Bobi Wine Allegedly Forcibly Taken by Army as Museveni Secures Election Lead

By : Mweru Mbugua

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was allegedly taken by the army from his residence in Kampala and moved to an undisclosed location on Friday, his party claimed, as President Yoweri Museveni tightened his grip on a landslide re-election victory

In a statement posted on X on Friday evening, Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) said an army helicopter landed at his home in the capital and that soldiers “forcibly took him away to an unknown destination.” Reuters said it could not immediately verify the claim, while some senior party officials said they had yet to receive confirmation

Government and military spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment

The development came a day after Uganda held a presidential election that Wine has described as deeply flawed. He alleged mass fraud during Thursday’s vote, which took place amid an internet blackout, and urged supporters to protest. On Thursday, his party said Wine had effectively been placed under house arrest

The election has been widely viewed as a critical test of President Museveni’s political dominance and his ability to avert unrest similar to that experienced recently in neighbouring Tanzania and Kenya. Museveni, 81, has been in power since 1986

According to the electoral commission, Museveni was leading with nearly 74% of the vote as of Friday evening, while Wine trailed with about 23%.

Despite a campaign marked by violent clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation, voting on Thursday passed largely peacefully

However, deadly violence was reported overnight in the town of Butambala, about 55 kilometres southwest of Kampala

Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding opposition supporters organised by local MP Muwanga Kivumbi attacked a police station and a vote-tallying centre. She said police fired in self-defence and arrested 25 people

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Kivumbi strongly disputed the police account, telling Reuters that at least 10 people were killed inside his home at around 3 a.m. while they waited for the announcement of results from his parliamentary race

“They killed 10 people inside my house,” Kivumbi said, describing the incident as a massacre. He said security forces broke into the house and opened fire, contradicting claims that the deaths occurred during clashes with police

Tumushabe said she was not aware of any incident at Kivumbi’s residence, which she noted was located near a police station. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the circumstances surrounding the violence

Tensions remain high in Uganda as election results continue to trickle in and opposition leaders raise concerns over the conduct of the poll and the treatment of political opponents