Museveni Declared the 2026 Election Winner Amid Rejection from His Opponents.
Ugandan president incumbent Gen. Yoweri Tibuhaburwa Kaguta Museveni will once again rule the east African country for the next five years after being declared the winner of the contested January 15, 2026 presidential election by his leading opposition political parties.
President Museveni (ruling NRM party) was declared the winner by the Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson justice Simon Mugyenyi Byabakama on Saturday 17 from the Commission’s grounds in Lubowa-Lweeza, Wakiso district.
He was running against seven other presidential candidates including Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine (NUP), Nathan James Mafabi Nandala (FDC), Gregory Mugisha Muntu (ANT), Robert Kasibante (NPP), Mubarak Munyagwa (CMP), Elton Joseph Mabirizi (CP), Frank Bulira (RP).
The final declaration tally by the Byabakama led EC put Museveni at 7,946,772 votes which is 71.2%, while his leading opposition closest challenger Bobi Wine at 2, 741, 238, translating into 24.72%.
Mafabi Nandala came third with 20939 votes translating into 1.88%, Mugisha Muntu 4th with 59276 votes which is 0.53%, Frank Bulira 5th with 45959 votes which is 0.41%, Robert Kasibante 6th with 33440 votes translating into 0.30%, followed by Mubarak Munyagwa with 31666 which is 0.29%, while Joseph Mabirizi 7th with 23458 which is 0.21%.
Total number of the cast votes were 11,366,201 (52.50%) out of the 21 million registered voters, while the total number of invalid votes stands at 275,353 which is 2.42%, according to the Commission.
Museveni’s win for his 7th term will now extend his rule to 45 years in power since 1986 following his armed struggle as a rebel leader against the past Gen. Tito Okello Lutwa and Milton Obote regimes.
He has been winning elections since 1996 when the first election was held under the promulgated 1995 Constitution after his capture of the state power.
Byabakama explained that the NRM party presidential candidate had obtained the majority votes, declaring him the winner in line with Article 103 of the Constitution and Section 59 of the Presidential Elections Act.
He handed over his Declaration Result (DR) Form to his representing team that included his son in law Edwin Karugire, Moses Byaruhanga and Richard Todwong.
Bobi Wine’s representing team led by Benjamin Katana however rejected to receive his DR Form from Byabakama as they stormed out of the room in protest of what they called manufactured declared results by his chaired Commission.
Opposition Reject Museveni’s Land Slide Victory
Speaking from Lweeza, Katana who had represented the NUP presidential candidate Bobi Wine at the EC national tally center rejected the election outcome, saying the declared results did not reflect the will of people.
“Some of our DR forms were confiscated by the security operatives but we compared the little that we have and noted there are discrepancies from all over the place, meaning the information that EC is delivering is clearly a departure from what transpired at the Polling Stations”.
The NUP Treasurer insisted that all those factors point to a conspiracy by the EC, security forces and NRM candidate to subvert the will of people. “We don’t agree with what was displayed on the EC portals, results therein are manufactured”. Katana emphasized.
According to Katana, in some places results for MPs were changed at the last-minute during declaration, which undermines credibility of the process.
“The most important thing by the party is to deal with fraud by the EC. This is a matter that concerns the people of Uganda, they have a right under Article 29 of the Constitution to challenge any attempt by EC and whoever subverts their will through peaceful protests”.
Augustine Ojobile who had represented the FDC presidential candidate Nandala disregarded the results, saying its figures had been cooked by EC.
“What was declared by EC was an increment of 10% voter based on critical assessment of its own documents detailing electoral areas that we were served”.
The NRM party spokesperson Emmanuel Dombo dismissed the claims, saying their party candidate was reelected based on his good programs to the citizens.
Declaration of the results went on amid internet blackout as the military and police choppers seen flying around the aerial space of Kampala city and its neighboring suburbs. There were protests in suburbs of Kawaala, Kawempe Kazo, Bwaise, Kanyanya, etc, all in
