According to Kyagulanyi, the deployment of police’s Crime Intelligence boss Christopher Ddamulira to Kampala’s informal settlements with large sums of money did not yield the support Museveni expected.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi, has dismissed claims by President Museveni that NRM candidate was rigged out in Kawempe North, calling them a desperate attempt to justify electoral losses despite state-sponsored intimidation and manipulation.

In a statement shared on his social media platforms, Kyagulanyi, who is also known as Bobi Wine, described the NRM’s allegations as ironic, given the widespread reports of election irregularities perpetrated by state agents in favor of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

“The same shameless despot who abducted our agents and supporters, beat up our people, spent days bribing voters, deployed military armored vehicles inside polling stations, and altered Declaration of Results (DR) forms to increase his votes—now claims that he was rigged?” Kyagulanyi wrote.

He further alleged that Museveni’s recent efforts to woo urban voters, particularly in Kampala’s ghettos, had failed despite heavy financial investment.

According to Kyagulanyi, the deployment of police’s Crime Intelligence boss Christopher Ddamulira to Kampala’s informal settlements with large sums of money did not yield the support Museveni expected.

“He is very surprised that despite spending billions on all these and other efforts, the people of Uganda have continued to reject him flat,” Kyagulanyi stated.

The NUP leader also dismissed Museveni’s past claims that the opposition rigged one million votes in the 2021 general elections. He reiterated his challenge for an independent audit of the election, a request he says the president has never responded to.

Kyagulanyi’s comments come at the wake of revelation by the ruling party that they challenging the results of Kawempe North by election in which Nup candidate Elias Nalukoola was declared a winner

“The party totally rejects the results of the Kawempe North Constituency that was declared by the Electoral Commission,’ said NRM secretary general Richard Todwong in a press conference held at the party headquarters in Kampala.

“The party instructs its lawyers to immediately challenge the results of by-elections in courts of law,” he added,” he added.

The Party highlighted acts of violence that were reported in the several polling stations within Kawempe North constituency were carried out by supporters and sympathisers of NUP political party.

They also pointed at cancellation of the election results from several polling stations by the election commission which they say disenfranchised about fifty thousand (50,000) registered voters from exercising their democratic rights.

“The party calls upon the Government to carry out a forensic audit to bring all the culprits who participated and messed up the election to book as soon as possible,” said Todwong.

In August 1991, Soviet citizens took their national future into their own hands by flooding the streets of Moscow in defiance of martial law. As one old woman yelled up to the very young driver of a Soviet tank, “You can’t do this! We are the ones who fed you when you were little—just leave.” And he did. It was an object lesson—ordinary people making a difference in a way that the Soviet Union, and the world, would not soon forget. The collapse of the Soviet Union followed.

When Estonia, then a Soviet republic, defied Moscow and demanded self-government, its citizens led what was famously labeled “The Singing Revolution.” 300,000—a fifth of Estonia’s population at the time—turned out for a peaceful, joyous, yet rebellious rally in the capital, singing, “Estonian, I am… free.” Dr. Marju Lauristin, a tough-minded Estonian political leader, seemed amused at the surprise of a U.S. television commentator. “The strength of small people isn’t in guns,” she said. “It is in intellect, in culture, in traditions, and in self-belief.”

Uganda is one of the world’s poorest, most densely populated countries, with the highest number of its people being unemployed youth. It is also one of the most illiterate nations, with a history of cruel and corrupt dictatorships, having never witnessed a peaceful transfer of power, with a small middle class, and a few wealthy individuals amid great poverty. The ruling government has done close to nothing to justify why it has been in power for almost four decades, with almost every state institution lacking functionality. Citizens feel that the ruling government’s time is up, as is being shown in the Kawempe North by-election.

A country scared of its people has resorted to terrorizing them. A notorious force, now identified as the Joint Anti-Terrorist Task Force of Uganda (JATT), which is supposed to deal with terrorists, is instead terrorizing civilians. The resilience of citizens showing up at opposition rallies, despite the torture they are facing, is amazing. There is no amount of terrorism that will crush the spirit of these hungry and angry Ugandans.

Is government aware that violence only breeds more violence, as people sympathize with the oppressed? Is it aware that sowing bloodshed only makes Ugandans angrier, hungrier and depressed? Does the government know that those who are hurt remain hurt when it continues to choose the path of violence? And is it aware that responding to the pain and suffering of its people with arrogance only fuels even greater public outrage?

