Uganda’s 2026 Election: Pop‑Star Bobi Wine Faces Military Crackdown

On Friday 16 January 2026, voters in Kampala went to the polls in a sky‑high security environment as Uganda’s longest‑running president Yoweri Museveni faces a challenge from pop‑star politician Bobi Wine. The army is fully deployed on city streets and the state has imposed a total internet blackout to curb dissent. According to Wine’s National Unity Party, at least 300 supporters and party officials have been detained in the weeks leading up to the vote, and nine local human‑rights organisations have had their permits suspended. The 2021 election had already seen 54 people killed and hundreds disappear. Museveni dismisses the allegations as opposition fabrications, while Wine argues the vote is being rigged.