East Africa in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
East Africa in January 2026 was dominated by Uganda's presidential election. Voting took place on 15 January under an internet blackout and a heavy security presence, with delays at some polling stations and a reported police crackdown. President Yoweri Museveni said he had difficulty voting because of technical problems at his polling station. Preliminary results the next day showed Museveni heading for victory, while his main rival Bobi Wine alleged fraud and was reported placed under house arrest; at least seven people were reported killed in overnight violence. Museveni was declared winner of a seventh term and, in his victory speech, called the opposition 'terrorists'. Bobi Wine rejected the result and fled his home, and the internet was partially restored. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi congratulated Museveni, and Russian lawmakers had monitored the vote. On 20 January Museveni's son called for the death of Bobi Wine.
In Kenya, President William Ruto reshuffled ambassadors, appointing Ababu Namwamba as High Commissioner to Uganda and making new postings to the UN Office in Nairobi, and he told envoys to drive the country's ambition of becoming a first-world nation. Ruto also returned to Nyeri in a renewed effort to win support in the Mt Kenya region, where political dynamics were affected by claims of police misuse and forced transfers of officers. An internal clash within the ODM party drew comparison with a 1994 conflict inside Ford Kenya. MPs questioned a Treasury Principal Secretary over a government share deal involving the telecommunications firm Safaricom. The United States praised Kenya's leadership of the multinational security mission in Haiti as the operation enters a difficult new phase, and Kenya and the European Union reaffirmed their partnership.
Elsewhere in the region, Rwanda took the United Kingdom to court over the contentious migrant deal on 28 January. China and Tanzania reaffirmed their longstanding friendship and pledged deeper cooperation, and China sent medical aid to Burundi. Egypt's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation visited Kigali for talks on water cooperation with Rwanda. South Sudan's President Salva Kiir replaced the interior minister in a cabinet reshuffle.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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