Uganda’s election season has entered another tense and troubling phase after security forces detained more than three hundred supporters and officials allied to opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine since campaigning began last month. The figure, confirmed by the National Unity Platform spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, underscores a political atmosphere marked by fear, intimidation and the familiar strain of state heavy handedness that has come to shape recent Ugandan elections.
Bobi Wine, born Robert Kyagulanyi, is attempting once again to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, who has held power since 1986. The eighty one year old leader is seeking yet another term after constitutional changes removed both age and term limits, allowing him to extend his rule into what would be nearly fifty years. Wine, who finished second in the 2021 contest, has built a powerful base of young supporters who are hungry for political change and disillusioned with a system they see as increasingly authoritarian.
According to Ssenyonyi, the arrests have escalated sharply in recent days, especially in Kampala where Wine officially launched his campaign on Monday. He reported that more than one hundred people were rounded up that day alone, with dozens more detained during a rally on Tuesday on the outskirts of the capital. Most of those arrested are ordinary supporters, although campaign coordinators, aides and other party officials are also among those detained.
Ssenyonyi accused the government of using widespread arrests to intimidate voters and disrupt the campaign. In his words, “the regime is in panic, they are resorting to arrests to deter and instil fear in our people.” His comments reflect long standing concerns among opposition groups that state institutions are used to tilt the political field, especially during election periods.
Footage aired by local broadcaster NTV showed security forces in the Kawempe area of Kampala firing tear gas and deploying water cannon to disperse crowds of Wine’s supporters. A separate video posted on Wine’s X account showed officers using pepper spray on groups of people while a man in plain clothes beat supporters with a cane as police looked on. These scenes add to a record of confrontations between security forces and Wine’s followers, which has become a defining feature of Uganda’s recent elections.
Police issued a statement on Monday saying that they had detained seven people after clashes in which supporters were accused of throwing stones and injuring seven officers. The statement defended the actions of security personnel, saying they used public order measures to control “rowdy crowds”. It did not address the wider reports of mass arrests raised by the opposition.
Wine has repeatedly accused Museveni of winning previous elections through intimidation, bribery and widespread rigging. Officials from the ruling party have rejected such allegations, insisting each vote has been conducted fairly. Yet the pattern of arrests, the aggressive policing of opposition gatherings and the entrenched nature of Museveni’s rule raise deeper questions about the possibility of a genuinely open contest.
As the January election approaches, the detentions are likely to intensify scrutiny of Uganda’s commitment to democratic freedoms. Should Museveni secure another five year term, he would extend his leadership to almost half a century, placing Uganda among the states with the longest serving presidents in the world. The outcome of this election will therefore shape not only the political direction of the country but also its democratic standing at a time when many Ugandans are increasingly anxious about the shrinking space for dissent.
