Kampala, Uganda – A lot of Uganda has returned to regular after tens of millions voted in tense presidential and legislative elections marked by violence in some elements of the nation and disputed outcomes.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, was declared the winner on Saturday with 72 p.c of complete votes solid. Former musician Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly referred to as Bobi Wine, secured 25 p.c.
Bobi Wine’s Nationwide Unity Platform (NUP) social gathering and two different presidential candidates have rejected the outcomes, alleging irregularities together with poll stuffing, intimidation, and the blocking of social gathering brokers from polling stations. The United Nations additionally says Thursday’s vote was marred by “widespread repression and intimidation”.
On the day the nation’s Electoral Fee introduced Museveni’s win, Bobi Wine appeared in a video on social media, telling supporters that he was compelled into hiding after his residence was raided by police and different unknown people.
“I do know they’re on the lookout for me, however even when they succeed and get me, and do no matter, I need to say this to you fellow Ugandans,” he stated on video, “We reject no matter is being declared by Mr Simon Byabakama [the chair of the Electoral Commission] as a result of these so-called outcomes that they’re declaring are pretend and so they don’t in any method replicate what occurred on the polling stations.”
The opposition and its supporters say the federal government has violently cracked down on dissent, shutting down the internet and arresting protesters.
Museveni has accused Bobi Wine’s social gathering of attempting to destabilise the nation.
Ugandan authorities stated the four-day web shutdown was a safety measure geared toward stopping the unfold of misinformation that might trigger worry and chaos.
The federal government additionally stated seven people had been killed in Butambala, with police stating that protesters tried to assault a polling station and a police publish. The NUP disputes this account, saying at the least 10 individuals had been killed when police fired on the residence of a celebration official, a declare Al Jazeera couldn’t independently confirm.
Talking with Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi in an unique interview whereas in hiding, Bobi Wine condemned the federal government’s “crackdown to intimidate, to silence, and to subdue the forces of change”.
He additionally alleged he had “proof” of fraud, movies exhibiting “not the police, not the navy, however electoral fee officers” ticking poll papers in favour of Museveni.
Al Jazeera: How are you? How’s your loved ones?
Bobi Wine: I’m alive. I don’t understand how my household is, however I attempt to keep up a correspondence with my spouse. She’s OK, she’s robust. [The security forces are] nonetheless at my residence. No one’s allowed to entry the home.
Al Jazeera: The police spokesman instructed us that you’re not below arrest, that you’re at residence; clearly, you’re not. What do you say to them?
Bobi Wine: I noticed the police spokesperson saying I’m in my home. The identical police individual stated that the those that had been shot and killed in the home of my deputy president had been truly attacking the police station. And but they had been inside the home. You already know, a lot goes on, and the shamelessness of the Ugandan regime now could be bottomless. You already know, they’ll do one thing obviously – and so they lie about it.
Al Jazeera: You’re speaking concerning the incident in Butambala? Inform us about what occurred.
Bobi Wine: Ten individuals had been killed in Butambala on the home of my deputy president. They had been shot lifeless. The police shot by means of the door of a storage, a automotive storage room and killed 10 individuals. However scores had been additionally killed in Iganga. Many individuals had been killed in Kawempe and lots of different locations.
So, one of many the reason why I couldn’t keep house is that, as a pacesetter, I needed to keep up a correspondence with these individuals; I needed to give steering. I needed to be in contact and know what is occurring. It was extraordinarily harmful for me. You’ve heard the top of the navy, who’s Common Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, promising to cut off my head, and we had earlier info that they had been coming to hurt me. So, in that fracas once they raided my home, I used a number of outdated abilities to get my method out.
Al Jazeera: The president has referred to as you a traitor and a “terrorist” – you and different officers of your social gathering. What do you need to say to that?
Bobi Wine: It needs to be identified that in each dictatorship, particularly right here in Africa, to run in opposition to a dictator means being a terrorist, means being a traitor and the whole lot. I imply, a priest, a Catholic priest referred to as Father [Deusdedit] Ssekabira was arrested and Common Museveni was speaking about him, saying the Catholic priest was arrested and detained incommunicado for greater than two weeks for working with me. However I used to be not arrested. Younger persons are in jail for his or her affiliation with me and the social gathering that I lead. However I, with the secretary-general and lots of others, should not detained. It is a crackdown to intimidate, to silence and to fully subdue the forces of change; everyone that yearns for change and everyone that doesn’t assist Common Museveni.
Al Jazeera: You’ve gotten rejected the elections. You stated that the election is rigged. What proof do you’ve got?
Bobi Wine: We have now proof earlier than, we’ve proof throughout and after the election.
