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Delays plague voting in #Uganda’s presidential election Uganda’s presidential election was plagued by widespread delays Thursday in addition to a days-long internet shutdown that has been criticized as an anti-democratic tactic in a country where the president has held office since 1986. Some polling stations remained closed for up to four hours after the scheduled 7 a.m. start time due to “technical challenges,” according to the nation’s electoral commission, which asked polling officers to use paper registration records to ensure the difficulties did not “disenfranchise any voter.” President Yoweri Museveni, 81, faces seven other candidates, including Robert Kyagulanyi, a musician-turned-politician best known as Bobi Wine, who is calling for political change. The East African country of roughly 45 million people has 21.6 million registered voters. Polls were expected to close at... https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0kAMpvPMtTuJstWTuAa3YqVPJ8mD4zqzerAdHS9vX76KCgRM4g92kX6XoKMBSVRKul

#Kenya, #Uganda double down on rail extension burdened by Chinese debt The presidents of Kenya and Uganda met near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt. The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned. Kenya now spends roughly $1 billion a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway. That is far more than the line generates in revenue -- around $165 million last year -- even if passenger and cargo numbers have been growing strongly over the past year. A report by Kenya's auditor general last year found more than $260 million had been wasted just on penalties and.... https://www.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid02Lum43stceAgXsfryRgUybVqG2KThTgjaCNFN6iRzN1e8tmj4CJL8L2djpNhfcZPal

#Uganda cuts internet days before presidential election Ugandan authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout days before presidential elections in which President Yoweri #Museveni is expected to prolong his 40-year rule. A government regulatory body instructed mobile network operators to block public internet access starting at 6pm (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Internet monitor NetBlocks later confirmed a “nation-scale disruption to internet connectivity”. The network outage has heightened concerns about repression in the run-up to the January 15 vote, in which 81-year-old Museveni, Africa’s third-longest-serving leader, is being challenged by pop star-turned-politician Bobi Wine. Musevni’s re-election ‘all but locked down’ Ugandan security personnel have rounded up hundreds of opposition supporters in advance of the vote and repeatedly fired live bullets and tear gas at pro-Wine campaign rallies. ... https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/1/13/uganda-cuts-internet-days-before-presidential-election

News: #Irish Minister begins official visit to #Ethiopia, Uganda to strengthen development and trade ties Ireland’s Minister of State for International Development and the Diaspora, Neale Richmond TD, has begun a visit to Ethiopia and #Uganda aimed at strengthening development partnerships, supporting poverty reduction programmes, and expanding economic cooperation across East Africa. According to the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, Minister Richmond’s visit, starting on Monday, 16 February, will include meetings with senior government officials and visits to communities supported by Irish Aid, Ireland’s international development programme. His engagements in Ethiopia will highlight Ireland’s contributions to health, gender equality, and services for survivors of sexual and gender based violence. A key focus will be on projects in the Ethiopian Somali Region, .... https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0kBaWyFtY6iG2vxeVuSf8ezbizugavzyDr5dV2KLnRQpCKQj4ie2RZg2BKP3UvjC9l

News: Museveni set to appoint former #Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake as #Uganda Airlines head President #Museveni has removed Uganda Airlines chief executive Jenifer Bamuturaki, signalling a major leadership overhaul at the national carrier as government looks to stabilise and reposition the airline. Uganda Airlines Chief Executive Jenifer Bamuturaki has stepped down from her role under pressure with President Museveni said to be considering appointing a former Ethiopian Airlines chief executive to lead the national carrier, according to sources familiar with the decision. The Nile Post understands Mr Museveni, who last month ordered investigations into mismanagement of the airline, has decided to shake up its management entirely. The move signals a broad leadership reset at Uganda Airlines, with the President said to be keen on installing a new management team capable of steering... https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid04kpbTqG1Y34uvkVoD2gCAK9E478QwWXSRkfArwvwmbEjqhotYpvJ8aXdE6PysHHhl

#UN rights office cites ‘widespread repression’ in #Uganda before next week’s presidential election The U.N. Human Rights Office said Friday that a presidential election in Uganda next week would be “marked by widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition and others. Ugandan authorities in the East African country have used lawfare, including military legislation, to restrict the activities of politicians and others before voting on Jan. 15, the Geneva-based Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, or #OHCHR, said in a new report. “Next week’s elections in Uganda will take place in an environment marked by widespread repression and intimidation against the political opposition, human rights defenders, journalists and those with dissenting views,” OHCHR said. Ugandan police, the military and others have used live ammunition to disperse peaceful assemblies, & the security forces.... https://apnews.com/article/uganda-election-un-rights-report-1e30ab4e21419dad8cd73567fbc0759c

Uganda will join Iran war 'on the side of Israel,' military chief warns | The Jerusalem Post [Read FullArticle] @WorldNews#Uganda#IranWar#IsraelConflict

#Uganda announces plans to withdraw troops from #Somalia after 19 years Uganda has announced plans to withdraw its troops from Somalia after nearly two decades of continuous peacekeeping operations, a move that could have significant implications for regional security and the fight against the militant group #Al_Shabab. In a brief statement posted on X on Sunday, Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, said the country’s military mission in Somalia had effectively ended and that preparations were underway for a full troop withdrawal. “After 19 years in Somalia, we intend to completely withdraw from that country very soon,” Muhoozi said, without providing further details or a timetable. Ugandan troops make up the largest contingent within the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, known as #AUSSOM, and have played a central role... https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2026/Jan/204267/uganda_announces_plans_to_withdraw_troops_from_somalia_after_19_years.aspx

#Sudan slams #Uganda for hosting paramilitary chief Sudan's army-aligned government on Sunday criticised #Kampala for hosting rival paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, slamming his reception by Uganda's president as an "affront to humanity". #Hemeti on Friday met with Ugandan President Yoweri #Museveni at #Entebbe's State House, a day after a United Nations probe found his forces had committed acts of genocide in #Darfur. Sudan's foreign ministry on Sunday criticised the meeting, saying the #RSF's atrocities had been "documented by the international community and condemned by regional organisations of which Uganda is a member", including the African Union & the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (#IGAD). Daglo, speaking during his visit, said he travelled to Uganda after President Museveni was approached by the Sudanese army seeking his mediation. His visit came a week ... https://web.facebook.com/AddisstandardEng/posts/pfbid0RVfv7fGAkLcW1TgpDMTNhYyCwS2wG1KVnGgVMpCy7DS1XtYtuU8nnEyrcYCRtLaal