Uganda opposition alleges vote rigging hours before polls

Supporters of opposition leader and presidential candidate for the National Unity Platform (NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, listen to his remarks during the party's final campaign rally ahead of the 2026 general elections in Kampala on January 12, 2026. [AFP] Uganda's opposition Party, National Unity Platform (NUP) has alleged a plot to rig the Thursday presidential, parliamentary and local government elections, citing multiple irregularities just hours before polls open. Speaking to The Standard on Wednesday, January 14, NUP Deputy Party leader for the Northern Region Lina Zedriga Waru described an atmosphere of uncertainty after an internet blackout took effect yesterday. She said the shutdown was part of a broader scheme to manipulate the outcome of the vote. "The Internet is shut out. There's a lot of anxiety," said Zedriga. She accused authorities of militarising the state, bribing voters and opposition candidates, threatening violence in opposition strongholds, and rolling out a poorly understood biometric voting system. "We have not even been trained, electorates have not been trained," she said, adding, "There was a meeting between us and the Inspector General of Police, the Electoral Commission chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama and the UPDF where we asked that the transmission of results be done immediately to political candidates, polling station by polling station, but we were informed vehemently that it will not happen because it's not possible." "We were informed, very firmly, that it will not happen because it's not possible," she said. Despite the concerns, NUP has urged voters to turn out, expressing confidence that it could defeat President Yoweri Museveni. In an interview with CNN on Monday this week, NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, warned of protests if the vote is rigged. He has not publicly committed to accepting the results, especially in the event of a loss. Major parties, including NUP and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), made their final pitches at well-attended rallies on Wednesday. However, NUP accused security agencies, drawn from the police and military, of intimidating supporters through arbitrary arrests, often targeting people wearing symbols associated with Wine's movement. "They were grabbing the beret, which is our identity. They were literally arresting the national flags... harassing people," she said. She alleged several opposition leaders, herself included, had abandoned their homes for fear of imminent arrest. Bobi Wine however, continued to receive local and foreign delegations at his residence on Wednesday. Uganda Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Byabakama has pledged free, fair, and credible elections. "I want to tell Ugandans to not be scared, or afraid. Those threatening and intimidating others, promising doom and mayhem, are breaking the law and it will catch up with them." As Ugandans prepare to vote, President Museveni's longtime ally-turned-critic Kizza Besigye, the most prominent opposition figure outside NUP, remains in detention more than a year after his arrest in Nairobi. Meanwhile, Kenyan civil rights groups have condemned the barring of some Ugandan civil society organisations from participating in the elections, warning that it complicates efforts to obtain verifiable information amid limited media access. Activist Bob Njagi questioned the credibility of regional observer missions led by former heads of state, arguing they are unlikely to challenge Museveni, with whom many have longstanding ties. "That is not an election; it is a war that is going on. We want to call out the AU observer mission led by President Goodluck Jonathan. I don't know why they keep the retired presidents as the ones to lead these observer missions when they normally don't report what is going on," he said.

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