Ugandan police have dismissed claims that opposition leader Bobi Wine was arrested amid allegations of electoral irregularities following the country’s general election.
On Saturday, January 17, police denied assertions by Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) that soldiers had detained him as President Yoweri Museveni moved toward a decisive re-election victory. The opposition party alleged on Friday night that an army helicopter landed at Wine’s residence in Kampala and that he was taken away to an undisclosed location, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Addressing the media, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Wine was at his home and free to move about. “He is not under arrest,” Rusoke stated. Attempts to reach Wine and NUP officials for comment were unsuccessful.
Wine has accused authorities of widespread electoral fraud during Thursday’s vote, which was conducted amid an internet shutdown, and urged supporters to protest. His party had earlier claimed he was under effective house arrest.
The election has been viewed as a key test of President Museveni’s grip on power after nearly four decades in office, particularly against the backdrop of recent unrest in neighbouring Tanzania and Kenya. By Saturday morning, official results showed Museveni leading with nearly 72 percent of the vote, while Wine had 24 percent, with over 90 percent of polling stations counted.
Despite a campaign period marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread intimidation, voting itself was largely peaceful. However, violence reportedly erupted early Friday in Butambala, southwest of Kampala, with conflicting accounts from police and local leaders.
Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said opposition supporters attacked a police station and vote-counting centre, prompting a security response in which officers acted in self-defence and arrested 25 people. Local lawmaker Muwanga Kivumbi disputed this version, alleging that several people were killed at his residence while awaiting election results.
Authorities said they were unaware of any incident inside Kivumbi’s home, and the exact circumstances surrounding the violence could not be independently confirmed.