President Yoweri Museveni has dismissed suggestions that he intends to rule Uganda indefinitely, saying decisions about his leadership rest with voters rather than personal ambition. The 80-year-old leader, who has been in power for nearly four decades and has faced repeated accusations of electoral manipulation, said such claims do not reflect his position. They say continuity of leadership has been key to Uganda’s security and development, and that voters have repeatedly endorsed Museveni because of his experience. Museveni maintains that Uganda’s future leadership will emerge through the ballot box, not pressure or street protests. Vote tallying from the presidential elections put Museveni in front with 75% of the votes, based on returns from 60% of polling stations.

Bobi Wine said he remained under house arrest after security forces moved in immediately after he cast his vote, effectively sealing off his residence. The home of Uganda’s leading opposition presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has been placed under heavy security surveillance as the country awaits the announcement of results from Thursday’s general election. He said security forces moved in immediately after he cast his vote, effectively sealing off his residence. “Yesterday, after casting my ballot, the military deployed all around my home in order to place me under house arrest,” Bobi Wine said. The opposition claimed the victims were attacked by security forces at the home of a Member of Parliament in Butambala, about 55 kilometres south-west of Kampala.

The newly elected General Secretary of the Railway Workers Union (K) Eric Kipkoech. [RAWU]The Railway Workers Union (RAWU) on Friday, January 16, elected a new national leadership, ending more than five decades of stewardship by its outgoing chairman Francis O’lore. Emmanuel Otieno won the National Chairman post, taking over from O’lore, who had served the union for more than 50 years. The elections followed the 2026 Trade Union Elections Circular issued by the Registrar of Trade Unions (RTU). Eric Kipkoech was elected General Secretary, with Judith Nafula as Deputy General Secretary and Bernard Karimi as National Treasurer.

Ashley St Clair, the mother of one of Elon Musk’s children, has filed a case against xAI, accusing the company of negligence and causing emotional harm. Clair filed the case on Thursday, stating that her pictures were misused to create explicit deepfake images using xAI’s chatbot, Grok. According to a report published by NBC News, Clair alleged that users were generating non-consensual and explicit AI-generated images of her with the help of Grok. In her complaint, she stated that Grok allows users to manipulate images and has features that can replace or remove clothing. xAI also filed a lawsuit against St Clair on the same day, alleging that she breached its terms of service and seeking damages of more than $75,000.

Video shows police assaulting men playing pool in Nandi Hills. Residents of Nandi Hills town are reeling from shock and trauma after allegedly being robbed and assaulted by police officers during a night patrol operation. Business owners and other urban residents are counting losses following the raid, which they say was carried out by men in police uniform on the night of January 10, 2025.

Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja during the official commissioning of two boreholes at the National Police Service's Embakasi campuses. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has ordered an internal investigation after CCTV footage showed police officers assaulting people who were playing pool in Nandi County. In a statement on Friday, January 16, Kanja directed the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) of the National Police Service (NPS) to conduct a swift probe and submit findings within three days. Public pressure escalated after the footage emerged, showing officers beating people inside what appeared to be a pool hall in Nandi Hills town. Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei urged Kanja to interdict and suspend the officers to allow independent investigations.

Kenya's historic Wimbledon champion Angela Okutoyi is finally getting the support she desperately needs after making a public appeal for sponsorship to continue her professional tennis career. Okutoyi, who made history in 2022 as the first Kenyan to win a Grand Slam title at Wimbledon girls' doubles, revealed she currently has no sponsorship despite her remarkable achievements. Angela Okutoyi during the Wimbledon Junior Grand Slam in July 2022. Mvurya praised Okutoyi as a remarkable Kenyan talent whose journey inspires young athletes nationwide. Despite her success, the lack of consistent sponsorship has forced her to balance academics at Auburn University with her professional tennis aspirations while struggling financially.

PS Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni has warned Kenyans against participating in prolonged tree-hugging challenges after several participants suffered serious health complications. “People have started tree-hugging, a strenuous exercise. Pastor James Irungu of Murang’a collapsed at 79 hours during an 80-hour tree-hugging exercise aimed at raising cancer awareness. Muthoni warned the exercises pose severe risks, including organ failure, dehydration, and other life-threatening complications.

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni/XUganda’s electoral landscape is taking shape as President Yoweri Museveni establishes an early commanding lead in the 2026 presidential elections. The Uganda Electoral Commission (EC) released the second preliminary results on Friday, revealing that Museveni has so far garnered 3,960,438 votes, representing 76.25 percent of the total valid votes counted. The results, announced by Justice Simon Byabakama, Chairperson of the EC, are based on tallies from 22,758 polling stations, covering 5,194,338 valid votes. They include Frank Bulira has 23,267 votes (0.45%), Robert Kasibante 15,929 votes (0.31%), Joseph Mabirizi 10,910 votes (0.21%), Mugisha Muntu 29,504 votes (0.57%), Mubarak Munyagwa 14,742 votes (0.28%), and Nandala Mafabi 108,301 votes (2.08%). Uganda’s election process came under sharp focus on Thursday after President Yoweri Museveni himself was affected by biometric verification failures that disrupted voting across the country.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has taken a strong lead in results from Thursday's presidential election, the electoral commission says. At least seven opposition supporters were killed in overnight violence in Butambala, about 55km (35 miles) south-west of Kampala, in clashes between opposition supporters and the police. Asked about the timing of the final results announcement, Byabakama said: "We are on course to announce the winner of the presidential election within 48 hours. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke dismissed these complaints, accusing opposition supporters of being disruptive. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, had called on his supporters to protest, if Thursday's election results were manipulated.

Ugandan Opposition leader Bobi Wine has said he remains under house arrest following Thursday’s elections, describing the military’s actions around his home as a sign of fear rather than strength. In a statement on Friday, Bobi Wine said the military moved in immediately after he cast his ballot, surrounding his residence and preventing anyone from entering or leaving. “Yesterday, after casting my ballot, the military deployed all around my home in order to place me under house arrest,” Bobi Wine said. His home in the capital, Kampala, has been surrounded by security forces "effectively placing him and his wife under house arrest", his National Unity Platform (NUP) said. According to the poll, Museveni commands 60.94 per cent support nationally, compared to Bobi Wine’s 35.26 per cent.

President William Ruto and Chinese President Xi Jinping during bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on September 3, 2024. [File, Standard]The government has confirmed that it has secured a preliminary trade agreement with China that will allow 98.2 per cent of its goods to enter the Chinese market duty-free.

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Screegrabs from the video. A video showing police officers assaulting men playing pool in Nandi Hills town has drawn widespread condemnation, prompting calls for the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) and Inspector General Douglas Kanja to act. The eight-minute video widely circulated on social media shows the assault took place on January 10, 2026.

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