THE Ugandan opposition slammed the “fake” result of the presidential election, announced on Saturday.

According to official results, President Museveni won 71.65 per cent with musician-turned-politician Bobi Wine securing 24.72 per cent in last week’s vote.

Voter turnout stood at 52 per cent, the lowest since the country’s return in 2006 to multi-party politics.

But Mr Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, hit out at what he described as an unfair electoral process and alleged abductions of his polling agents before voting had even started in parts of the east African country. 

He said he rejected the “fake” results and urged Ugandans to peacefully protest until the “rightful results are announced.”

Mr Wine said he had to escape to avoid arrest by security forces who stormed his house on Friday night. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Mr Wine was “not under arrest” and was free to leave his house, but there was “controlled access” for others trying to go into the property to prevent people from using the premises to incite violence.

Electoral officials face questions about the failure of biometric voter identification machines on Thursday that caused delays in the start of voting in urban areas, including the capital, Kampala, that are opposition strongholds.

After the machines failed, in a blow to pro-democracy activists who have long demanded their use to curb rigging, polling officials used hard-copy registers of voters.

Mr Wine has not said whether he would launch a legal challenge with the courts, which previously have refused opposition efforts to nullify Mr Museveni’s victories while recommending electoral reforms.

Mr Museveni said he agreed with the electoral commission’s plan to revert to paper records of voters after the biometric machines failed. 

But Mr Wine alleged fraud, claiming that there was “massive ballot stuffing” and that his party’s polling agents were abducted to give an unfair advantage to the ruling party.