Opposition Leader in Uganda Faces Communication Blackout Following Election

The Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine, experienced a communications blackout on Saturday following a police raid at his residence, as reported by his political party. The authorities appear to be taking measures to suppress unrest in anticipation of the election results.

President Yoweri Museveni, who is 81 years old, is expected to be declared the winner of the election, potentially extending his 40-year reign. This election is marred by allegations of violence, as at least ten fatalities have been reported during an ongoing internet blackout.

As Uganda anxiously awaits the outcome of the polls that occurred on Thursday, Museveni holds a decisive lead over Wine, who is 43 and is a former musician turned politician. Final results are anticipated around 11:00 GMT.

Reports regarding Wine's safety have been conflicting, stemming from allegations that police and military forces raided his premises the previous night.

Nkunyingi Muwada, a senior member of Wine's party, informed AFP that armed personnel dressed in black climbed over the walls of Wine’s home and seized their mobile devices.

Solomon Kampala, Wine’s son who is currently outside Uganda, claimed on X that his father managed to escape during the raid, although this assertion remains unverified.

AFP journalists were barred entry to Wine’s property early Saturday and were unable to contact him or his staff via telephone.

The police stated that they had imposed "controlled access" in regions identified as security hotspots. Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke explained that while they have not outright denied access to Wine, they cannot allow gatherings at his residence that might provoke violence.

Wine's party previously posted on X that he had been “forcibly taken” away by an army helicopter from his home, but they later retracted that statement. The army dismissed this assertion as "absurd" and labeled it an attempt to incite unrest among his supporters.

A local vendor, 29-year-old Prince Jerard, mentioned that he heard the sounds of drone and helicopter activity near Wine’s house the night prior, amid a heavy police presence.

“Many people have vacated the vicinity,” he noted. “There is considerable fear among the community.”

The Electoral Commission indicated that with over 90 percent of the ballots counted on Saturday, Museveni was leading with 71.9 percent while Wine had 24.5 percent.

Bobi Wine, whose actual name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has emerged as a significant contender against Museveni in recent years, identifying himself as the “ghetto president” in reference to his upbringing in impoverished neighborhoods of Kampala.

He has accused the government of engaging in widespread ballot manipulation and attacking numerous officials from his party while the internet blackout, implemented before the elections, continued to persist on Saturday.

These allegations have yet to be independently verified, but the United Nations human rights office indicated last week that the elections transpired in an environment plagued by significant repression and intimidation towards opposition members.

Violence reports have also surfaced. Analysts have viewed this election as a mere formality. Museveni, a former guerrilla leader who took power in 1986, maintains complete authority over the governmental and security systems, having consistently silenced any rivals throughout his time in office.

Election day was overshadowed by considerable technical issues, with biometric identification machines malfunctioning and ballot papers experiencing severe delays in distribution across various regions.

There were further accounts of violence targeted at opposition figures in different areas of the country.

Muwanga Kivumbi, a parliament member representing Wine’s party in the Butambala region, reported to AFP's Nairobi bureau via phone that ten of his campaign aides were killed after the security forces raided his residence.

In contrast, police reported that an unspecified number of individuals had been "neutralized" when opposition supporters attempted to overrun and incinerate a local tally center and police station.