Written by Were Kelly
Dozens of supporters of Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, were detained at Mbarara Central Police Station on Friday following clashes with security forces, highlighting the escalating tensions surrounding his campaign for the 2026 presidential election.
The arrests occurred after police intercepted the National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate’s convoy as he travelled to a scheduled rally in Bwizibwera, a town in the Ankole region. Video footage from the scene republished by the Daily Monitor, was widely circulated online and showed handcuffed detainees crowded inside cells, prompting accusations of political intimidation from the opposition and drawing a sharp defence from the authorities.
The incident on 7 November is part of a series of confrontations that have marked Bobi Wine’s campaign trail in western Uganda. Just a day prior, his planned rally in Kiruhura was blocked by supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), leading to violent clashes and a heavy police deployment. In Mbarara, the police confirmed making “several arrests” and provided a justification for their actions. In a statement reported by ChimpReports, the police said the arrests targeted “individuals with criminal records who allegedly assaulted officers and destroyed government property.” They cited “acts of provocation, assault, and public disorder” during the NUP’s campaign activities as the reason for the intervention.
The opposition has vehemently rejected the police’s characterisation of events. Bobi Wine and his party frame the detentions as a deliberate strategy to stifle his campaign and intimidate his supporters. Drawing parallels to previous crackdowns, such as the 2021 arrest of dozens of his supporters in Kalangala on treason charges, Bobi Wine accused the government of employing familiar tactics of repression. In comments made to ChimpReports, he also sought to frame his campaign in broader terms, stating, “This regime has used tribalism to divide us, as if we are different people. The most important message I am preaching across the country is unity.”
Public reaction to the visual evidence of the detentions has been divided. On social media platform X, user @maamaugandaa questioned the police’s methods, asking, “What’s the essence of handcuffing someone who’s already behind bars?” This sentiment reflects the views of many government critics who see the treatment of detainees as excessively harsh. Conversely, other members of the public have supported the police action, with some online commentators echoing the official line that those detained were “criminals” who disrupted public order.
Analysts view the Mbarara incident as a microcosm of the deteriorating political climate in Uganda as the country approaches the 2026 general elections. President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is widely expected to seek a seventh term. A recent analysis from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) noted “intensified authoritarianism” and a “deepening crisis of democratic governance” in the pre-election period.
The frequent obstruction of opposition rallies and the arrest of supporters, according to the report, are indicative of a system intent on maintaining control rather than fostering a genuinely competitive electoral environment. This occurs against a complex international backdrop, where Uganda’s relations with traditional partners like the United States have been strained by human rights concerns.
With the election still over a year away, the detention of NUP supporters in Mbarara signals that the campaign period is likely to be fraught with further confrontation. The Ugandan police have framed their actions as a necessary measure to uphold public order, while Bobi Wine and the NUP have vowed to continue their campaign despite the obstacles. The lingering question is whether this pattern of disruption will intensify, further narrowing the political space in one of East Africa’s most strategically important nations.
