The chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission has commended the electoral process in Uganda even as the Union’s own electoral observers expressed concern about the vote.
Uganda’s electoral commission declared that President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, had secured a seventh term in office with 71.61% of the vote (7.9m votes) on 15 January. The commission said that opposition leader Bobu Wine – who has rejected the outcome – gained 24% of the vote (2.7m votes).
In a statement, Commission chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf said that he “commends the conduct of the elections in Uganda and congratulates President Yoweri Museveni on re-election”.
But in its prelimary report, an electoral observation team jointly organised by the AU, the Common Market of Eastern and Southern Africa and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development, led by former Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan, expressed reservations about the conduct of the election.
“The 15 January 2026 election was delivered in an environment that stakeholders considered to be calm compared to the 2021 elections. However, the Mission is concerned with reports of harassment, intimidation and arrest of opposition leaders, candidates, supporters’ media and civic society actors, as well as the suspension of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the internet shut down,” the mission reported.
Internet shutdown
The mission said that the Uganda Communications Commission had shut down the internet two days before the election “despite previous assurances” in a breach of citizens’ right to access information and freedom of expression.
“The internet shut down implemented two days before the elections limited access to information, freedom of association, curtailed economic activities and further disrupted effective observation by the AU-COMESA-IGAD EOM. It also created suspicion and mistrust on the electoral process,” it found.
Writing on X, opposition leader Bobi Wine said that he had been placed under a form of house arrest with his family after casting his vote, which he later claimed to have escaped.
“I reiterate our COMPLETE REJECTION of the fake results Byabakama is reading. In addition to the ballot stuffing, the military take-over of the election, the detention of our leaders and polling officials, and other electoral offences, their results have zero backing!” Wine alleged.
The mission, which visited 488 polling stations, “observed inconsistencies in the sealing of the ballot boxes in some polling stations”, but did not refer to ballot stuffing. It found that the conduct of the polling staff was “professional in most of the polling centres observed,” although it also reported average delays of three hours in the opening of polling stations.
Campaign concerns
The mission also uncovered evidence of irregularities during the broader electoral campaign leading to the Uganda election.
“While the electoral campaign was relatively peaceful compared to 2021 elections, the Mission received reports that the campaign period was marred by reports of intimidation, arbitrary arrests, and excessive use of force, particularly targeting opposition candidates and supporters, civil society actors and journalists.
“Security forces deployed tear gas, water cannons, and, in some instances, live ammunition to disperse opposition rallies resulting in injuries and fatalities,” the mission reported.
The mission also said that it was briefed by the opposition political parties on “restrictions in accessing campaign venues; unequal access to political parties’ funding; biased media coverage; alleged compromised independence of the EC and the Judiciary; costly nomination fees; abductions and arrest of opposition figures, candidates, supporters, civil society actors and denial of bail; the late release and errors in the voters register”.
“Overall, the Mission noted that these concerns infringes on political freedoms and contributes to voter apathy. While there was notable improvement on the political environment, the Mission noted that more could be done to improve the electoral playing field as Uganda continues to strengthen its democracy.”
In recent months AU observer missions have offered robust criticism of the flawed electoral processes in member states. In November, the Union’s observers slammed the conduct of Tanzania’s violent election in which hundreds were reportedly killed by security forces.