Kyagulanyi Says 500 Supporters in Detention, As Polls Loom

The National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has claimed that more than 500 of his supporters are in detention as the country heads to the polls. 

With two days to the 2026 general elections, Ugandans are set to elect leaders at various levels, from the presidency to local government. The 112-day presidential campaigns are ending on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

While speaking to journalists at his home in Magere, Kyagulanyi said that although he had planned to hold two rallies in Kampala Central—at Kamwokya Market and Aga Khan Grounds—police only cleared one venue, Aga Khan, citing limited space at the other location. 

“We requested Kololo, and it was rejected. We asked forthe  Kamwokya Kira Road playground, now Police FC’s home ground, and they rejected our request. So we had no option but to apply for the Kamwokya Market ground. We wanted to have our president back to his grown-up area where People Power was born,” Kyagulanyi said.

On Monday, NUP supporters eventually made it to Aga Khan Playground amid heavy police deployment and the use of teargas in parts of Kampala. Addressing the crowd, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said holding a rally in Kampala had been an uphill task, with their requests repeatedly denied by police.

Rubongoya pitched the “new Uganda” vision to Kampala voters, promising better schools, improved healthcare, a business-friendly environment, and improved infrastructure. “Within this new Uganda, you’ll have a train transport system because we’ve seen other countries making it happen,” Rubongoya said.

On his part, NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi urged Kampala Central residents to report to polling stations by 7:00 am on Election Day to observe the electoral process. He also called on them to be vigilant and witness the handling of voting materials.

Kyagulanyi, accompanied by his wife, later took to the microphone and reminded supporters of his ties to Kampala’s central areas, including Old Kampala Playgrounds, where he trained as a boxer, music performances in Kisenyi, and Kamwokya, where he grew up.“This is home to me. I’m shocked you’ve made it through to the playground, beating the heavy deployment that barred many. But this is a sign of the protest vote we’ve been talking about—it’s already happening,” Kyagulanyi said. 

He reflected on the 111 days of campaigning, during which he traversed most districts amid what he described as challenges from the regime. Kyagulanyi said that since September 23, 2025, when presidential campaigns began, several members of his team had been injured, arrested, abducted, or killed. He claimed that more than 500 people have been arrested since the campaigns started. He cited the attack on his campaign in Gulu, where a 16-year-old was killed, and the death of Missach Okello in Iganga, who was shot dead during a rally. Kyagulanyi also mentioned arrests, including that of Abibu Buwembo, an NUP mobiliser arrested last week on Masaka Road.

Kyagulanyi called on voters to turn up in large numbers on Thursday and vote for regime change, describing the election as a “protest vote.” He is expected to end his campaign on Tuesday with a rally in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District. Political tension remains high as President Yoweri Museveni, 81, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, seeks to extend his rule to nearly five decades in what will be his eighth presidential contest. 

He is facing competition from eight other presidential candidates, including his main challenger, Kyagulanyi. 

Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke says the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) political crimes desk is still compiling arrest figures and cannot release them at the moment, noting that arrests are expected to increase during and after the elections.

Rusoke said the information will be released to the public after the polls. “At the moment, I don’t have that information on the number of arrests we have made since the campaigns began. But arrests related to political matters are not for NUP alone; they cut across the country. Remember, some people we arrest are taken to courts of law and then remanded, so they are not in our custody. Also, the number NUP is giving is disputed at the moment and exaggerated,” Rusoke said.