Rwandan President, Paul Kagame has sent a congratulatory message to his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni , upon re-election for a seventh term.
Museveni was on Saturday declared by the Electoral Commission as the winner of the 2026 presidential election after 71% of the votes to beat his closest rival, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu of the National Unity Platform who came second.
In his congratulatory message, Kagame said he extends his best wishes to President Museveni as he continues to serve the nation for the prosperity of its people. “ I look forward to the continued strong and productive cooperation between our two countries,” Kagame said.
Others who sent congratulatory messages are Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the Somalian President. He hailed Museveni’s leadership, noting that under it, Uganda has recorded notable progress in national development and played a significant role in promoting peace and stability within the region. “I reaffirm Somalia’s commitment to strengthening our brotherly ties with Uganda,” he said.
For Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the re-election of President Museveni “reflects the confidence of the Ugandan people in his wise leadership.” “I wish His Excellency all success, and I wish the sisterly Republic of Uganda lasting progress and prosperity,” Al- Sisi said. “I also reaffirm Egypt’s keenness to continue strengthening the fraternal ties of cooperation between our two countries, in a manner that serves the interests of our peoples and contributes to achieving stability and development across the African continent.”
President Museveni won by 70% for the first time in three decades, having last achieved that feat in 1996 when he got 74.3%. In his acceptance speech on Sunday, President Museveni said his 2026 victory signals a return to the early days of the NRM when it had just captured power. “We are beginning to go back to the principles of the NRM. If you remember the election of 1996, people were not willing to listen to anything from Paul Ssemwogerere because he had little impact in many parts of the country,” Museveni said.
He attributed the renewed public support to achievements such as a disciplined army, improved infrastructure, and the resolution of basic commodity shortages. “We had dealt with key issues like having a disciplined army, rehabilitating infrastructure, and addressing shortages of basic items like soap and salt. People were united. That atmosphere is coming back,” he said.
Museveni added that peace across the country and government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) have restored public confidence in his administration. “PDM has given people hope that they can get out of poverty. The skilling hubs have also given hope that children who dropped out of school can become productive,” the President said.