Museveni Addresses Supporters After Seventh-Term Victory

Kampala, January 18, 2026 - After being re-elected to a seventh term, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni told his rivals that they were fortunate that over 10 million of his supporters did not vote, suggesting that otherwise they would have been deeply ashamed. Uganda’s presidential election, held on January 15, 2026, saw Museveni win with 71.6% of the vote, defeating seven other candidates. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, came second with 24.72%. The Electoral Commission reported that out of 21.6 million registered voters, 52.5% participated. A total of 11,090,848 votes were counted from 50,739 polling stations nationwide. Museveni received 7,946,772 votes, Bobi Wine 2,741,238, and Mafabi 209,039. Speaking on his victory, Museveni said, “10 million of my people did not vote. If they had, you would have been deeply ashamed. We got eight million votes, but remember that when we checked the membership, we had 21 million members, over 18 million of whom were eligible to vote.” Museveni accused the opposition of exploiting the population, alleging that they received foreign money to bribe voters. “You know that bribe - 10,000 Ugandan shillings for each person. What can 10,000 buy? A fish? A chicken? This is an insult,” he said. He added that such practices reflect poverty, which must be eradicated to prevent such behavior. Museveni also praised the Ugandan people, including members of the opposition NUP party led by Bobi Wine, for refusing to join protests. “There are many NUP members among them. I thank Ugandans. Many came to me and said, ‘We do not want our country to be like Libya. To all you traitors, this is my free advice: stop what you are doing. We know all about you. No matter what, we will fight for peace in Uganda by all means,’” he said. The 2026 elections differed from those of 2021, as Museveni’s vote total increased, while the number of registered voters also rose by over three million, with a turnout of 59.35%. In 2021, Museveni received 6,042,898 votes (58.38%), while Bobi Wine came second with 35.08%. Out of 11 candidates, the last received 0.15%.