The main opposition candidate in Uganda’s polls is alleging ‘massive rigging’ of the vote as the counting of the ballot got underway on Thursday evening.
The presidential and parliamentary election took place as the government enforced an internet shutdown and arrested and detained opposition figures.
Rapper-cum politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known also as Bobi Wine, 43 and six other contenders are challenging veteran leader Yoweri Museveni who is bidding for a seventh term.
Wine of the National Unity Platform in a statement on social media hours after polls closed claimed “massive ballot-stuffing” and the harassement of NUP polling agents who were either abducted or forced to flee.
The electoral commission has not reacted to Wine’s allegations.
There were four-hour delays to the opening of polling stations on Thursday with the situation caused by faulty biometric machines which are used to check the identities of voters.
There were reports blaming it on the internet shutdown and the unavailability of voting materials, and equipment at some stations. The electoral commission had apologised.
21,681,491 were registered to vote in the general elections, an increase from 18.1 million prospective voters the last time Ugandans went to the polls in 2021.
48 hours before the polls, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered a temporary shutdown of public internet access and selected mobile services starting at 6:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, citing security considerations linked to the electoral period, according to local media.
81-year-old Museveni, who is the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate has been in power since 1986.
His main rival Wini had lost to Museveni in a 2021 election marred by pre-poll violence in which thousands had been detained and over 50 others killed during protests.
In similar fashion, the lead up to the January 15th polls has been characterised by a climate of repression and the detention of perceived opponents of the NRM, according to human rights groups.
Seen as a symbol of political continuty, Museveni had campaigned with a mantra of peace and stability, which his supporters claimed were rare commodities before he came to power.
The NRM said Uganda had posted signs of economic progress thanks to several rescuing measures including the building of a refinery and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), connecting the country with neighbouring Tanzania. Regime supporters say it may be operational toward the end of this year and would ease unemployment and improve the working of the econmy.
The Museveni government is claiming credit for recent infrastucture development with support from the World Bank, China, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the US.
However critics have accused Museveni of being a stooge of the US under President Donald Trump after agreeing to take in asylum seekers from third countries in return for $1.7 billion earmarked for the Ugandan healthcare sector.
Bobi Wine had vowed to interrogate every detail of all economic deals struck under Museveni’s watch and ensure they benefit ordinary Ugandans or they will be discontinued. Museveni critics also point at youth unemployment and the rising cot of living as evidence of a ‘failed and incomptent’ government unable to tackle them. The National Unity Platform (NUP) led by Bobi Wine had tapped into youth frustration over unmet expectations to mobilise young people.
Uganda has 33 million young people out of a population of 46 million.
Observers say with the stakes heavily stacked against Wine, the power of incumbency may like in the past take Museveni over the line in Uganda’s first past the post election system which requires a candidate to poll 50 percent + one more vote over other candidates to avoid a second round of voting.
Wine’s NUP accused the government of detaining hundreds of its supporters, among them lawyer Sarah Bareete, who was whisked away from her home on December 30 for allegedly leaking data related to the elections.
There are also fears of a commncations blackout during the polls with internet access restricted to stop the dissemination of information and evidence of poll irregularities which might undermine the integrity of the elections.
Hours before the polls, the head of the electoral commission, Simon Byabakama claimed he was targeted with threats over the declaration of the results.
A visibly unperturbed Byabakama said the threats were issued from indidivuals within the corridors of Ugandan power, concerned that he could declare an opposition presidential contender as the winner.
He vowed that only the true winner will be declared and dismissed the threats as ”unnecessary drama” intended to exert pressure on electoral commission officials.
The poll chief vowed that the results will be announced in full within 48 hours of polls closing, in accordance with Ugandan electoral law.
Leave a Reply