A day or two earlier than the election, a number of of our polling brokers had been picked up by the navy. A few of them are nonetheless lacking.
After which you’ve got seen movies. They turned off the web. And this time, not the police, not the navy, however electoral fee officers took half in ticking poll papers in favour of Common Museveni. We have now document of them. We have now movies of them doing that, and we’ve began importing them on social media. (Al Jazeera was unable to confirm movies on social media purporting to point out officers filling in poll papers. The Electoral Fee spokesperson declined to talk to Al Jazeera about this allegation.)
The Electoral Fee chairperson … introduced outcomes that no one is aware of the place they arrive from. They had been supposed to choose them from the declaration of outcomes kinds and the district tally sheets. Our brokers had been there; they’d completely different outcomes on the kinds. However the Electoral Fee chairperson was declaring one thing fully completely different. So, we rejected.
Like we stated to the individuals earlier than, that this was going to be a protest vote. We inspired individuals for greater than 100 days that ought to the dictatorship attempt to subvert the voice of the individuals, the individuals of Uganda ought to stand up in keeping with Article 29 of our structure and reclaim their voice. That’s what we encourage them to do.
Al Jazeera: And what does that imply? Protests?
Bobi Wine: Meaning nonviolent, legally accepted protests. It means protesting, it means rejecting the abuse of democracy, combating again in opposition to any subversion of our democracy. Our structure, Article 29, gives that the individuals of Uganda can protest and show peacefully and unarmed. And that’s precisely what we’ve inspired them and proceed to encourage them to do.
It could possibly be protesting on the streets. A few of us began protesting by holding excessive the nationwide flag. Others can protest by staying at residence. We gave it again to the individuals of Uganda to search out quite a few artistic methods of protesting … to combat again in probably the most ethical, constitutional and authorized method doable.
Al Jazeera: And going to the Supreme Courtroom will not be an possibility for you?
Bobi Wine: The judicial system in Uganda will not be impartial in any respect. Within the earlier presidential election petitions, the Supreme Courtroom has ordered for sure reforms – they’ve been fully ignored. So we don’t have hope within the judicial system of Uganda. That’s why we’ve at all times inspired the individuals of Uganda to be those to take again their voice.
Al Jazeera: The federal government and safety forces accused you and your supporters all through the election of flouting electoral guidelines, perhaps campaigning the place campaigns should not purported to be occurring, and that’s why you’ve got been met with this sort of violence and tear fuel and blocking rallies. What’s your response?
Bobi Wine: That’s what they’re saying. However the regulation as it’s in Uganda permits a candidate, most significantly a presidential candidate, to marketing campaign all over the place the place there are individuals. And certainly that marketing campaign programme was confirmed and ratified by the Electoral Fee of Uganda. Nevertheless, I used to be not allowed to even drive on the principle roads. I used to be not allowed to marketing campaign in cities or populated areas. I used to be at all times despatched to the bushes, however individuals got here there.
But in addition, the Electoral Fee was by no means accountable for this election; the military took charge of this election. … I imply, if there was something mistaken that I did, if there’s something that was in opposition to the regulation, I might have been apprehended a very long time in the past.
Al Jazeera: There are some Ugandans who subscribe to no matter you’re saying, however there’s a whole lot of worry within the nation. And so they’re saying, OK, the election is now finished, so let’s simply transfer on.
Bobi Wine: Transferring on is resigning to slavery. We’ve stated it many occasions that residing below a navy dictatorship for 40 years is like slavery. Ugandans don’t have a proper, they don’t have a voice. Uganda is an especially younger nation – the second youngest nation on this planet [by age], ruled by a ruler who’s over 80 years outdated.
Corruption is the order of the day. The nation is in a large number. And we, as a present technology – which might be the dad and mom of at present, which might be going to be beginning this nation – it’s our proper and responsibility to make sure that we take cost of our personal future.
Al Jazeera: And eventually, you can not go residence?
Bobi Wine: My purpose for not being house is to have the ability to communicate to the world. If I used to be in my home, you wouldn’t have the ability to entry me.
I might like to be in my residence. I’ve not modified my garments in days. I need to be residence. I need to be free. I need to deal with my individuals.
However the navy and police have taken over my residence. They’ve vandalised my gate. They’ve reduce the padlocks. They’ve reduce energy at my home. So that they’ve kind of colonised my residence.
Sadly, there’s no rule of regulation in Uganda. I can not discover redress with the courts. I can not discover redress with any establishment of state. I simply must combat again in my very own crude, non-violent method.
Be aware: This interview has been edited for readability and brevity.
