President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said citizens working together with Security Forces stopped what he described as a planned insurrection by the National Unity Platform (NUP).
“You remember the 28 elders that were cut by machete (panga) wielders in Masaka in 2021? That was the work of NUP. This time they had planned big insurrection to stop the voting. However, the majority of the masses, working with Security Forces, prevented this,” Museveni said.
In a message addressing Ugandans, the President said that opposition actors continue to organise disruptive activities. “They still have schemes they are still hatching, working with some criminal foreigners (mercenaries). We shall crush them. Some of the cases will come to court. You will hear the facts,” he said.
Museveni warned that fear created by such schemes discourages some citizens from participating in elections. He urged ruling party leaders to strengthen ties with communities.
“That is why the NRM cadres should be close with the People, honest with them and encourage them to ignore the schemes of the criminal opposition but also be ready to crush any scheme of the traitors,” he said.
The President partly blamed low voter turnout among National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters on what he called self-seeking leaders. “It is on account, mainly, of the Najja-kulya (I came to eat) leaders on both the NRM and opposition sides,” he said, adding that violence and unfair practices during party primaries frustrate members.
Museveni also defended the use of Biometric Voter Verification machines, saying they weakened electoral malpractice. “With the BVV machines, the Opposition’s life-line of cheating, was gone,” he said, although he noted that some operators “did not learn how to use them properly” and allowed limited cheating.
The President argued that the NRM remains dominant nationally. “Indeed, our registered members as of the 6th of May, 2025, were 21 million where those old enough to vote were 18.5 million. All the registered voters in Uganda were 21 million. If all the NRM turned up to vote, our vote would be 18.5 million and the opposition would remain with 2.5 million. This means 88% support for the NRM,” he said.
He added that once key service delivery challenges are resolved, the opposition will struggle to grow. “Once those are addressed according to my guidance and our collective decisions, there will be no opposition in Uganda,” Museveni said.
Reflecting on his recent campaign trail, Museveni said the rallies drew large crowds across the country. “Otherwise, my campaign tasks were pleasantly executed among huge crowds, starting with Luwero on the 30th of September, 2025 and ending with Kololo on the 13th of January, 2026,” he said.
He noted that he rejected special treatment during rallies. “I rejected a proposal from my staff where they wanted to erect a shelter against the sun for me on my Public Address land-rover. I had to be in the sun and the rain with the tens of thousands of my supporters,” he said.
The President called for reconciliation and fair political conduct. “All said and done, I call upon Ugandans to abandon any bad behaviour and act fairly to all, even opposition. You should work for principled reconciliation – not just opportunistic patching up. Talk about the mistakes observed and resolve them for a better future,” he said.
Museveni concluded by recalling his role in the 1979 war that led to the fall of Idi Amin. “Finally, I want to inform all the Ugandans that yesterday on the 11th of February 1979, is when I crossed the Kagera River with 200 FRONASA fighters… Between the 12th of February and the 15th of April, 1979, we built a force of 9000 fighters of FRONASA,” he said.
