KAMPALA, Uganda: As counting resumed in an election plagued by reports of at least ten deaths amid an internet outage, Uganda’s army refuted rumors on Saturday that opposition leader Bobi Wine had been kidnapped from his home. With a commanding lead over former musician turned politician Wine, President Yoweri Museveni, 81, was certain to be proclaimed the winner and continue his 40-year reign later on Saturday. Wine declared on Friday that he was under house arrest, and his group then posted on X that an army helicopter had “forcibly taken” him from his property. That assertion was refuted by the army.
Army spokesman Chris Magezi told AFP, “The rumors of his so-called arrest are baseless and unfounded.” He continued, “They are intended to incite his supporters into acts of violence.” Early on Saturday, AFP journalists reported that all was quiet outside Wine’s home, but they were unable to get in touch with party members because of ongoing communication problems. Prince Jerard, a 29-year-old stall owner in the area, claimed to have heard a helicopter and drone at the house the night before, along with a lot of security. He stated, “Many people have left (the area).” “We’re terrified.” The Electoral Commission reported that after more than 80 percent of the votes were counted on Friday, Museveni had a 73.7 percent lead against Wine’s 22.7 percent.
The final results were due on Saturday at approximately 1300 GMT. The 43-year-old Wine, whose actual name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has become Museveni’s primary opponent in recent years. He refers to himself as the “ghetto president” because of the impoverished neighborhoods in Kampala where he was raised. Under the pretext of the internet shutdown, which was implemented prior to Thursday’s elections and continued on Saturday, he has accused the government of “massive ballot stuffing” and targeting a number of his party leaders. The United Nations rights office stated last week that there was “widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition during the polls, although his assertions could not be independently confirmed.
Violence reports
The election has long been seen by analysts as a formality. Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter who took over in 1986, has complete authority over the government and security services and has brutally put an end to any opposition. Significant technical issues plagued election day as ballot papers were delayed for many hours in numerous places and biometric machines, which are used to verify voters’ identities, malfunctioned. Violence against the opposition was reported in other regions of the nation. Ten of Wine’s campaign operatives were slain by security personnel when they stormed his residence, according to Muwanga Kivumbi, a member of parliament for Wine’s party in the Butambala region of central Uganda, who called AFP’s Nairobi office.
