KAMPALA, Uganda — President Yoweri Museveni has secured a seventh five-year term in office, extending his rule in Uganda to nearly four decades, the country’s Electoral Commission announced on Jan. 17, 2026. Museveni, 81, won a commanding 71.65% of the vote, according to official tallies, while his closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine received about 24.7%, placing second among several candidates.
Museveni’s victory continues his long tenure, which began in 1986 after he led a guerrilla struggle to power. He has remained Uganda’s dominant political figure through successive elections and constitutional changes that eliminated age and term limits, allowing him to stand again.
The 2026 election saw a voter turnout of roughly 52%, the lowest since multiparty politics resumed in Uganda in 2006, according to official figures. Museveni received nearly 7.95 million votes, and Wine garnered about 2.74 million. Other candidates trailed far behind, with Nathan Nandala Mafabi polling about 1.88%, Mugisha Muntu around 0.53%, and smaller nominees such as Frank Bulira Kabinga, Robert Kasibante, Mubarak Munyagwa and Joseph Mabirizi each collecting less than 1% of the vote. Invalid ballots made up about 2.4% of total votes cast.
The election was held under contentious conditions that drew scrutiny at home and abroad. The Internet was largely shut down for several days around voting day, a move justified by authorities as necessary to prevent disinformation but criticized by opposition figures and observers as undermining transparency. Failures of biometric voter-verification machines in major urban centres also raised concerns and led election officials to fall back on manual registers.
Kyagulanyi and his supporters rejected the official results as fraudulent, alleging ballot stuffing, intimidation of polling agents and broader irregularities in the process. In the days following the vote, security forces were deployed around key centres in Kampala, and reports emerged of clashes between police and demonstrators. Wine said he “self-evacuated” from his home amid heightened security, a claim authorities denied.
International observers offered mixed assessments. A delegation led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, representing the African Union and regional bodies, said they did not see clear evidence of ballot stuffing but noted that reported arrests, intimidation and abductions of opposition members and civil society activists “eroded public trust” in the electoral process.
Some Ugandans pointed to achievements such as expansions in education and infrastructure as reasons for their support, even as voices critical of the political environment cautioned about narrowing space for dissent.
In his victory address, Museveni framed the result as a demonstration of his party’s strength and appealed for unity. He dismissed claims that the opposition posed a serious threat to his longstanding leadership, saying low turnout among some voters limited the showing of his full support.
The 2026 election highlights ongoing tensions in Uganda’s political system: a significant proportion of the electorate seeking change and robust competition, contrasted with entrenched power structures that have ensured continuity at the top. As legal challenges and political debates unfold, analysts say the contest will remain a defining moment for the country’s democratic evolution.
