Opposition leader and National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has accused security forces of using teargas, intimidation and movement restrictions to disrupt his ongoing campaign activities in and around Kampala.
In a post shared on social media on Tuesday evening, Bobi Wine said teargas canisters were fired in his direction as he returned home from campaign activities. “Yet again, they aimed teargas cannisters at me, as we returned home this evening,” he wrote, adding that, “If this brutality is meant to break us, it only strengthens our resolve to fight and end this criminality.”
Throughout the day, Bobi Wine documented what he described as heavy security deployment and restrictions along campaign routes, particularly in Makindye Ssabagabo, Busabala and Entebbe Municipality.
He alleged that businesses along major roads were forced to close ahead of his arrival. “Each and every business you can imagine anywhere along the road is closed… THEY WERE ALL FORCED TO CLOSE before we arrived in the area,” he said.
He further claimed that supporters were blocked from gathering, with some allegedly beaten or forced back into their homes. “Even supporters who’d have gathered by the roadside have been forcefully pushed hundreds of metres away,” he stated.
Bobi Wine also reported being escorted by a large convoy of security vehicles. “We’re also being trailed by nearly 30 police and military cars, which routinely sandwich me in such a manner that supporters find it hard to even catch a glimpse of me,” he said, noting that traffic was stopped well ahead of his movements.
Despite the reported disruptions, Bobi Wine said campaign rallies went ahead at Busabala grounds in Makindye Ssabagabo and later at Tanda playground in Entebbe Municipality, where he said supporters turned up in large numbers. “We have been received by our enthusiastic supporters who are fully charged with the message of the revolution,” he posted.
In another post, Bobi Wine shared a video he said showed military officers seizing and later smashing a civilian’s mobile phone during campaign activities. “This is the impunity we deal with on a daily. This is the impunity we’re fighting to stop,” he said.
Separately, Bobi Wine accused authorities of attempting to block planned campaigns in Entebbe by pressuring venue owners to withdraw permission. “They have gone as far as intimidating venue owners and forcing them to withdraw permissions even after setting up the stage and machines,” he wrote, insisting that campaigning in all constituencies is a constitutional right.
There has been no immediate response from police or security agencies regarding the allegations. In recent years, authorities have often cited public order and security concerns when restricting opposition campaign activities.
Bobi Wine has urged supporters to continue mobilising ahead of the 2026 elections, calling for what he described as a “protest vote” to bring political change.
