Uganda opposition leader cut off from communications after polls

Senior commissioners from Uganda’s Electoral Commission stand during the announcement of partial results from Uganda’s 2026 presidential election on January 16, 2026. [AFP]

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was cut off from communications on Saturday after a police raid on his home, his party said, with the security forces determined to prevent unrest ahead of imminent election results.

President Yoweri Museveni, 81, looked set to be declared winner and extend his 40-year rule later on Saturday in an election marred by reports of at least 10 deaths under an ongoing internet blackout.

As Uganda endured a tense wait after Thursday's polls, Museveni had a commanding lead against Wine, 43, a former singer turned politician, with final results due around 1100 GMT.

There were conflicting reports about Wine's whereabouts after claims that police and the army had raided his home on Friday night.

A senior official in his party, Nkunyingi Muwada, told AFP that "security personnel in black attire scaled the wall" of Wine's residence and confiscated their phones.

Wine's son, Solomon Kampala, who is currently outside Uganda, wrote on X that his father "was able to escape" during the raid, but this could not be confirmed.

AFP was blocked from entering Wine's residence early on Saturday and could not reach him or his entourage by phone.

'A lot of fear'

Police said they had "controlled access in areas we feel are security hotspots".

"We have not necessarily denied people accessing (Wine), but we cannot tolerate instances where people use his residence to gather and... incite violence," police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told reporters.

Wine's party had earlier written on X that he had been "forcibly taken" by an army helicopter from his compound, but later deleted the post. The report was denied by the army as "absurd" and "designed to incite his supporters".

A nearby stall-owner, 29-year-old Prince Jerard, said he had heard a drone and helicopter at the residence the previous night, with a heavy security presence.

"Many people have left (the area)," he said. "We have a lot of fear."

With more than 90 percent of votes counted on Saturday, Museveni was leading on 71.9 percent to Wine's 24.5, the Electoral Commission said.

Wine, 43, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has emerged as the main challenger to Museveni in recent years, styling himself the "ghetto president" after the slum areas where he grew up in the capital, Kampala.

He has accused the government of "massive ballot stuffing" and attacking several of his party officials under cover of the internet blackout, which was imposed ahead of the polls and remained in place on Saturday.

His claims could not be independently verified, but the United Nations rights office said last week the elections were taking place in an environment marked by "widespread repression and intimidation" against the opposition.

Reports of violence

Analysts have long viewed the election as a formality.

Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter who seized power in 1986, has total control over the state and security apparatus, and has ruthlessly crushed any challenger during his rule.

Election day was marred by significant technical problems after biometric machines -- used to confirm voters' identities -- malfunctioned and ballot papers were not delivered for several hours in many areas.

There were reports of violence against the opposition in other parts of the country.

Muwanga Kivumbi, member of parliament for Wine's party in the Butambala area of central Uganda, told AFP's Nairobi office by phone that security forces had killed 10 of his campaign agents after storming his home.

Police gave a different account, saying an "unspecified number" of people had been "put out of action" when opposition members planned to overrun and burn down a local tally centre and police station.