The United States has issued a security warning for its citizens in Uganda following heightened tensions after the country held presidential elections on Thursday, January 15, 2026, with official results still pending.
In a security notice released on Friday January 16, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda cautioned American citizens following reports that security forces had deployed teargas and fired shots in the air to break up gatherings in various parts of the country.
The embassy said the security situation remains fluid and urged U.S. citizens to exercise enhanced caution as vote tallying continues nationwide.
According to the alert, Americans in Uganda have been advised to avoid large public gatherings, demonstrations, and unnecessary movements as political tensions remain elevated following the polls.
The embassy further urged U.S. citizens to monitor local media closely for updates, maintain a low profile, remain aware of their surroundings, and ensure their mobile phones are fully charged with emergency numbers programmed.
Americans were also advised to carry proper identification at all times, including a valid U.S. passport with a current Ugandan visa, in case of security checks.
The security alert comes as provisional presidential election results indicate an early and clear lead for incumbent President Yoweri Museveni as the Electoral Commission continues tallying votes from across the country.
However, opposition candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has dismissed the results announced by the Electoral Commission chairman, accusing him of failing to explain the source and credibility of the figures released so far.
Kyagulanyi has insisted that Ugandans will ultimately determine the outcome of the election, raising concerns over possible post-election disputes.
According to the third set of preliminary results, a total of 6,830,089 valid votes have been counted from 30,138 polling stations, representing 59.4 per cent of all polling stations nationwide as of the time of publishing.
President Museveni is leading with 5,148,845 votes, accounting for 75.38 per cent of the votes cast, marking a slight drop compared to the second preliminary results released earlier in the day.
Kyagulanyi is in second place with 1,414,619 votes, representing 20.71 per cent of the total votes counted so far.
Uganda has previously experienced unrest following disputed election outcomes, with international observers closely watching developments as the Electoral Commission moves toward announcing the final results.
