Yoweri museveni
Uganda eases internet shutdown imposed over election
Long-term leader Yoweri Musveni was declared the winner of a January 14 presidential election, securing 58.6% of the vote and a sixth term after 35 years in...
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has won a sixth term in office with 58.6 percent of the vote, in an election disputed by his main rival Bobi Wine.
Uganda's election commission announced that with 86.7% of polling stations reporting results, Museveni had 58.8% of votes, while Bobi Wine had 34.2%.
Voting in Kampala took place under the oppressive security presence of soldiers and riot police in the streets and at polling stations.
The internet went down on the eve of the vote, with some parts of the country reporting complete disruptions or significant slowdowns, after one of the most violent campaigns in years.
The migration to social media has been driven by two key factors: it's youthful voting population and excitement for Bobi Wine.
Uganda ordered a shutdown of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp ahead of Thursday's vote.
Today the star, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, is an MP dressed in dark, tailored suits who is fighting to become president of Uganda in Thursday's election.
He claims the army arrested his security guards and rounded up everyone else found on his property.
Bobi Wine, the 38-year-old popularly known as the "ghetto president" who hung up the mike to enter politics, leads the opposition field trying to unseat Museveni, a 76-year-old former rebel leader who has ruled since 1986.
Journalists have been attacked, lawyers jailed, election monitors prosecuted and opposition leaders violently muzzled using coronavirus laws.
Two days of protests were sparked by Bobi Wine's arrest on Wednesday ahead of a political rally in the run-up to the January 14 election, in which he is seen as the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni.
The East African nation imposed one of the earliest lockdowns and border closures on the continent.
Kizza Besigye told supporters he would maintain a presence behind the scenes but was now passing the baton.
Securing a new term would potentially extend the 75-year-old Museveni’s rule of the east African nation to four decades.
The plan to ban rallies and gatherings during the campaign drew a rebuke from a leading opposition politician, who said it was designed to favour longtime President Yoweri Museveni.
Tourism is one of Uganda’s economic mainstays as the east African country attracts visitors to see a range of game including lions, giraffes, buffalos and others that roam its savannahs.
The video had been hotly anticipated on social media after Museveni on Wednesday promised to release it to show Ugandans how to exercise at home during a televised address.
Benjamin Netanyahu arrived to a rainswept Entebbe airport accompanied by his wife, Sara, before heading to meet Museveni, an AFP photographer said.