Ugandans vote amid heavy security in 2026 presidential election

KAMPALA, Uganda

Ugandans went to the polls on Thursday to elect their leader in the next five years amid a heavy security presence, which opponents of President Yoweri Museveni describe as intimidation tactics designed to scare away their supporters.

Voters have reported delays and failures of voter identification gadgets.

Election officials have also been accused of attempting to sabotage the process.

One voter told Deutsche Welle: “One official told me that my name was not in the register, but when I scanned through, I saw my name.”

Museveni, 81, has been in power since 1986 and is seeking a seventh term in office.

His main opponent, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has urged election observers to report what they see and to resist any attempts to sanitise the shams.

The African Union observer mission is led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Observers from the East African Community (EAC) are also present.

“We told the election observers to record everything and report facts as they are. If they collude with our oppressors, it will be obvious that they want to help the powers that be to continue stifling our rights,” Bobi Wine said.

In Kampala at noon, queues were long as Ugandans thronged polling stations to exercise their democratic right.

Authorities have resorted to manual voter verification after the gadgets failed.

Bobi Wine cast his vote, with reporters documenting his activities from the moment he left his house--accompanied by his wife--until he voted.

He alleged that many political leaders from his NUP party have been arrested in various parts of Uganda.

Among those arrested is Bright Muhumuza, the NUP coordinator for the Ankole sub-region and the party’s flagbearer for the Mbarara City South Member of Parliament seat.

He also expressed fears that in some areas of the country, the electoral process has been heavily militarised.

The election is taking place amid internet and phone call restrictions imposed by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) on 13 January 2026.

Uganda’s Electoral Commission is expected to announce results within 48 hours.

Apart from Museveni and Bobi Wine, other presidential candidates are Elton Joseph Mabirizi of Conservative Party (CP), Robert Kasibante of National Peasants Party (NPP), Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Munyagwa Mubarak Sserunga (“Mugati gwa Butter”) of Common Man’s Party (CMP), and Frank Bulira Kabinga of Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP).

All presidential candidates in the 2026 elections are male.