Former Supreme Court Judge, Justice Esther Kisakye, has raised concerns about President Yoweri Museveni’s failure to hold security agencies accountable following the conclusion of Uganda’s 2026 elections.
On January 15, 2026, Uganda held its general elections, with citizens electing leaders for various positions across the country. In the presidential race, President Museveni secured 71% of the vote, defeating seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Elton Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP), and Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP).
Other presidential contenders included Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Mugisha Greg Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Munyagwa Mubarak Sserunga of the Common Man’s Party (CMP), and Frank Bulira Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP).
According to the Electoral Commission, Museveni garnered 7,946,772 votes, followed by Kyagulanyi with 2,741,238 votes. Nandala Mafabi received 209,039 votes, while Mugisha Muntu secured 59,276 votes. Other candidates’ vote counts were as follows: Robert Kasibante (33,444), Elton Mabirizi (32,458), Munyagwa Mubarak Sserunga (31,666), and Frank Bulira Kabinga (45,959).
Since then elections, numerous prominent opposition figures have been arrested and charged, while others have gone missing or remain unaccounted for.
Bellow is Justice Kisakye’s open letter to Museveni
Mr. President Kaguta Museveni ,On the 15th of January 2026, you contested in the Ugandan presidential elections. On the 17th of January 2026, you were declared the winner of that election by the Electoral Commission.
Since that time, videos and recordings have continued to surface of you referring to those you contested against—and their supporters—as terrorists.
There have also been continued reports of army and police crackdowns on civilians, particularly in the central region that voted more heavily for opposition candidates than for you and the NRM party.
One of the candidates you contested against, Robert Kyagulanyi, has had his home under siege since the day of the elections and has been forced into hiding for his safety to date.
On the 23rd of January 2026, his home was again attacked at night by masked armed individuals—some in army and police uniforms and others in civilian clothing. Accounts shared on social media by Barbie Kyagulanyi describe unauthorized entry, threats and assaults on her and their household staff, destruction of property, and theft of phones, electronic devices, CCTV equipment etc.
Another opposition Member of Parliament, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi, a Vice President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) for the Central Region, has been charged with terrorism for allegedly attacking a police station. These charges contradict earlier reports indicating that his home was attacked on election night by armed men in uniform, resulting in the deaths of 10 people.
Two other Vice Presidents of NUP—Dr. Lina Zedriga (Northern Uganda) and Jolly Tukamushaba (Western Uganda)—have also been reported on social media as having been abducted. Their whereabouts remain unknown to date.
Another key opposition leader, Dr. Kizza Besigye, is in unlawful detention. He has been reported to be in poor health and denied access to his doctors.
A Catholic priest, Father Ssekabira, is in prison, among other reasons, for associating with Robert Kyagulanyi, an opposition leader.
Civil society organizations have been de-licensed.
Activists such as Sarah Birete are in prison on questionable charges.
Many other Ugandan citizens are missing or in unlawful detention for their political views or for supporting opposition candidates.
Mr. President, you are the President of Uganda and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. Your son is the Chief of the Defence Forces.
Can all of the above be happening without your knowledge or consent?
If you did not authorize or consent to the above actions, what steps have you taken to restore discipline and legality within the army and police, especially when they operate under your direct authority?
You campaigned on the theme of protecting the gains. As a citizen, I ask: what does that mean in practice?
Does it mean placing opponents under siege, arresting them, labeling them terrorists, and imprisoning them for indefinite periods?
The Constitution of Uganda—enacted under your leadership—provides for multiparty democracy and allows candidates dissatisfied with election results to seek redress before the Supreme Court. When opposition leaders are hunted, their homes surrounded by armed men, and their parties terrorized, are those constitutional guarantees still meaningful?
This pattern did not begin in 2026. It has been ongoing against different political actors, with the latest targets being NUP leaders and supporters.
As a country Uganda, are we moving forward, or are we moving backwards?
If you genuinely won this election, why prevent opposition leaders from using lawful and constitutional means to challenge the election results if they wish to?
What peace is being protected when some sections of the population do not live in peace? Do we have one Uganda, or two?
Many Ugandans have been forced into exile, fearing for their lives. Others have been pushed to seek employment in foreign countries where their safety and well-being are not guaranteed, simply to fend for themselves and their families.
Among those in exile is the President of the Uganda Law Society, Isaac Ssemakadde.
I, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda, and many other Ugandans are currently living involuntarily in exile, having been forced to flee for fear of our lives.
Your election win was secured in darkness in the midst of a nationwide Internet shutdown. The statements and actions that have followed since you were declared the winner continue to raise questions whether you actually won the election. If you won legitimately, repression is unnecessary.
If repression exists, legitimacy is in question.
Your manifesto did not include hunting down those who didn’t support you.
Elections in any democratic country are competitive. They are always people who support the candidate who emerges as the winner and those who support other candidates in the race.
So is Uganda different from other countries. Did you expect all Ugandan voters to vote for you? Is there a country where that happens?
Mr. President, you spent many years fighting for freedom. You have been in leadership for over 40 years. The country is walking on the roadmap you set in motion when you took over power by the gun in 1986, which resulted in the 1995 Constitution of Uganda that came into effect under your leadership.
Mr. President, you were born Ugandan, like the citizens now living in fear, prison, or exile. Uganda is our only country. We did not choose to be born in Uganda, but we must live in our motherland.
I write to you as a citizen addressing a leader entrusted with immense power and responsibility. You control the army, the police, the Electoral Commission, and state institutions. With that control comes responsibility.
Please put our house (Uganda) in order by:
1. Exercising your authority as President of Uganda to restore the rule of law so that Ugandans can live without fear.
2. Exercising your authority as Commander-in-Chief to stop abuses by security forces and ensure all state institutions act within the law.
3. Allowing all citizens and political actors to exercise their constitutional rights without fear.
4. Returning the country to constitutional governance, where courts function independently, political activity is lawful, and citizens are not punished, exiled, imprisoned, or silenced for their political views.
5. Stop labeling political opponents and their supporters as terrorists or as confused.
6. Stop the violence and the killings. As Commander-in-Chief, you must ensure that all suspects are handled through lawful arrest and tried before competent courts, not executed by security forces.
7. Stop the abductions of opposition leaders.
8. Stop terrorizing Ugandans who support other political parties.
9. Stop the siege on your political rivals’ homes.
10. Stop labeling political opponents as terrorists.
Uganda deserves dignity.
Uganda deserves justice.
Uganda deserves peace.
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY.
Respectfully,
Justice Dr. Esther Kitimbo Kisaakye.
Former Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda.
January 25, 2026
