Deadly clashes erupt in Uganda following Museveni early landslide lead: summary

What we know

• At least seven people were killed overnight in central Uganda following Thursday’s presidential election, police said on Friday.
• The violence occurred in Butambala, about 55km southwest of the capital, Kampala.
• Preliminary results released by Uganda’s electoral commission show President Yoweri Museveni leading with more than 75% of the vote, based on tallies from 59% of polling stations.
• Museveni’s main challenger, opposition leader and musician Bobi Wine, was trailing with about 21%, while six other candidates shared the remaining votes. Voting itself passed largely peacefully, despite a campaign period marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation.
• Police said the overnight violence began when opposition supporters armed with machetes attacked a police station and vote-tallying centre.
• A local member of parliament, Muwanga Kivumbi, disputed the police account, saying the victims were shot inside his home while waiting for parliamentary results.
• Bobi Wine alleged mass electoral fraud and called for protests, following an election held under an internet blackout imposed by authorities. Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) said security forces had surrounded his home in Kampala, effectively placing him under house arrest, a claim police said they were not aware of.
• The US Embassy in Uganda has also issued a security alert regarding the situation.

What they said

Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said security forces fired in self-defence after opposition “goons” attacked a police station and tally centre, adding that 25 people were arrested. MP Muwanga Kivumbi rejected that version of events, saying, “They killed 10 people inside my house…They broke the front door and began shooting inside the garage. It was a massacre.” President Museveni, after voting, said he expected to win with around 80% of the vote “if there’s no cheating”. Bobi Wine accused authorities of orchestrating fraud and repression, saying the internet shutdown was designed to silence dissent and block scrutiny of the vote. He further posted on X that, “yesterday, after casting my ballot, the military deployed all around my home in order to place me under house arrest. These criminals even jumped over the fence and entered our compound. My house is still besieged - no one allowed to come in or go out. This ain't strength. They do this out of fear for the people they have offended by committing so many atrocities against them. They do this because they are afraid of the people's reaction after stealing their vote.”