Kyagulanyi projects confidence as Uganda heads into election day

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National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has expressed confidence ahead of Thursday’s (January 15) general elections, saying the unity he has witnessed across the country has convinced him that Ugandans are ready for political change.

Kyagulanyi said support for NUP cuts across age, class and education, a trend he said has strengthened his belief that the opposition is poised for a strong showing at the polls.

He was speaking on Monday (January 12) at the Aga Khan University grounds in Kampala Central, where he concluded his nationwide campaign activities ahead of voting day.

“Everywhere we have been, I have seen people raising the flag — young and old, educated and uneducated. A people united cannot be defeated,” Kyagulanyi told supporters.

The NUP leader said he had also been encouraged by growing solidarity from fellow opposition figures, singling out detained four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye, who he said had made a financial contribution to his campaign.

The donation was disclosed on Sunday by Besigye’s wife, Eng. Winnie Byanyima, who is also the executive director of UNAIDS, during a prayer meeting at their home in Kasangati, Wakiso district.

“They don’t do this because they love Kyagulanyi as a person, but because of the idea we stand for,” he said.

Reflecting on a campaign marked by repeated arrests and teargas, Kyagulanyi said it was the backing of ordinary Ugandans that kept his bid alive. He noted that without what he described as extraordinary public support, his campaign would have stalled long before reaching its final week.

Uganda’s 2026 presidential race features eight candidates, including incumbent Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking a seventh term under the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Other contenders include Gregory Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Elton Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party (CP), Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP), Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party (CMP), and Frank Bulira Kabinga of the Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP).

As the country heads into voting, Kyagulanyi raised concerns over the nomination process, alleging that some NUP candidates were blocked, intimidated or forced out, resulting in uncontested races that favoured the ruling party.

He also accused the Electoral Commission of interference, citing the Bukoto Central parliamentary contest.

“The Electoral Commission has made it its business to choose candidates for us which we reject,” he said.

Kyagulanyi contrasted these concerns with what he described as growing national unity behind his campaign, arguing that the movement transcended individual personalities.

At the same event, Kyagulanyi’s wife, Barbie, thanked supporters from across the country for standing with her husband and urged voters to back NUP flag bearers, including detained party members Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the Nakawa East parliamentary candidate, and Doreen Kaija, a Nakawa East Lord Councillor.

NUP secretary general and Kampala Central parliamentary candidate Lewis David Rubongoya said a NUP government would prioritise decentralisation and create a more favourable business environment by reducing taxes.

He cited the cost of motorcycles as an example, noting that a boda boda that costs about sh2.5 million in India sells for more than sh6 million in Uganda, rising to between sh12 million and sh13 million when bought on credit.

Kyagulanyi is expected to campaign in Nansana and Busiro East on Tuesday (January 13), marking the final day of presidential campaigning ahead of Thursday’s polls.