“Amid global geopolitical chaos, remember Uganda’s battle to unseat an authoritarian“. This was a headline on 4th January 2026 in South Africa’s journal The Daily Maverick. The article is well worth reading, but here are a few extracts.

“We live in an age of geopolitical turmoil and distraction.

“Around us is a ‘new normal’ – war in the centre of Europe, populist politics, visceral nationalism, xenophobic reaction to immigration, trade wars, the decline of UN authority, the weakening of international law, difficulties in distinguishing fake from real news, and the emergence of an illiberal world order shaped more by the needs of autocrats than the values of democrats.

“Unsurprisingly, in such an environment, people turn inwards, looking less to promote values abroad than protect their gains at home.

“But there is hope. And it comes from an unlikely place – Uganda – where an opposition is attempting against all odds to unseat an authoritarian who has held firmly onto the reins of power for nearly 40 years.” [Above photo of Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, is also from the Daily Maverick.]

But the hope is very tenuous as the government and military repression ramps up several gears with just 8 days left until the Elections in Uganda.

The Elections are not just for President and Parliament, but also for Mayors and Representatives at all levels of Local Government. So the Elections are hugely significant for Uganda for the next 5 years.

Here are just a few snippets of news from Uganda in the last 24 hours, to give an idea of what the NUP opposition party is up against in a country that is utterly corrupt and where President Museveni and his son General Muhoozi Kainerugaba hold such a tight grip on all national institutions, including the Military, Police, Judiciary and Electoral Commission (EC). From Thursday (8th) onwards, it will be difficult to get any news from Uganda following a complete government-imposed internet and news blackout.

“Media freedom is not a favor it’s a constitutional right. A free press is essential for transparency, accountability, and credible elections. The law must protect journalists from intimidation, not be used as a tool to silence scrutiny or suppress the truth. Democracy survives when information flows freely.” [Many journalists have been brutally assaulted by the police and military.]

The reporting of any violence has been banned. “So by this, you’re saying it’s illegal to broadcast footage even when an ARMED officer is clearly filmed brutalising an innocent civilian… as we have seen on many occasions?”

“With just 9 days to the election, Uganda’s Electoral Commission has not released the legally mandated hard-copy voters register to the public. The law is clear. So what is the Commission hiding? By withholding the register, Uganda EC has undercut its own credibility, stranded candidates, parties and observers, without time to prepare, and left unanswered concerns about mass irregularities in the rolls—ghost voters, missing names, inflated numbers. A closed register, late in the process, is not a technical lapse; it is a recipe for disputed results and alleged electoral fraud. When the rules are ignored, trust collapses—and elections lose their meaning.”

Many legitimate NUP candidates have been removed since the closing date for nominations or have been so severely threatened that they have changed to the NRM, leaving many seats already ‘won unopposed’ by the NRM, long before the actual election day! “As we [NUP] have said repeatedly, whatever Museveni and Byabakama [Director of the EC] are looking for, THEY WILL DEFINITELY GET!! We’ve just learnt that Byabakama has yet again de-nominated our candidate for Mayor, Makindye Division, Lusagala Bosco, as well as the other 11 candidates for the same position, effectively leaving the NRM candidate unopposed!! Each day gives us more reason to fight on until Uganda is free. All this nonsense can come to an end if we all do what we must do to free our country from Museveni and his criminal enterprise.”

“It is only upon Uganda EC’s verification of submitted details, especially those of persons supporting an aspirant’s nomination, that they get nominated and become candidates. How then does the Commission itself turn around to say that the candidates never met the required number of signatures?”

“It is now clear that the EC is receiving orders from above; hence, they are unable to deliver a free, fair, and credible election envisaged by the constitution!”

A NUP candidate, Jordan Tumwine in Rwampara County, who changed parties due to threats, has courageously returned to the NUP today, asking the “NUP Party president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu for forgiveness after switching to the NRM, saying he decided out of intimidation.”

“Political tensions are escalating in Busiro East following the dramatic endorsement of independent candidate Emmanuel Magoola by Mathias Mulumba Walukagga, the ‘disqualified’ National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer for the parliamentary seat ahead of the January 15, 2026 General Election. In a charged press conference earlier today, Walukagga dropped a political bombshell, explaining that his disqualification was orchestrated through behind-the-scenes influence from the incumbent MP, Medard Lubega Sseggona. According to Walukagga, information from within the Electoral Commission pointed to Sseggona’s hand in the controversial decision. Determined not to let his political base “fall into the wrong hands,” Walukagga announced his full backing of Magoola, effectively reshaping the dynamics of the Busiro East contest. The endorsement now sets the stage for a high-stakes political showdown, raising a burning question among voters and analysts alike: can Sseggona survive the growing alliance between Walukagga and Magoola, or is Busiro East on the brink of a political upset?”

Luttamaguzi, already an MP who is now standing for re-election as an NUP candidate, today said, “My house was surrounded by many soldiers last night. Their commander asked if I am keeping any money or anything for Kyagulanyi (aka Bobi Wine) in my house. He said, ‘Luttamaguzi and Muwanga Kivumbi should keep away from Kyagulanyi or face trouble.”

Zaake Francis: “The EC [Electoral Commission] cleared my campaign route. [And yet] Police blocked roads, attacked us with teargas, arrests, seized boda bodas [motorbike ‘taxis’] and Uganda flags, while NRM [Museveni’s ruling party] campaigned freely. [I committed] no offence, yet I was dumped home at 3pm under illegal House Arrest.”  This has happened frequently to Bobi Wine. Today, he was prevented from reaching Moroto, which had been agreed by the EC as his final destination today.

Some more extracts from the Daily Maverick article:

“Multiparty democracy, which was reintroduced in Uganda in 2006, has been steadily eroded as Museveni has sought to stay in power. In the run-up to the January 2021 election more than 50 people were killed in a process that unsurprisingly was widely believed to have been rigged. Uganda may be nominally a democracy, but it is run by people who wear the same old boots.”

“Following the contentious 2021 poll, Wine was placed under house arrest and his home surrounded during the counting process.”

“Already this time, the regime has increased its harassment of the opposition, interfering with rallies, hindering Wine’s movements and randomly firing teargas at opposition events, if nothing else to remind Uganda’s 46 million people who is in charge…..  Bobi Wine has said, ‘They’ve arrested more than 400 people of my campaign team. Largely 90% of my campaign team is in prison right now.’

“In the run-up to the poll over the next two weeks we can expect worse as Museveni’s son, also a general, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, stamps his particularly brutal brand on the proceedings…..

“If Muhoozi were to take over [as is planned by Museveni, who is 81], Western actors would wish they had spoken up sooner rather than too late.” Muhoozi Kainerugaba is pro-Russia and supportive of their invasion of Ukraine.

“The struggle led by Wine is an example to democrats everywhere. If he succeeds in Uganda, democracy everywhere would be the winner. For the West, it is in its enlightened self-interest to protect the democratic process, the best investment it can make in African development. For, if not, Africans will realise they are on their own, foretelling a great migration to places with greater freedoms and opportunities.”