Uganda was gripped by tension on Thursday morning as polling stations opened in a highly charged election expected to extend President Yoweri Museveni’s rule to four decades, amid an internet shutdown, heavy security deployment, and a sweeping crackdown on the opposition.
Reflecting widespread anxiety, the Daily Monitor newspaper ran a striking full-page guide on how to “election-proof your home”, urging citizens to reinforce doors and windows and prepare safe rooms in case violence erupts.
A Familiar Fear After Four Decades in Power
Museveni, 81, a former bush fighter who seized power in 1986, has dominated Ugandan politics for nearly 40 years. His rule has been marked by repeated allegations of human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, and the politicisation of security forces.
He faces his strongest challenge from Bobi Wine, 43, a singer-turned-politician known as the “ghetto president”, whose support base lies in Kampala’s impoverished neighbourhoods where he grew up.
Slow Start, Heavy Security Presence
Polling stations—often slow to open in Uganda—began operating shortly after 7:00 am (0400 GMT) in parts of Kampala, AFP journalists reported. Elsewhere, security was tight:
- Heavy police and army patrols were seen in the eastern town of Jinja
- Security forces were deployed across major urban centres
- Newly recruited “special constables” were assigned to enforce order
Many residents in the capital were visibly uneasy.
“We will not talk about elections. You can ask anything but not that,” said an accountant in his 30s who declined to give his name.
Opposition Under Pressure
As in the 2021 elections, hundreds of Bobi Wine’s supporters were arrested in the run-up to the vote. Wine has taken to wearing a flak jacket at rallies, calling the election a “war” and describing Museveni as a “military dictator.”
“They are planning to rig the election, to brutalise people, to kill people, and they don’t want the rest of the world to see,” Wine told AFP.
Despite earlier assurances, the government shut down the internet on Tuesday for an indefinite period, citing concerns over “misinformation” and “incitement to violence.”
The United Nations described the move as “deeply worrying.”
Wine has vowed to lead protests if the vote is rigged.
Besigye Case Casts Long Shadow
Another prominent opposition figure, Kizza Besigye, who challenged Museveni in four previous elections, remains at the centre of controversy. He was abducted in Kenya in 2024, returned to Uganda, and is currently facing a treason trial in a military court.
His wife, Winnie Byanyima, head of UNAIDS, said Uganda’s democracy amounts to only a “thin veneer,” accusing Museveni of the total capture of state institutions.
Museveni Defiant as Supporters Rally
Western governments have long treated Museveni as a strategic ally, particularly after he embraced neoliberal reforms in the 1980s and became a key partner in the US-led war on terror, notably through troop deployments to Somalia.
Many Ugandans still credit him with ending years of post-independence chaos and delivering economic growth—despite widespread corruption scandals.
“Forty years doesn’t even matter. We need even more,” said Museveni supporter Banura Oliver, 41, en route to his final campaign rally.
Museveni himself struck a hardline tone:
“Go and vote. Anybody who wants to interfere with your freedom, I will crush them.”
Media and Civil Society Targeted
Election day unfolded amid growing concern over press freedom and civil society repression:
- Journalists were blocked and harassed at Museveni’s rally
- Reporters Without Borders said journalist Ssematimba Bwegiire lost consciousness after being electrocuted and pepper-sprayed by security forces
- Human Rights Watch condemned the suspension of 10 NGOs, including election monitoring groups, calling the opposition’s treatment “brutal repression”
