KAMPALA, UGANDA As the dust settles on Uganda’s January 15, 2026, general elections, scenes of chaos and high-stakes drama have emerged from the tallying centers.
While President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was officially declared the winner today with over seven million votes, the national mood remains tense, punctuated by localized clashes and a dramatic incident involving an electoral official in Kawempe North.
In a scene that left onlookers stunned, the Kampala District Returning Officer, Mr. Rashid Hasakya, was forced to flee for his life shortly after declaring Mr. Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola, a staunch ally of Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) and member of the National Unity Platform (NUP), as the winner of the Kawempe North Parliamentary seat.
The trouble began at the Kololo Tally Centre after Mr. Hasakya announced that Nalukoola had secured a landslide victory with 34,985 votes. This declaration sparked an immediate and violent confrontation from the camp of his closest rival, Ms. Faridah Nambi of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), who according to the Electoral Commission (EC), obtained only 8,930 votes.
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Faced with an advancing, angry mob of NRM supporters who contested the results, Mr. Hasakya was forced to abandon the tallying table and sprint to a waiting Electoral Commission vehicle to escape physical harm. He later returned under heavy guard to officially hand over the declaration forms to Nalukoola’s agents.
Other candidates in the hotly contested race included Edward Stanely Engenamaitum (114 votes), Ismail Musitwa (100 votes), and Salim Sserunkuma (131 votes).
Speaking after the chaotic ordeal, a triumphant Mr. Nalukoola mocked the attempts to subvert the will of the people. “I gave her a bloody nose,” Nalukoola stated, referring to Ms. Nambi. “She has failed completely, but I have seen her attacking the returning officer.
Why? It was only NRM and Nambi who wanted to steal my win.”
As Bobi Wine’s supporters continue to protest the national presidential results, the incident in Kawempe North stands as a stark reminder of the volatile political climate currently gripping the nation.
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