JATT possibly signals that the 2026 election will see more chaos and terrorism on the streets of Kampala. But this also shows what the post-Museveni era will be like for those who have sown bloodshed, blessed torture, and commanded the masked terrorists.

This boiling situation in Kawempe and elsewhere in Uganda was neatly prepared by the NRM government’s inaction on serious concerns, including the worst corruption in Uganda’s history, nepotism, and a focus on one-man rule over national issues,name them. Violence is never the best option when signing out. The longest reigns in Africa have all ended at a stage like where Uganda is today—40 years of rule (Omar Bongo (Gabon) – 1967 to 2009 (42 years), Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) – 1980 to 2017 (37 years), Muammar Gaddafi (Libya) – 1969 to 2011 (42 years).  And so, I would be right to say that Museveni’s regime is in its evening. But how will he wish to sign out?

JATT, or whoever is in charge, must end this insane trajectory for the sake of humanity. Otherwise, the self-destruction mode created by those in power will ignite a revolution—a revolution I would fully support—to change the course of tanks and the direction of history. No human being can stand by as innocent people are treated as terrorists. One day, citizens will refuse to obey anything but their conscience.

I say NO to the shameless gangs patrolling the streets of Kawempe. The government should do the right thing and send them to fight actual terrorists elsewhere—not innocent Ugandans.

Whoever is behind the command or invitation of JATT to Kawempe North is the top enemy of the Museveni establishment.

He confirmed that an electoral and criminal investigation is underway to address serious allegations of voter fraud, including ballot stuffing, result alterations, ballot box destruction, voter intimidation, and election violence.

“The following allegations have come up: ballot papers stuffing, altering results, destroying ballot boxes in Kazo-Angola, Mbogo Mosque Zone, and other areas because some people did not want those votes to be counted,” Museveni stated. “There was also campaigning, intimidation, and violence at polling stations.”

While acknowledging that the security deployment may have deterred large-scale violence, the President admitted that some election-related crimes still occurred. He criticized electoral officials for failing to manage these offenses, stating, “The heavy deployment of security forces may have stopped mass violence, but it could not stop these micro crimes that should have been managed by the election officials.”

Museveni condemned electoral fraud, calling it a long-standing issue in Uganda’s political history. “Ballot-stuffing has been going on since 1961. That is how Uganda ended up being unstable. Leaders do not concentrate on solving people’s problems because they know they can cheat and be in power, whether the people support them or not. This will stop,” he declared.

The President reaffirmed his commitment to electoral integrity, emphasizing that biometric voter verification must be strictly enforced. “Nobody else who is not bio-metrically verified will vote. It must be one person, one vote,” he insisted, revealing that a suspect was arrested with 18 ballot papers.

Addressing concerns about security forces’ conduct during the election, Museveni acknowledged complaints of harsh treatment, particularly against journalists. “I have heard people talking about the harsh methods by some security elements, especially against journalists. We are studying this,” he said. However, he shifted blame to opposition groups, accusing them of inciting unrest. “The original question should be: Why should the UPDF and JATT have to be deployed in crowd management?”

Museveni linked the need for military intervention to past episodes of opposition-led violence. “Who organized the Kabaka riots of September 10th-12th, 2009? Who organized the 2020 riots of November 18th to 20th, where people were killed, NRM women were undressed, and policemen were attacked?” he asked. “I deployed the commandos on the 20th of November, and they crushed the insurrection.”

The President also questioned why ballot boxes in strong NRM areas, such as Kazo-Angola and Mbogo Mosque Zone, were destroyed. “Could it be because of the big support the NRM has there because of the anti-poverty programs in the area?” he speculated.

Museveni warned both the opposition and NRM members against electoral malpractice, urging his supporters not to justify cheating as a countermeasure. “The NRM people must not involve themselves in cheating by saying that the opposition is doing it, they must also do it. Work to crush that disenfranchisement of the Ugandan people. That is why the NRM went to the bush,” he reminded.

He, however, assured Ugandans that both electoral and security failures would be addressed. “Investigations will show us who destroyed the ballot paper boxes at Kazo-Angola, Mbogo Centre, and elsewhere, and why,” he said. “We shall hold everybody responsible accountable