By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
President Yoweri Museveni has called for unity and principled reconciliation among Ugandans following his declaration as winner of the January 15 presidential election.
In a post-election message issued on Thursday, Museveni urged citizens and political actors to reflect on the electoral process and promote fairness across the political divide.
“All said and done, I call upon Ugandans to abandon any bad behaviour and act fairly to all, even Opposition. You should work for principled reconciliation, not just opportunistic patching up. Talk about the mistakes observed and resolve them for a better future,” Museveni said.
The President also extended condolences to Opposition for losing the election, but urged that electoral competition should not divide the country. He emphasized the need for mutual respect among political players as Uganda moves forward after the polls.
Museveni further defended the performance of the Biometric Voter Verification (BVV) machines, saying they functioned well in areas where officials were properly trained.
“I extend condolences to the Opposition. The BVV machines work if they are manned by people who know how to use them,” he said.
He cited results from selected districts to highlight what he described as successful election management. In Nebbi district, he said the machines operated in all the 362 polling stations, where the National Resistance Movement (NRM) secured 81% of the vote compared to the National Unity Platform (NUP)’s 15.4%. In Bulambuli district, results from 257 polling stations showed NRM garnering 60.80% of the vote, while Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)’s James Nathan Nandala Mafabi obtained 30.12%. In Namisindwa district, Museveni said NRM received 65.47% of the vote from 302 polling stations, while Mafabi polled 26.46%.
Additionally, Museveni criticized the misuse of government or National Resistance Movement (NRM) resources by local elites during campaigns and voting exercises.
“We need to review the practice of the local elite wasting NRM money or government money, hiring tents for young leaders while the masses of the people are in the sun or the rain, including the elderly and the children,” Museveni said
According to results released by the Independent Electoral Commission (EC), Museveni was declared the winner of the 2026 presidential elections after he polled 7,946,772 votes, representing 71.65% of the 11,366,201 total votes cast, securing his seventh term in office. His closest challenger, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (NUP) garnered 2,741,238 votes (24.72%), followed by FDC’s Nandala Mafabi with 209,039 votes (1.88%).
Other candidates included Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), who secured 59,276 votes (0.53%); Frank Bulira Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) with 45,959 votes (0.41%); Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP) who polled 33,440 votes (0.30%); Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party (CMP) with 31,666 votes (0.29%); and Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP) who received 23,458 votes (0.21%).
The EC said 275,353 votes, representing 2.42% of the ballots cast, were declared invalid, with voter turnout standing at 52.50% of registered voters.
The Opposition, however, rejected the results, alleging widespread electoral irregularities, including vote rigging, voter bribery, intimidation, and military interference, among others. By press time, the opposition was yet to respond to Museveni’s remarks.
