Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said on Saturday that he evaded a police raid on his residence and was in hiding as the country awaited the final results of a tense presidential election conducted under an internet blackout.
Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, said security forces raided his home late on Friday.
In a post on X, he said he managed to escape and was no longer at his residence, while his wife and other family members remained under what he described as house arrest.
“I managed to escape from them. Currently, I am not at home,” Wine wrote, adding that security agents were searching for him and that he was taking steps to remain safe.
The development came as President Yoweri Museveni, 81, appeared poised to secure another term in office, extending his rule beyond four decades.
According to the Electoral Commission, with more than 90 percent of votes counted by Saturday, Museveni was leading with 71.9 percent, while Wine trailed with 24.5 percent.
Security was visibly tightened across the capital, Kampala, with a heavy police and military presence.
Authorities restricted movement in parts of the city in an apparent effort to prevent post-election protests similar to those recently witnessed in neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania.
The election, held on Thursday, was conducted amid an internet shutdown imposed by authorities, who said the measure was necessary to curb misinformation.
Wine has accused the government of widespread electoral malpractice, including ballot stuffing and attacks on his party officials during the blackout.
However, African election observer missions said on Saturday that they had not seen evidence of ballot stuffing, though they expressed concern over reports of intimidation, arrests and abductions targeting opposition figures and civil society groups.
Wine, 43, a former musician who has emerged as Museveni’s most prominent challenger in recent years, was also arrested ahead of the 2021 election.
Final results of the 2026 polls were expected later on Saturday.