Ugandan police on Saturday, January 17, denied claims by opposition leader Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) that he had been arrested by soldiers, as President Yoweri Museveni moved toward a decisive re-election victory.
NUP had alleged on Friday night that an army helicopter landed at Wine’s Kampala residence and “forcibly took him away to an unknown location.” Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
National police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told a televised news conference that Wine remained at home and was free to move. “He is not under arrest,” Rusoke said. Wine and NUP representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Wine has alleged widespread fraud in Thursday’s election, which occurred under an internet blackout, and has called on supporters to protest. His party had previously claimed he was effectively under house arrest.
The vote was widely seen as a test of the 81-year-old Museveni’s political strength and his ability to avoid unrest similar to recent disturbances in neighbouring Tanzania and Kenya. By Saturday morning, Museveni, in power since 1986, held nearly 72% of the vote, according to the electoral commission, while Wine trailed with 24%, with more than 90% of polling stations counted.
Thursday’s voting passed peacefully despite a campaign marked by clashes at opposition rallies and what the United Nations described as widespread repression and intimidation.
However, violence erupted on Friday in Butambala, about 55km southwest of Kampala, with conflicting accounts from authorities and local officials. Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said machete-wielding opposition “goons,” allegedly organised by local MP Muwanga Kivumbi, attacked a police station and vote-tallying centre. “Security responded in self-defence because these people came in big numbers. Police fired in self-defence,” she said, adding that 25 people were arrested.
Kivumbi, however, disputed this account. He told Reuters that 10 people were killed inside his house around 3 a.m. while awaiting the announcement of results for his parliamentary seat. “They broke the front door and began shooting inside the garage. It was a massacre,” he said, denying police claims that the violence involved clashes between rival groups.
Tumushabe said she was unaware of any incident inside Kivumbi’s house, which is near the police station. Reuters could not independently verify the circumstances of the deaths.
