Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, fresh from securing a seventh term in office at the age of 81, on Sunday accused opposition politicians of being “terrorists” who allegedly attempted to use violence to overturn the outcome of last week’s presidential election.
Official results released by the electoral authorities showed Museveni winning Thursday’s poll with 72 per cent of the vote.
However, the election has been widely criticised by African election observers and rights groups, who cited heavy repression of the opposition and a nationwide internet blackout.
In his victory speech on Sunday, Museveni claimed that the opposition, particularly the National Unity Platform led by Bobi Wine, had planned attacks on polling units in areas where they were losing.
“Some of the opposition are wrong and also terrorists,” Museveni said, insisting that they were working with “foreigners and some homosexual groups.”
“All the traitors, this is free advice from me, stop everything, because we know what you are doing and you will not do it,” he added.
Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986 after seizing power at the head of a rebel army, maintained that the security forces only acted to prevent violence.
Bobi Wine In Hiding, Police Deny Raid
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi and who officially polled 25 per cent, remained uncertain as of Sunday.
Wine said on Saturday that he escaped a police raid on his home and was in hiding. Police, however, denied carrying out any raid and claimed that the opposition leader was still at his residence, even as journalists were prevented from approaching the area.
Wine has not posted on 𝕏 since Saturday, when he described the election as a “blatant theft of the presidential election.”
Although limited internet access was restored late Saturday, the Ugandan government said the ban on social media platforms would remain until further notice. Authorities had shut down the internet two days before the election, arguing that it was necessary to curb “misinformation” and “incitement to violence.”
Uganda has remained largely calm since the results were announced, despite small-scale protests reported late Saturday in parts of the capital, Kampala, where AFP journalists said tear gas was fired.
By Sunday, security presence had eased, with shops reopening and residents returning to the streets.
According to AFP, analysts noted that the election was widely seen as a formality, given Museveni’s firm grip on the state and security apparatus, though many Ugandans continue to credit him with relative peace and economic stability.
However, Human Rights Watch accused the government of “brutal repression” of the opposition ahead of the vote.
African election observers, including a mission from the African Union, said reports of intimidation, arrests and abductions had instilled fear and eroded public trust in the electoral process.
The most serious violence on election day was reported in Butambala, central Uganda, where an opposition lawmaker told AFP that security forces killed at least 10 people at his home.
Museveni backed the police account that the deaths occurred during an attempted attack on a ballot-tallying centre and police station, claiming similar plots were planned “everywhere.”
Another opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who contested the presidency four times against Museveni, remains on trial for treason after being abducted in Kenya in 2024 and returned to Uganda.