Overview
- Authorities cut public internet access before election day, a move defended as curbing misinformation but condemned by the UN Human Rights Office and major NGOs.
- Polling saw widespread delays as biometric verification machines failed and some materials arrived late, with President Yoweri Museveni reporting his own verification problems.
- Security forces deployed heavily across urban areas, opposition supporters faced arrests, several NGOs were suspended, and journalists reported harassment, though the Red Cross noted no substantive violence reports during voting.
- Polls closed after extended voting in some locations and counting began, with Bobi Wine alleging ballot stuffing and detentions under the blackout and urging nonviolent resistance if results are rigged.
- Museveni campaigned on stability and economic gains as a young electorate rallied to Wine’s message of change, with succession questions lingering over the long-serving leader.