MISLEADING: Viral TikTok Claim That Museveni Received 100% of Votes in 389 Western Ugandan Polling Stations
Background:
As statistics from the 2026 presidential election continue to circulate online in edited graphics and short videos that interpret voting patterns as proof of electoral manipulation, some of these posts present numerical errors and claims without context or verifiable sources.
Recently, a viral TikTok video claimed that President Yoweri Museveni received 100% of the votes in the 389 polling stations in Western Uganda, presenting the statistic as evidence of what the video describes as “super rigging”. The video frames the result as proof that every registered voter must have voted without absence, illness, relocation, or death.
Because the claim combines election statistics with an interpretation of electoral fraud and does not cite any verifiable source, we examined whether the figures and conclusions presented in the video are accurate.
Claim:
A viral TikTok video contains a Luganda caption claiming the following:
“Breaking news! President Museveni yafuna obululu 100% ku 389 polling stations mu bitundu bya western.”
This translates to:
“Breaking news! President Museveni got 100% of the votes in 389 polling stations in the western region.”
The video further claims that such results mean no one was sick, no one died, and no one relocated, suggesting this is evidence of election manipulation described as “super rigging”.
Findings:
Our investigation shows that the claim presented in the viral TikTok video is misleading and exaggerated.
Debunk Info Verifier Tool Shows Different Verified Figures
We used the Debunk Info Verifier tool to conduct targeted searches using keywords related to the viral claim, including “Museveni gets 100% votes in 389 polling stations in western Uganda during the 2026 elections”.
The Debunk Info Verifier returned no verified reports, datasets, or institutional records confirming that President Yoweri Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations in western Uganda during the 2026 presidential election.
Instead, the results surfaced analysis linked to previous elections, particularly the 2021 presidential election, where similar voting patterns were reported in some districts. However, these references do not relate to the 2026 election and therefore do not support the claim made in the viral TikTok video.
The analysis from previous elections, surfaced by the Debunk Info Verifier through a Medium repost of a report originally published by Uganda Radio Network, indicates that President Museveni received 100% of the vote at 348 polling stations, primarily located in Kiruhura, Kazo, and Isingiro districts in western Uganda.
According to the Uganda Radio Network report:
- 143 polling stations were in Kiruhura District
- 113 polling stations were in the Kazo District
- 92 polling stations were in Isingiro District
These figures were derived from an analysis of polling station results from those districts.
However, the Debunk Info Verifier did not return any verified record supporting the claim that Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations, as stated in the viral TikTok video.
Because the Debunk Info Verifier aggregates verified records, credible reporting, and institutional sources, the absence of any confirmed record linking the 389 polling stations statistic to the 2026 election indicates that the claim circulating in the TikTok video is unsubstantiated.
100% Vote Results Do Not Automatically Prove Election Rigging
The viral video presents the claim as proof of what it calls “super rigging”, arguing that if a candidate receives 100% of the votes at a polling station, it would mean no voter was absent, sick, deceased, or had relocated.
However, reporting based on analysis of polling station voting patterns from previous Ugandan elections shows that candidates receiving 100% of the vote at individual polling stations have been documented before.
For example, analysis reported by Uganda Radio Network found that during the 2021 presidential election, President Museveni received 100% of the vote at hundreds of polling stations, particularly in Kiruhura, Kazo, and Isingiro districts. The report also noted that in the 2016 presidential election, Museveni scored 100% of the vote at 141 polling stations, most of them located in Kiruhura district.
Analysts observed that while the scale of such results in 2021 was larger than in previous elections, the figures themselves were derived from analysis of polling station results rather than evidence confirming election manipulation.
The viral video, therefore, takes a statistical observation about voting patterns in previous elections and presents it as conclusive proof of rigging in the 2026 election, even though the underlying reports do not make that claim.
No Verified Evidence Supporting the “Super Rigging” Allegation
We found no verified investigation, institutional report, or credible media documentation concluding that the polling station results cited in the viral video prove what the video calls “super rigging”.
Some opposition figures have publicly alleged election fraud following the 2026 presidential election, but these claims are still contested and have not been independently verified as proof of the specific statistic cited in the viral video.
For example, in an interview with Al Jazeera, opposition leader Bobi Wine said he had “evidence” of election fraud and alleged that some officials were involved in ballot manipulation.
Similarly, international media outlets, including Sky News and The World reported that opposition figures claimed the election results were fraudulent or involved ballot stuffing.
However, these reports describe allegations and political disputes over the election outcome, not verified findings that President Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations in western Uganda, as claimed in the viral TikTok video.
Accusations of election manipulation generally require verifiable evidence, such as:
- documented irregularities in vote tallying
- confirmed ballot stuffing
- findings from election observer missions
- or official investigations into electoral malpractice
The viral video provides none of these forms of evidence to support its claim.
Source & Context Verification
The TikTok video we are fact-checking provides no source for the statistics.
The video presents the claim as “breaking news” but does not cite:
- An Electoral Commission report
- a credible media source
- An election observer report
- or a verifiable dataset
Without source attribution, the statistic cannot be independently verified within the video itself.
Methodology:
To fact-check and verify this claim, we applied a structured fact-checking process combining verification tools, media analysis, and source review.
Tool-Assisted Verification
We used the Debunk Info Verifier tool to search for evidence related to the claim that President Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations in western Uganda during the 2026 election.
The tool returned no verified reports, datasets, or institutional records supporting this claim. Instead, the analysis linked to previous elections, particularly the 2021 presidential election, does not confirm the statistics presented in the viral video.
Credible Media Review
We reviewed coverage of the 2026 Ugandan presidential election from international and regional media outlets, including Al Jazeera, Sky News, and The World, to determine whether any had documented the statistic cited in the viral video. While these outlets reported allegations of election fraud raised by opposition figures, none reported that Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations.
Contextual Evidence Review
We examined reports discussing polling-station voting patterns in previous Ugandan elections. These reports show that candidates receiving 100% of the vote at individual polling stations have been documented before, but they do not support the specific claim made in the viral video about the 2026 election.
Source Attribution Analysis
We reviewed the viral TikTok video to determine whether it cited a verifiable source for the statistic presented. The video does not provide a link, dataset, official report, or credible media reference supporting the claim, making independent verification impossible.
Verdict: Misleading
The claim that President Yoweri Museveni received 100% of the vote in 389 polling stations in western Uganda during the 2026 presidential election is misleading.
The claim presents an unverified statistic and interprets it as proof of “super rigging” without supporting evidence, thereby misrepresenting available information about the 2026 election.
This fact-check/story was produced by Masai Joel with support from The Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.