KAMPALA – Ugandan opposition leader and former presidential candidate Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, revealed on Thursday that police had surrounded his residence, effectively putting him “under house arrest” ahead of planned protests.
The demonstrations were organized by opposition politicians to address concerns about the poor condition of roads in Uganda, coinciding with the country hosting two global summits in the coming days.
Bobi Wine, a prominent popstar-turned-politician and leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), took to social media to express his frustration.
He stated, “The cowardly military & police have surrounded our home and put us under house arrest, but the protest is on. Fix our roads! Free Political Prisoners! Free Uganda!”
Another opposition figure, former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye of the Forum for Democratic Change opposition party, also reported being barred from leaving his house.
Besigye, in a post on social media, declared, “Barricaded at home by the COWARDS! No turning back; we deserve better.”
The police confirmed the “security deployment” outside the residences of both Wine and Besigye but asserted that it was a preventive measure rather than an attempt to make arrests.
Patrick Onyango, spokesman for Kampala Metropolitan Police, explained, “We have taken some measures to stop them from instigating some people to hold unlawful assemblies and political demonstrations.”
Opposition parties have accused the government of various tactics, including detaining homeless people and demolishing roadside kiosks, in a pre-summit clean-up drive.
The Non-Aligned Movement and G77+China summits are scheduled to take place in Kampala, raising tensions between the government and the opposition.
The situation remains fluid as opposition leaders, undeterred by the security measures, vow to proceed with the planned protests, calling for attention to the deplorable state of the country’s roads and advocating for the release of political prisoners.
