Museveni leading opponents in all regions

By Charles Etukuri, Mary Karugaba and Paul Kiwuwa

KAMPALA - Preliminary results from the Electoral Commission tally centre indicate that incumbent President Yoweri Museveni is leading in 17 sub-regions across the country.

These are Acholi, Ankole, Buganda, Bugisu, Bukedi, Bunyoro, Busoga, Elgon, Karamoja, Kigezi, Lango, Rwenzori, Sebei, Teso, Toro, Kampala and West Nile.

The results show Museveni leading his competitors, including Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Robert Kyagulanyi, in their own home areas of Bugisu and Buganda, respectively.

The incumbent president is also commanding a higher voter margin in areas like Acholi, Teso, Ankole, Sebei, Lango, Bunyoro and Toro.

Kampala 

For Kampala city, which is composed of one district, Kampala with 2,705 polling stations, EC said it had by January 16, 2026, received results from 167 polling stations.

Kampala City had 1,572,856 voters and the votes counted so far were 52,893; the valid votes were 51,629, while the invalid votes were 1,264.

▪️Museveni scored 26,826, representing 51.96

▪️Kyagulanyi scored 23,753 votes, representing 46.01% of the total votes

▪️Gregory Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation scored 183 votes, representing 0.94%

▪️James Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change scored 269 votes, representing 0.52%

▪️Mubarak Munyagwa of Common Man's Party scored 183 votes, representing 0.35%

▪️Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party scored 47, representing 0.09%

▪️Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party 34, representing 0.7%

▪️Frank Bulira Kabinga of Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP) scored 34 votes, representing 0.07% 

Rwenzori 

Has three districts with 1,549 polling stations. By Friday at 6:00pm EC said it had received results from 807 polling stations. The region has 607, 499 registered voters and had received 181,001 presidential votes.

The valid votes were 176,432 while the invalid votes were 4,569.

Museveni scored 127, 234 votes which represents 72.12%; Kyagulanyi 25.26% which is 25.26%; Nandala 2,474 which is 1.4%; Muntu 621 which is 0.35%; Kasibante 477 which is 0.27%; Bulira 476 which is 0.27%; Mabirizi 317 which is 0.18%; and Munyagwa 262 which is 0.15%.

Teso 

It has 11 districts which include; Soroti, Kumi, Ngora, Bukedea, Serere, Kaberamaido, Katakwi and Amuria.

It has 2,563 polling station and by Friday at 6:00 pm EC had received results from 2,192 polling stations. The region has 1,094,196 registered voters and the turn out was 569,621. The valid votes were 556, 439 and invalid votes were 13,182.

Museveni scored 467,057 which is 83.94%; Kyagulanyi 61,099 which is 10.98%; Nandala 17,797 which is 3.2%; Bulira 3,804 votes which is 0.68%; Kasibante2,042 which is 0.37%. Muntu 1,460 which is 0.26%; Munyagwa 1,455 which is 0.26%.

Busoga 

The region has 12 districts, 5,097 polling stations and EC tally centre had received from 3,842 polling stations. The region has 2,151,197 registered voters and the turnout was 787,193. The valid votes were 768,125 and the invalid votes were 19,068.

Museveni scored 414,819, which is 54%; Kyagulanyi 337,484, which is 43.94%; Nandala 6,995, which is 0.91%; Bulira 2,291, which is 0.3%; Munyagwa 2,269 which is 0.3%; Kasibante 2, 021 which is 0.26%; Muntu 1, 430 which is 0.19% and Mabirizi who got 816 which is 0.11%.

Buganda 

In Buganda, with 26 districts and 5, 294,209 votes, 11,438 polling stations, EC had received results from 6, 061 polling stations. The turnout was 1,353, 138 and the valid votes were 1,324,812, while the invalid votes were 28,326.

Museveni scored 682,925, which represents 51.55%; Kyagulanyi 624,917, which is 47.17%; Nandala 4, 250 which is 0.32%; Muntu 3,311, which is 0.25%; Munyagwa 3, 205 which is 0.25%; Kasibante 2,793, which is 0.21%; Bulira 2,126, which is 0.16%; and Mabirizi who scored 1,285% which is 0.1%.

Kigezi 

Kigezi region has six districts with 888,191 registered voters, 2,360 polling stations and  EC has received results from 1,872.  The turnout was 462,067, the valid votes were 453,951 and the invalid votes were 8,125.

Museveni scored 390,069, which represents 85.93%; Kyagulanyi scored 48,697, representing 10.73%; Muntu 6,972, representing 1.54%; Nandala 3,518, representing 0.77%; Munyagwa 1,206, representing 0.27%; Kasibante 1,011 which is 0.22%; and Mabirizi 669, representing 0.15%.

Karamoja 

Karamoja region has nine districts, 424,335 voters, 1,199 polling stations and EC had received results from 1,057 polling stations.  The turn out was 265,489 and the valid votes were 253,703 while the invalid votes were 11,786.

