Uganda’s longtime leader, Yoweri Museveni, 81, has won a seventh term in office, extending his rule to nearly four decades. Museveni, who has led the country for about 40 years, will now begin another presidential term until the next election.
While Museveni and his allies were celebrating the victory, various social media accounts were sharing claims of electoral fraud allegedly carried out by Museveni’s agents in some constituencies.
A Ugandan journalist, who requested anonymity, told Horn Frequency that it was not possible to move freely and report on the voting, as government security forces were on high alert and restricting movement. The journalist also said there was a police crackdown, and that several journalists were assaulted.
In addition, an internet shutdown was imposed across Uganda ahead of Election Day, making reporting even more difficult and limiting access to information from different parts of the country.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that journalists were assaulted in Uganda during the election period. According to CPJ, Bwegiire, a reporter with the privately owned Radio Simba, was attacked by security forces and lost consciousness while covering a rally by opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine.
Wine’s party also claimed that he was forcibly abducted by government forces and taken to an unknown location prior to Election Day, a claim later denied by police.
Meanwhile, several countries, as well as regional and continental organizations, including the African Union (AU), have issued congratulatory messages to President Museveni.
