Kampala, Uganda | The ICT and National Guidance minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi has launched a sharp attack on opposition political parties, saying they have lost both ideological coherence and debating strength in Parliament following the 2026 general elections.
Appearing on UBC TV about general election observation, Baryomunsi argued that the opposition’s role in the current Parliament had been reduced to routine attendance rather than meaningful legislative engagement, insisting that the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) now dominates parliamentary debate.
He said opposition parties were internally fractured, describing their condition as similar to an auto-immune disease in which an organisation destroys itself from within.
According to Baryomunsi, internal wrangles and lack of ideological clarity had weakened opposition effectiveness both inside and outside Parliament.
He accused the National Unity Platform (NUP) of campaigning largely on a protest vote, driven by what he described as inciting messages rather than policy alternatives.
He said the tone of NUP’s messaging created the impression that any electoral loss would automatically be blamed on manipulation at polling stations.
Baryomunsi credited security agencies for maintaining stability during the election period, arguing that without their intervention, the country could have descended into chaos.
He further claimed that NUP entered mainstream politics with a violent posture, adding that the party’s presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, performed worse in the 2026 election compared to the 2021 polls.
This, he said, was a clear indication that the opposition party was on a downward political trajectory.
Commenting on challenges surrounding the Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVKs), Baryomunsi said any civil servant found to have been negligent should face punishment.
He revealed that he had asked for a comprehensive report to establish what caused the failures of the machines in some polling stations.
He added that President Yoweri Museveni had previously briefed Cabinet on the need to fully embrace biometric technology for voter identification and verification to enhance the integrity of future elections.
Baryomunsi also criticised NUP’s campaign slogan, urging supporters to “mobilise the vote, cast the vote, protect it and demand it,” saying the phrasing and delivery implied wrongdoing whenever the party lost an election.
His remarks follow the January 15, 2026 presidential election, in which President Museveni was declared winner and secured a seventh term in office.
According to the Electoral Commission, Museveni obtained 7,946,722 votes (71.65%), while Kyagulanyi garnered 2,741,238 votes (24.72%). Nandala Mafabi of FDC polled 209,039 votes (1.88%), Mugisha Muntu of ANT received 59,276 votes (0.53%), while other candidates shared about 1.21% of the total vote.
The election registered a voter turnout of about 52.5% from an estimated 21.6 million registered voters.
However, the polls were held amid controversy, with opposition parties alleging electoral malpractice, voter suppression, and ballot stuffing.
The election period was marked by an internet shutdown, heavy deployment of security forces in Kampala, and clashes that reportedly left between seven and ten people dead.
Kyagulanyi rejected the results, describing them as fraudulent, and was reportedly placed under house arrest shortly after the announcement of the final results.
