By Kabuye Ronald
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has been declared the winner of Uganda’s hotly contested 2026 general election, securing a historic seventh term in office.
According to the final results released by the Electoral Commission, Museveni garnered 7,946,772 votes, representing 71.6 percent of the valid ballots cast. His closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, received 2,741,238 votes, or 24.7 percent. Museveni’s victory margin stands at 5,205,534 votes, equivalent to 46.9 percentage points.
With this win, Museveni, who first took power in 1986 following the five-year Luweero bush war, is set to extend his leadership of Uganda to 45 years by the end of his new term in 2031.
Other candidates posted modest results in the final tally. Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change secured 209,036 votes (1.88 percent), while Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation received 59,276 votes, accounting for 0.53 percent. Frank Bulira of the Revolutionary People’s Party obtained 45,959 votes (0.41 percent), Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party garnered 31,666 votes (0.29 percent), and Conservative Party candidate Joseph Mabirizi received 23,458 votes (0.21 percent).
Election statistics show that out of 21,649,067 registered voters, a total of 11,366,201 ballots were cast. Of these, 11,090,848 were declared valid, while 275,353 were invalid.
The announcement of the results was met with immediate rejection from Kyagulanyi, who alleged widespread irregularities during the electoral process. In a statement posted on his social media platforms, he cited ballot stuffing, a military takeover of the election, and the detention of opposition leaders and polling officials among what he described as serious electoral offences. “Their results have zero backing,” Kyagulanyi said.
It remains unclear whether Kyagulanyi will formally challenge the outcome in court, as allowed under Uganda’s electoral laws.
As the country absorbs the outcome of another closely watched election, attention now turns to potential legal challenges and the political landscape ahead as Museveni prepares to embark on yet another term at the helm of Uganda’s government.
