KAMPALA, Uganda (July 22) – Ugandan authorities clamped down on the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party on Monday, deploying soldiers and police to seal off its headquarters in Kampala. This move comes ahead of planned anti-government protests scheduled for Tuesday.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine, a popular musician turned politician, took to social media platform X to denounce the action. He accused security forces of “raiding and surrounding” the NUP headquarters, preventing entry or exit, and even “violently arresting” several party leaders. Photos accompanying his posts showed military personnel and parked army trucks at the scene.
“The cowardly regime is so afraid of the people because they know how much they have wronged them!” Wine wrote, expressing defiance against President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke defended the move as a “precautionary step” against NUP’s “mobilization for the protest.” Ugandan youth groups have organized a march to parliament planned for Tuesday, defying a government ban. The demonstration aims to denounce alleged corruption and human rights abuses under Museveni’s long rule.
Wine clarified that while his party wasn’t directly organizing the protests, they did support them.
The standoff highlights the growing tension in Uganda. Opposition leaders and rights activists have long accused the government of widespread corruption and impunity for high-level officials. President Museveni has consistently denied these accusations, claiming to prosecute corruption cases when evidence is presented.
Adding fuel to the fire, Museveni accused foreign powers of sponsoring the planned protests in a recent speech. He warned Ugandan youth against participating, stating: “Some elements … are always working with the foreigners to foment chaos in Uganda … These people … should check themselves or we shall have no alternative but to check them.”
