At least seven opposition supporters were killed in Butambala, Uganda, in violence reported around the country’s presidential election count, with opposition figures and police giving sharply different accounts of what happened. The deaths form the central development on the 2026-01-16 date.
Butambala is about 55km south-west of Kampala. BBC News reported that the killings occurred late on Thursday in disputed circumstances, while results from the presidential election were being released. The report said an internet shutdown imposed earlier in the week meant news of the violence emerged only on Friday.
Muwanga Kivumbi, a member of parliament from Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform, told AFP that soldiers and police first used tear gas and then fired live rounds at hundreds of people who had gathered at his home to follow early results announcements. The BBC report said human rights activist Agather Atuhaire confirmed that account to Reuters.
Police disputed that version. Local police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe told Reuters, according to the BBC, that officers fired in self-defence after what she described as a group of NUP “goons” attacked a police station and planned to overrun a tallying centre. She said they carried machetes, axes and boxes of matches, and said at least seven people had been killed.
The violence unfolded during a tense post-vote period in which official returns showed President Yoweri Museveni far ahead of his main challenger, Wine. BBC News reported that Museveni had about 75% of the vote with results in from more than half of polling stations. It later cited figures giving Museveni 74% and Wine 23%, based on returns from 81% of polling stations.
Wine’s party questioned the credibility of the results. Wine told supporters to ignore what he called fake results and alleged that authorities were stealing the vote, but the BBC reported he did not provide evidence for the claim and that authorities had not responded to the allegation.
The opposition leader also said he had been placed under house arrest, with security forces surrounding his home. Police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told local broadcaster NBS, as reported by the BBC, that Wine was a person of interest as a presidential contestant and that the security deployment was for his protection. Some local journalists said they were blocked from reaching Wine’s home in the Magere area of Kampala.
The BBC also reported that Wine’s party said on social media that a helicopter had landed at his home and that he had been taken away to an unknown location. Wine’s son said both parents had been seized by the military, but the BBC noted difficulty verifying the claim because of internet access problems. Local police told the BBC they were not aware of the incident.
Electoral chief Simon Byabakama said vote counting had not been affected by the internet blackout because the commission was using a private system to send district results to the national tally centre. He said officials were on course to announce the winner within 48 hours.
The election followed an often violent campaign. Museveni, 81, first took power in 1986 and was seeking a seventh term. Wine, 43, is a pop star-turned-politician whose party says it represents younger Ugandans. Voting on Thursday was delayed in many polling stations by late ballot boxes and biometric verification problems.
