Yoweri Kaguta Museveni will continue his reign after the Electoral Commission (EC) declared him the Presidential winner of the 2021 General elections.

Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for 35 years, has been leading the 2021 presidential race with over 55% of valid votes ever since the electoral commission chairperson, Simon Byabakama started announcing provisional results.

In an election that saw over 10.3 Million Ugandans vote, Museveni attained more than 5.8 Million votes making up 58.64% of the votes. 

This will be Museveni’s fifth elective term as President. In a country with a median age of 15, Museveni has been in power longer than most Ugandans have been alive.

The 76-year-old would not have participated in the 2021 general elections if it was not for the amendment to Uganda’s constitution removing the age limit of 75. The amendment that raised hell in Uganda’s parliament as the institution’s members got physical, gave Museveni an opportunity to attain an unprecedented (in Uganda) 5th elective term. 

This has been Museveni’s first time facing a group of opposition candidates that does not include his long term rival Dr Kizza Besigye. The opposing force of Besigye was, in 2021, replaced by pop-star turned politician, Robert Kyagulanyi and his National Unity Platform (NUP) party

Kyagulanyi who rallied youth especially from urban areas came in second with 34.83% of the valid votes. 

Yoweri Museveni came into power in 1986 after leading the National Resistance Army rebels in the Luweero war against the then president Gen Tito Okello Lutwa. The first elections he participated in were the 2001 general elections. Before that, he stood for Presidency in 1980 and lost.

Despite a seemingly peaceful voting and tallying process, Uganda’s 2021 General elections have been characterised with heavy security deployment, violence, police brutality towards opposition supporters and the media, and unexplained disappearances.  This was mostly during the campaigns period where journalists got injured and civilians died in Kampala protests.

The election was meant to be aided by the media after a ban was put on campaign rallies in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. However, candidates were cut down at the knees after the government ordered telecommunication companies to block Ugandans’ access to social media platforms. Museveni would later admit that social media was banned in an effort to block US tech giants from interfering with the Uganda elections. His opponents disagree.

Later, after Ugandans continued to use social media with the aid of VPNs, the government ordered telecommunication companies and internet service providers to shut off the internet completely, the evening before the elections that happened on 14th January. The move raised questions on issues concerning transparency and Ugandans’ right to information. Authorities have not yet given an explanation as to why the internet was shut down.

Opposition candidates have already expressed their displeasure with the way the election process has been handled. Kyagulanyi and independent candidate Henry Tumukunde say that vote rigging was made easy by the internet shut down.

Kyagulanyi who is commonly known as Bobi Wine, on Friday, told journalists that he had acquired evidence of vote rigging at up-country polling stations and promised to share it on social media as soon as the internet shut down ends.

He also accused the Museveni’s NRM party of having a hand in the on-goings at the Electoral Commission’s national Tally Center. The EC chairperson, Byabakama has asked Kyagulanyi to present to him evidence of his claims.

As for Tumukunde, the former member of Museveni’s cabinet was not satisfied with the measures put in place to secure the votes. While demonstrating how he could remove na ink mark from his thumb, Tumukunde pointed out that the security features laxed saying that this make it easy for some to cheat.

FDC’s Patrick Amuriat, DP’s Norbert Mao, ANT’s MUgisha Muntu and the other candidates are yet to comment on the final results of the 2021 general elections.

Details of the 2021 Presidential results.

Number of Voters - 10,359,479 (57.2% of registered voters)

Number of Valid Votes - 9,978,093

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni - 5,851,037 (58.64)

Robert Kyagulanyi - 3,475,298 (34.83%)

Patrick Oboi Amuriat - 323,536 (3.24%)

Mugisha Muntu - 65,334 (0.65%)

Mao Norbert -55,665 (0.56%)

Henry Tumukunde - 50,141 (0.5%)

Joseph Kabuleeta - 44,300 (0.44%)

Nancy Kalembe - 37,469 (0.83%)

John Katumba - 35,983 (0.36)

Fred MWesigye -24,673 (0.25%)

Willy Mayambala - 14,657 (0.15%)