KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan police have refuted claims that National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, was arrested or abducted on Friday night amid a wave of post-election violence and confusion. Police say the reports are unfounded even as tensions persist following the disputed 2026 general election.
Addressing journalists in Kampala on Saturday, Uganda Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said Kyagulanyi is not under any form of detention and remains at his home. He also rejected allegations of house arrest affecting Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) president Jimmy Akena.
“When information came out that he was under arrest, police traced him to Alebtong,” Rusoke said, dismissing social media claims as inaccurate and misleading. Police have described the allegations as part of attempts to depict security agencies negatively and provoke unrest.
The denials stand in stark contrast to accounts from NUP officials and family members. Kyagulanyi’s son, Solomon Kampala told the Vivid Voice News that his father and mother were taken from their home by security personnel after armed operatives reportedly entered the compound on Friday evening. Separately, NUP Secretary General David Louis Rubongoya said armed forces, supported by a police helicopter, stormed Kyagulanyi’s residence in the Magere area of Kampala.
A separate account published by the Al Jazeera said a party official reported that unidentified men believed to be military personnel jumped over the fence of Wine’s home, but this could not be independently verified and journalists were unable to confirm his location due to ongoing communication restrictions.
Earlier, NUP had claimed that Wine was effectively placed under house arrest after security forces encircled his residence, a scenario police have also denied.
Rusoke said movement restrictions were instead part of security measures around “hotspot” areas to prevent gatherings that could escalate into violence.
“We have controlled access to areas which are security hotspots,” he said, adding that actions were intended to prevent chaos and maintain order.
The conflicting narratives come as Uganda reels from violence linked to the election.
Authorities acknowledged fatalities but declined to provide specific figures. “We are aware of electoral deaths, and compilation of the numbers is ongoing. Once verified, the information will be released,” Rusoke said.
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In Butambala District, dozens of people were reported killed during clashes that broke out overnight after polling, with police attributing the violence to clashes with armed groups allegedly mobilised by local leaders and opposition supporters contradicting that account. Independent verification remains limited due to the nationwide internet blackout imposed by authorities during and after the election.
The 2026 election has been highly contentious, with President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, appearing set to extend his nearly four-decade rule. Provisional results from the Electoral Commission (EC) showed Museveni with a commanding lead, prompting allegations of fraud and irregularities from Bobi Wine and his party.
The contested vote was held under a government-mandated internet shutdown, which critics, including the United Nations, have condemned as deeply worrying and restrictive to transparency.
During the campaign period, opposition rallies were frequently interrupted by security forces using tear gas and other crowd-control measures, and hundreds of supporters were arrested in various districts.
Police have urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information that could inflame tensions further, insisting their focus remains on maintaining peace and ensuring the electoral process concludes without widespread disorder.
