Museveni declared winner amid blackout and rights abuses, opposition rejects result

Uganda’s electoral commission declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner of the Jan. 15 presidential election, awarding the 81-year-old his seventh term with 71.65 percent of the vote, or 7,944,772 ballots, the commission said. Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, was credited with 24.7 percent, or 2,741,238 votes. The announcement followed roughly 48 hours of delay that intensified already fraught public tensions.

Turnout was reported at about 52 percent, the lowest since Uganda returned to multiparty politics in 2006. Supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement celebrated in Kampala venues including Lugogo Grounds as results were read by Electoral Commission chairman Simon Byabakama. The declaration sets Museveni on a course toward a nearly 40-year rule that began in 1986.

The outcome is contested. Bobi Wine rejected the results as "fake" and urged nonviolent protest after security forces raided his home; reports say he went into hiding following the raid. The opposition has the option of pursuing legal challenges, though previous efforts to overturn Museveni victories have been dismissed by Uganda’s courts.

The vote took place against a backdrop of documented repression that human rights groups say included hundreds beaten and arrested at rallies, indiscriminate use of teargas, assaults on journalists and widespread intimidation. Human Rights Watch and other monitors cited specific violent incidents, including the killing of Mesach Okello by security officers in Iganga on Nov. 28, 2025, and an alleged beating of Bobi Wine and his supporters by soldiers at a Dec. 8 rally in Gulu. The campaign and voting were held during a government-imposed internet blackout, a measure critics say hindered independent reporting and citizen oversight.

Observers offered mixed assessments. African Union observers said they saw "no evidence of ballot stuffing," while rights groups and opposition figures pointed to repression and irregularities in the run-up to and on election day. Media access and the safety of journalists were repeatedly impeded by security operations, according to monitors.

Beyond the political dispute, public health and community impacts are mounting. Rights-group accounts of mass beatings, arrests and violent clashes translate into immediate health system burdens: emergency departments and clinics must manage trauma and musculoskeletal injuries, local mental health services confront increased anxiety and grief, and detained or displaced citizens face interruptions to chronic care. The internet blackout complicated communication between health providers and patients, hampered delivery of public health messages and may have disrupted telemedicine services and appointments critical for HIV, maternal and vaccination programs.

These effects are likely to fall heaviest on marginalized communities, young people and urban poor populations already struggling with limited access to services. The president urged religious leaders to reach young people to prevent violence, framing the result as a reinforcement of his party's strength; opponents say heavy-handed security tactics fueled fear rather than calm.

International scrutiny and the divergent accounts of observers create pressure for transparent investigation of alleged abuses and for safeguards to protect civic space and health access. In the coming days legal filings, further protests and diplomatic responses are expected to determine whether Uganda’s political standoff will deepen, and whether the health and social costs of this election will prompt broader policy responses at home and abroad.