Uganda’s electoral process entered a more volatile phase as the head of the country’s election commission publicly acknowledged receiving threats, warning against declaring certain candidates the winners of Thursday’s presidential vote. Commissioner Simon Byabakama said senior state officials, whom he did not name, had sought to intimidate him ahead of the announcement of results, raising further questions about the credibility of an already tense election.

Byabakama’s comments came in response to a BBC question about a widely circulated video showing Yiga Kisakyamukama, a special presidential assistant, asserting that opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, would never be declared president even if he won. “Some people say if you don’t declare so-and-so as president, you will see,” denoting being threatened, But Byabakama said. “I tell them that I am not in the business of donating votes.”

A Contest Under Constraint

The election pits President Yoweri Museveni, 81, against Bobi Wine, 43, a pop star turned politician mounting his second challenge after finishing runner-up in the 2021 polls. Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986 and is seeking a seventh term, after amending the constitution to remove both age and term limits. Six other candidates are also competing, with about 21.6 million registered voters in a country of roughly 46 million people.

Campaigning has been marked by repeated disruption of opposition rallies, detention of activists, and the use of police and military forces to break up gatherings. In the video shared by the Daily Monitor newspaper, Kisakyamukama was heard saying: “Don’t expect, don’t even think, that Simon Byabakama would announce Bobi Wine.” He added that Museveni would “never leave power through voting.”

Law Versus Intimidation

At the Electoral Commission headquarters in Kampala, Byabakama sought to project resolve. “You can see from my demeanour that fear is a word that does not exist in my vocabulary,” he said, dismissing the threats as coming from “idle people.” He stressed that the outcome would be governed strictly by Uganda’s electoral law, which requires a candidate to secure “more than 50% plus one” of valid votes cast to be declared president.

Byabakama said results would be announced within 48 hours of the close of polling, in line with legal requirements. He also addressed concerns over the heavy military presence in urban areas, saying security forces had been deployed to maintain peace rather than intimidate voters. Reports that some polling stations were located within military premises were being investigated, he added, with assurances that corrective measures would be taken if confirmed.

Information Blackout And Wider Concerns

The credibility of the process has been further strained by a nationwide internet shutdown imposed on Tuesday, with authorities citing the need to curb “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud and related risks.” The outage has limited access to independent reporting and vote monitoring, in addition to rights groups receiving orders to halt their operations in the country, amplifying fears of repression in the final days before ballots are cast.

The United Nations Human Rights Office has described the restrictions and the broader security environment as “deeply worrying,” noting that the combination of arrests, force against opposition supporters, and communication blackouts risks undermining public confidence. As Uganda votes, the poll chief’s warnings underscore how pressure on electoral institutions has become a central fault line in a contest already defined by mistrust.