Uganda awaits final results as Museveni leads, Bobi Wine rejects tally

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni maintained a commanding but slightly narrowed lead in the presidential race on Friday as the Electoral Commission (EC) released its fifth set of provisional results, even as opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, rejected the figures amid heavy security deployment and deadly post-election unrest.

Results declared by EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama showed Museveni with 6,851,406 votes, representing 73.72% of the valid ballots counted so far. Bobi Wine followed with 2,105,921 votes, or 22.66 per cent.

The EC said results from 35,491 polling stations had been received and tallied, accounting for 69.95 per cent of the country's 50,739 polling stations.

A total of 41,177 polling stations, or 81.15 percent, had completed counting and were at various stages of results transmission and verification.

Uganda has 21,649,067 registered voters. So far, 9,524,709 votes have been tallied, translating into a turnout of 44.00 percent.

The commission reported 9,293,812 valid votes and 230,897 invalid ballots, representing 2.42 percent of total votes cast. A further 32,760 ballots were classified as spoilt.

Other candidates trailed far behind. Ending Friday, Nathan Nandala Mafabi had 175,331 votes (1.89 percent), Mugisha Muntu 49,259 (0.53 percent), Bulira Frank Kabinga 39,488 (0.42 percent), Robert Kasibante 28,080 (0.30 percent), Mubarak Munyagwa 25,480 (0.27 percent) and Joseph Mabirizi 18,847 (0.20 percent).

"This is the fifth session of releasing provisional results since polls closed," Byabakama said, adding that the next update would be issued at 9am on Saturday.

The final presidential result was expected to be declared by 5pm the same day in accordance with the Ugandan law.

The announcement came as tensions remained high across the country following election-related violence that has left at least 12 people shot dead or killed since voting closed on Thursday.

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said security teams had been deployed to restore order following clashes between opposition supporters and security personnel in parts of the capital, including Makindye Division and Makindye Ssabagabo Division.

Areas affected included Busabala, Ndeeba, Gangu and Najjanankumbi.

"Our teams are on the ground to address the disturbance. I cannot give a full assessment now because the operation is still ongoing,"

Owoyesigyire told Monitor earlier in the day.

Bobi Wine says home besieged

Despite the unrest, much of Kampala remained unusually quiet on Friday, with deserted streets and few businesses open in the city centre on the second day of the election public holidays. Since Election Day, authorities have stepped up ground security deployment and aerial surveillance in anticipation of further violence.

The provisional tallies also pointed to unexpected parliamentary losses for opposition candidates in areas traditionally regarded as dissident strongholds.

EC declarations showed several opposition figures, including National Unity Platform (NUP) Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, losing parliamentary races to candidates aligned with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Bobi Wine rejected the EC results, alleging widespread fraud and intimidation, and said his residence in Magere had been under military siege since voting closed at 5pm on Thursday.

"They do this because they are afraid of the people's reaction after stealing the vote. Ignore the FAKE results being announced," he said, adding: "The people of Uganda will have the final say on this nonsense."

Speaking on phone at around 8pm Friday, NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi told NTV Uganda that armed men had forced their way into Bobi Wine's residence in the evening.

Speaking on phone at around 8pm Friday, NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi told NTV Uganda that armed men had forced their way into Bobi Wine's residence in the evening.

"They scaled over the fence at the residence of our party leader in Magere. They broke through his doors. Unfortunately, we're in an internet blackout and we don't know their intention. My message to Museveni is that he's come of age in 40 years of his presidency and should act in accordance with the law," Ssenyonyi, who is also the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) claimed.

Earlier, on scene NTV reporter Sudhir Byaruhanga said journalists had been ordered to vacate the residence by 3pm on Friday as a security cordon was enforced.

The Electoral Commission defended its handling of the vote, saying delays of more than four hours at some polling stations caused by biometric voter verification failures did not constitute sufficient grounds for cancellation.

The EC said it resorted to manual voting where machines malfunctioned and described the General Election as "successful and generally peaceful."

The post-election period, however, has been overshadowed by violence, arrests and mounting political tension as Uganda awaits the final declaration of its next president on Saturday.

None of the other presidential candidates had immediately commented on the provisional results declared so far.