UGANDA’S security officials have denied allegations by opposition leader Bobi Wine’s party that he had been arrested by soldiers as counting continued in an election disrupted by reports of at least 10 deaths and internet blackouts.
On Friday, Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, said he was under house arrest, and his party later wrote on X that he had been “forcibly taken” by an army helicopter from his compound.
Reuters quoted the National police spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke, as saying “He is not under arrest,” noting that Wine was at his home and free to move.
Similarly, the Army spokesperson, Chris Magezi, denied the claim, noting that “the rumours of his so-called arrest are baseless and unfounded.”
Reports show that on Friday, the election day was disrupted by significant technical problems after biometric machines, used to confirm voters’ identities, malfunctioned, and ballot papers were undelivered for several hours in many areas, and violence was unleashed on opposition members in other parts of the country.
The electoral commission said Saturday morning that the 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, held a commanding lead with nearly 72 per cent of the votes. Wine trailed with 24 per cent, with more than 90 per cent of polling stations counted, as final results would be announced at 13:00 GMT on Saturday.
43-year-old Wine has in recent years emerged as President Yoweri Museveni’s main challenger. He brands himself the “ghetto president,” a reference to the slum communities where he grew up in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Wine has accused the government of “massive ballot stuffing” and of attacking several of his party officials under the cover of an internet blackout imposed ahead of Thursday’s polls and still in effect on Saturday.
The United Nations Human Rights Office said last week that the elections were being conducted in an environment of “widespread repression and intimidation” targeting the opposition.
Bobi Wine has alleged large-scale fraud in the poll and has urged his supporters to protest.
The election was also plagued by serious technical difficulties, as biometric machines used to verify voters malfunctioned and ballot papers failed to arrive for several hours in many polling stations.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.