supporter in Kampala.
Seven candidates in the race
Museveni faced seven challengers, including Wine, in a rematch of the disputed 2021 poll. The election also included parliamentary races, held under warnings of widespread repression from the UN and others. As counting proceeds in the information vacuum, Uganda’s democratic future hangs in the balance.