Museveni scored 233,540 votes which represents 92.05%; Kyagulanyi scored 12,600 votes which is 4.97%; Nandala 3,372 votes which is 1.33%; Munyagwa 859 which 0.34%; Bulira 1, 621 votes which is 0.64%; Kasibante 757 which is 0.3%; Muntu 504 which is 0.2%;  Mabirizi 450 votes which is 0.18%.

Sebei 

The Sebei region has three districts, Kapchorwa, Kween, and Bukwo and has 529 polling stations, which had all submitted their results. Registered voters in Sebei were 188,442 and the turnout was 130,832. Valid votes were 128, 026 and invalid 2,806.

Museveni scored 108,736 representing 84.9%; Kyagulanyi scored 13, 519 representing 10.5%; Nandala 4, 412 representing 3.45%; Bulira 528, representing 0.4%; Kasibante 262, representing 0.2%; Munyagwa 229, representing 0.18%, Mugisha 196, representing 0.15%; Mabirizi 155, representing 0.11%.

Bugisu

Comprises the districts of Bududa, Bulambuli, Manafwa, Mbale, Mbale City, Namisindwa, and Sironko. It was initially considered Nandala’s home area. It has 2,217 polling stations and has submitted results from 1,701 polling stations. It has 884,3975 registered voters and the turnout was 348, 270 and by Friday at 6:00pm, 1,701 polling stations had submitted their results.

Museveni scored 209,192 votes representing 61.47%; Nandala 77,740 representing 22.84%; Kyagulanyi scored 49,811 votes representing 14.64%; Bulira 962 representing 0.28%; Munyagwa 833 representing 0.24%; Mabirizi 691 representing 0.2%; Kasibante 651 representing 0.19%; Muntu 433 representing 0.13%.

Bukedi

Bukedi region has seven districts, including Pallisa, Kibuku, Budaka, Butaleja, Tororo and Busia. It had 2,673 polling stations and the results received so far are from 1,941. The registered voters were 1,151,037. Votes so far received were 506,322 and the valid votes were 496,019 and the invalid votes were 10, 308.

Museveni scored 347,903 votes representing 70.14%; Kyagulanyi 134,364 representing 27.09%; Nandala 7, 969 representing 1.61%; Kasibante 1,500 representing 0.3%; Bulira 1,462 representing 0.29%; Munyagwa 1.129 representing 0.23%; Muntu 910 representing 0.18%; Mabirizi 782, representing 0.16%.

New Vision Online did not obtain current results from Toro, Lango and Acholi regions.

However, results released at midday on Friday indicated that;

Toro 

Toro region had 933,047 registered voters and has seven districts with 2,371 polling stations. EC had received 1,671 polling stations and the turn out so far was 416, 917. Valid votes was 408,911 while the invalid votes were 8,006.

Museveni scored 365,103, which was 89.2%; Kyagulanyi scored 38,167, which is 9.33%; Muntu scored 2,175, which is 0.53%; Nandala 1,098, representing 0.2%; Munyagwa 989, representing 0.24%; Bulira 886, representing 0.17%; Kasibante 456, representing 0.11%; Mabirizi 237, representing 0.06%.

Lango 

Lango has nine districts: Alebtong, Amolatar, Apac, Dokolo, Kole, Lira, Oyam, Otuke and Kwania. It has 2,882 polling stations and results received so far were from 1,315 polling stations. It has 1,221,178 registered voters and the turnout so far received was 309,308 votes. The valid votes were 297,927 and invalid votes were 11,381.

Candidate Museveni scored 250, 102 representing 83.9%; Kyagulanyi 33, 277 representing 11.17%; Nandala 4,233 representing 1.42%; Bulira 3,203 representing 1.0%; Mabirizi 2,630 representing 0.8%; Kasibante 2,161 representing 0.73%; Muntu 1,236 representing 0.41%; Munyagwa 1,085 representing 0.36%.

Museveni in the lead

On Friday at 6:00 pm President Museveni maintained his lead, and had garnered 6, 003,657 votes, which is 74.92% of the valid votes counted so far.

EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama said the total number of polling stations from which they had tallied results received so far was 35,491, which represents 69.95%  of the total number of polling stations.

The other presidential candidates have so far received the following votes:

▪️ Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform (NUP): 1,709,474votes (21.33%)

▪️ James Nathan Nandala Mafabi of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC): 157,111 votes (1.96%)

▪️ Gregory Mugisha Muntu of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT): 44,367 votes (0.55%)

▪️ Frank Bulira Kabinga of Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP): 35,315, votes (0.44%)

▪️ Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP): 24,564 votes (0.31%)

▪️Mubarak Munyagwa of Common Man's Party (CMP): 22,232 votes (0.28%)

▪️Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP):16,813 (0.21%)

“The valid votes altogether of the candidates so far are 8,013,533. Invalid votes are 202,808, constituting 2.47% of the total votes cast," said Byabakama.

The total votes tallied so far are 8,216, 341, representing 37.95% of the registered voters. Spoilt votes are 22,356. Spoilt votes are 27, 740.

The total number of registered voters is 21,649,067 on the national voters' register and the total number of polling stations is 50,739.

Byabakama said EC would be releasing the result at regular intervals and the next session will be at 10;00 pm on Friday.