Uganda: Museveni in early lead, vote counting continues

NAIROBI, Kenya

Uganda’s incumbent President Yoweri Museveni is currently leading in the presidential election followed by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, a pop star-turned-politician, popularly known by his stage name Bobi Wine, the electoral authority said Friday.

The Electoral Commission, based in Kyambogo in the capital Kampala, announced that according to the first results of the election trickling in at the center, Museveni is leading in the polls by 61.31% of the votes followed by Wine with 27.9% of the total votes counted.

Museveni, 76, from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) political party and Ssentamu from the National Unity Platform (NUP) party bagged 50,097 and 22,802 votes respectively received from 330 polling stations where only 153 votes were declared as invalid.

All the other nine presidential candidates eyeing the top seat recorded low figures below 5%.

The Electoral Commission hailed the elections for being calm and peaceful in a nationwide briefing that was televised live by news organizations.

Biometric voting machines were used at 34,000 polling stations. Once past the biometric verification, voters were directed to three ballot boxes to vote for their district level, parliamentary, and presidential candidates.

As of Friday morning, the internet and social media apps in the East African country still remained shut down as votes were counted to maintain calm and avoid any untoward situation in the country, which saw a surge in violence in the runup to the election that claimed the lives of at least 54 people.

The US withdrew as a poll observer over lack of accreditation for its officers by the Electoral Commission.