President Museveni Accuses Opposition of Electoral Malpractice, NUP Leader Alleges Fraud and Intimidation
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has launched a fresh verbal assault on the country’s political opposition, directly accusing the leading opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) of fabricating vote tallies and dismissing their grievances as having no merit.
The long-serving leader, in power since 1986, asserted that the NUP had engaged in electoral cheating by inflating its own vote count in past elections. He framed the opposition’s actions as a strategy of deception rather than a presentation of substantive political alternatives to the electorate.
“Instead of cheating, they should concentrate on giving political alternatives to the people,” President Museveni stated, adding that the numerous complaints filed by the opposition following elections were “baseless.”
These allegations stand in stark contrast to the persistent claims of the NUP and its leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The musician-turned-politician has repeatedly rejected official election results, citing widespread fraud, state-sponsored intimidation, internet shutdowns during voting, and the abduction of his party’s polling agents.
The political climate is further charged by concerns over Bobi Wine’s personal safety. The opposition leader is currently reported to be in hiding following public death threats from General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Commander of the Ugandan army and son of President Museveni. General Muhoozi’s inflammatory statements have raised international alarm about the risks faced by government critics.
The exchange underscores the deep and often dangerous rift within Ugandan politics, where President Museveni’s National Resistance Movement (NRM) maintains a firm grip on power. While the government dismisses opposition claims as unfounded, the NUP and its supporters continue to challenge the legitimacy of the electoral process, pointing to what they describe as a pattern of repression and malpractice.
This latest war of words signals no easing of tensions as Uganda navigates a political landscape dominated by one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders and a determined, yet beleaguered, opposition.
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