Bobi Wine claims ballot stuffing, arrest as Uganda polls underway

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has alleged widespread irregularities as voting got underway on Thursday, claiming state agencies interfered with the electoral process and targeted members of his National Unity Platform (NUP).

In a statement shared on X, Wine said the government shutdown of internet services on election day “prevents citizens and observers from seeing what is happening across the country.”

He further alleged “massive ballot stuffing reported everywhere,” and said several NUP officials had been detained.

“Our leaders, including the Deputy President for Western Region, have been arrested,” Wine said, adding that some polling agents and supervisors were “abducted” or chased away from stations.

Wine also said the BVVK voter verification machines had “failed everywhere,” a claim that could not immediately be independently verified.

“The world needs to know what is happening in Uganda on Election Day. BVVK machines have failed everywhere,” he added.

Ugandan authorities had not responded to the allegations by the time of publication.

Previous elections in the country have been marred by disputes between the opposition and President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

Museveni, 81, has been in power since 1986 and is seeking a seventh successive victory.

The polls began early morning, where the BBC observed growing frustration among voters queuing at some polling stations in the capital, Kampala, where voting had yet to start.

The delays were blamed on failures of biometric identification kits, which some been linked to the network outage, as well as a lack of equipment in some places.

The electoral agency apologised for the "technical glitches", assuring that officials were working to resolve them.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, as published by the BBC, electoral chief Simon Byabakama ordered the use of the national voters' register where biometric machines failed to function.

"It is the primary duty of the Electoral Commission to ensure that no citizen is disenfranchised due to machine failure," Byabakama said.

The problems, BBC reported, appear to be affecting areas that are seen as pro-government as well as areas that are seen as pro-opposition.

The country's law allows polling hours to be extended if challenges disrupt the voting process.

"Polling stations will remain open until all registered voters in the queue by 4:00 pm have cast their votes," Byabakama stated.

Internet access had been suspended ahead of voting day, with Uganda's Communications Commission saying a blackout was necessary to prevent misinformation, fraud and the incitement of violence - a move condemned by the UN human rights office as "deeply worrying".