Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has alleged that the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by his main challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, printed and imported millions of fake ballots in an attempt to rig the January 15, 2026, presidential election.
Museveni claims that the one million fake ballots were printed locally in Kampala, while 1.7 million were printed in Dubai and smuggled into Uganda, allegations he said were uncovered after the previous election cycle.
“When you hear that there is opposition, there is no opposition in Uganda. It is just cheating,” Museveni said. “After the last election, we discovered that this NUP group had infiltrated 2.7 million fake votes into the system. One million was printed at Nkrumah Road here in Kampala, and 1.7 million was printed in Dubai and brought here.”
The President made the remarks on January 28, 2026, while addressing journalists and senior military officers during the election of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) parliamentary representatives.
Museveni who was declared the winner of the 2026 election with 7,946,772 votes (71.65%), credited the Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) for blocking what he described as large-scale fraud and securing his victory over Kyagulanyi, who polled 2,741,238 votes (24.72%), according to figures announced by the Electoral Commission.
The 81-year-old Ugandan leader, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, said despite coordination challenges in deploying BVVK machines, the technology worked effectively in some areas, including Bulambuli District, where he said it helped block attempted vote manipulation.
The President reiterated concerns he first raised on January 15, when widespread failures of the biometric kits delayed voting across the country during elections conducted under a nationwide internet shutdown.
At his polling station in Rwakitura, Kiruhura District, Museveni was initially rejected by the machine and later verified using facial recognition.
He questioned whether the failures were accidental or deliberate, suggesting that some Electoral Commission staff may have failed to upload operator biodata to the devices in time, amounting to sabotage. Museveni ordered formal investigations into the technical breakdowns.
The Electoral Commission announced Museveni’s victory on January 17, a result the opposition has rejected as fraudulent.
Bobi Wine’s supporters accused Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and Museveni’s son, of deploying the military to influence the vote. Following a night raid on his home in Magere on January 16, Bobi went into hiding and his current whereabouts remain unknown amid heightened political tension.
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