Museveni issues stern warning against promoting election violence
Courtesy: Daily Monitor
By Mike Sebalu and Obed Kankiriho
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni has warned opposition politicians that are threatening to cause riots on polling day, saying the move is suicidal.
Addressing his first campaign rally in Greater Masaka held in Rakai District on Thursday afternoon, Mr. Museveni stressed that Uganda’s security teams are ready to decisively deal with those intending to disrupt the country’s hard-earned peace and unity.
Mr. Museveni said Uganda’s peace and unity cannot be disrupted by selfish politics by opposition actors as has in the recent past been seen in other African countries.
Mr. Museveni repeated the same warning to members of the opposition against making reckless statements that encourage rioters to confront security personnel on polling day.
His comments were in response to remarks made earlier by some opposition leaders including the National Unity Platform (NUP) party presidential candidate Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine who has on several occasions rallied his supporters to defy the directive on “Vote and Leave” the polling station. According to Mr. Kyagulanyi and other opposition leaders, the Electoral Commission (EC) has misinterpreted the law on the matter.
The NUP candidate has been quoted encouraging his supporters to remain at the polling stations after casting their ballot and not be moved by presence of security personnel because the population voter population ratio outmatches that of security. However, Mr. Museveni is quoted as saying that each soldier and police officer carries a gun with 120 bullets, advising those promoting violence to do the Maths.
Similar sentiments have been voiced by the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate Mr. Nandala Mafabi, who also insists that the EC misinterpreted the law on the matter.
The president of the Opposition Democratic Front and the Nyendo-Mukungwe legislator Hon Mathias Mpuuga, also added voice to those politicians asking their voters to remain at polling stations after casting their ballots in order to protect their vote.
This is in total defiance of the EC guidelines that require voters to leave the polling stations after casting their ballot to prevent possible commotion and violence.
Addressing the media at the party’s head offices in Mengo, Kampala on Wednesday afternoon, Hon. Mpuuga noted that the law allows voters to remain within about 20 meters of the polling station, and the EC or military have no authority to change these regulations.
Meanwhile, separately, Hon Mpuuga said that Parliament did not approve the use of Biometric Voter Verification Machines in Uganda’s electoral process. He told reporters that the deployment of the Biometric machines does not align with existing electoral laws, explaining that there is no legal framework passed by Parliament authorizing their use.
In the Western district of Kabaale, the Ndorwa East County Member of Parliament, Hon.Wilfred Niwagaba, also criticized the Attorney General Mr. Kiryowa Kiwanuka for his recent remarks reaffirming that all voters, including Members of Parliament, must leave polling stations immediately after casting their ballots in the January 2026 general elections.
Mr. Kiwanuka made the comments on Tuesday in Parliament during a plenary, where he urged MPs to encourage voters not to remain at polling stations after voting. He explained that while voters may move some distance away, such as 20 or even 100 metres, they should not linger at polling stations, stressing that the management of elections is the sole responsibility of the Electoral Commission, not the military.
The Attorney General’s remarks were in response to concerns raised by Kira Municipality MP Ssemujju Nganda over statements by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The CDF had recently urged voters to “vote and go home” while officiating at a military promotion ceremony at the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala.
However, while addressing voters in Kitohwa Parish, Kaharo Sub-County, Kabale District, Niwagaba, who is seeking re-election in the 2026 general elections as an independent, warned against what he described as a misinterpretation of the law.
He argued that any guidance suggesting voters must move beyond the legally prescribed distance risks undermining transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
“The law only requires voters to be at least 20 metres away from the ballot-marking table, not to vacate the polling area entirely”, said Hon Niwagaba.
The legislator reiterated that strict adherence to the law by all stakeholders is critical to safeguarding the credibility of elections and strengthening Uganda’s democratic process.
However, during an engagement with journalists in Greater Mubende, Mr. Museveni ruled out any possibility of post-election violence and asked Ugandans to turn out in large numbers on polling days to peacefully exercise their democratic right unhindered.
