For more than four weeks, the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) has operated as a shadow of its former self, with only a handful of senior officials left to steer the party amid widespread arrests and flight of its top leadership.
The party, which for the past five years has positioned itself as President Yoweri Museveni’s strongest political challenger, has been forced to suspend several programmes as it focuses on securing the release of detained leaders, party insiders say.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, is currently in hiding after the military—under the command of President Museveni’s son and Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba—declared him a wanted person.
Three of Kyagulanyi’s five deputy presidents are facing criminal charges in different courts across the country. Lina Zedriga (Northern region), Jolly Jackline Tukamushaba (Western region), and Muwanga Kivumbi (Buganda region) are all battling various offences.
Ms Zedriga and Ms Tukamushaba were separately charged with incitement to violence in magistrates’ courts in Gulu and Mbarara districts, respectively, after being held incommunicado for more than three weeks.
Mr Kivumbi, on the other hand, is facing treason charges following a violent incident at his home in Butambala District two weeks ago, where police opened fire, killing 10 people who were waiting for the final announcement of his parliamentary bid.
Other arrested party officials include John Mary Ssebuufu, the head of NUP’s Electoral Management Committee for Buganda; Doreen Kaija, head of the party’s leadership school; and Bright Muhumuza, a party mobiliser. All are currently on remand.
“It has caused fear. Everyone keeps wondering if they are the next victims,” said Mr Benjamin Katana, the party’s national treasurer.
He added that the arrests have disrupted party operations.
“It distracts the leadership since it has to focus on securing the liberty of comrades in addition to ordinary party work. It is also draining—emotionally and logistically.”
Opposition Under Pressure
In 2016, President Museveni declared that there would be no opposition political parties left by 2021. Political observers have since interpreted recent events—marked by arrests, failed alliances, and internal divisions—as lending weight to that statement.
Following the 2021 general elections, the Democratic Party signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government, securing cooperation arrangements that included government appointments.
The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) later split after a faction accused party leaders of receiving what they termed “dirty money” from the government to fund election activities. That fallout gave rise to the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF).
Despite the arrests, Mr Katana insists the party remains focused.
“We certainly miss the guidance and presence of our leader, but members who are still free clearly understand the mission and continue to organise and mobilise towards its realisation,” he said.
Government Response
Asked whether the arrests project Uganda as a country suppressing democracy and dissent, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, rejected the accusation.
“There is no killing of democracy in Uganda or shutting down dissenting voices,” Dr Baryomunsi said.
“The arrests target individuals who were plotting anarchy during and after the elections. Statements such as mukabanje or mubayiseemu egaali were clearly inciting violence. Government cannot allow anarchists hiding behind political activism to destabilise the country.”
He said those arrested fall into two categories: individuals reacting violently after their candidates lost, and organised criminal groups mobilised to exploit the election period to cause unrest.
Disputed Election Outcome
On January 15, 2026, Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama declared President Museveni the winner of the presidential election with 71.65 per cent of the vote, under a nationwide internet blackout.
Mr Kyagulanyi came second with 24.72 per cent, while FDC’s Patrick Oboi Amuriat—later replaced in official tallies by Nandala Mafabi—scored 1.88 per cent. Other candidates, including Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation, each received below one per cent.
Days later, the chair of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and members of the European Parliament separately wrote to President Museveni calling for an independent and impartial investigation into the elections, citing reports of killings and human rights violations.
Observers from regional and international bodies concluded that the elections did not meet basic democratic standards.
Courts as the Last Resort
NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya said the party is pursuing legal avenues to secure the release of detained leaders, despite concerns over judicial independence.
“The courts have often demonstrated a lack of courage, but they remain a constitutional front we cannot abandon,” Mr Rubongoya said.
He cited habeas corpus applications as one tool that, while sometimes unsuccessful, at least forces authorities to disclose detainees’ whereabouts and grant family access.
Journalists Also Targeted
The crackdown has extended to journalists covering NUP activities. Several reporters have been detained, threatened, or forced to flee the country.
Ahead of polling day, three French journalists—Bastien Renouil of France 24 and two from Radio France Internationale—were denied entry or expelled despite valid accreditation.
Ms Doreen Dorothy Nalumansi of Swift News Publications has since fled Uganda following sustained intimidation and anonymous threats. Six journalists were also briefly detained while covering the chairperson elections in Entebbe.
NUP Leadership Status
- Robert Kyagulanyi – Party President – On the run
- John Baptist Nambeshe – Deputy President (Eastern) – On the run
- Muwanga Kivumbi – Deputy President (Buganda) – On remand
- Lina Zedriga – Deputy President (Northern) – On remand
- Jolly Jackline Tukamushaba – Deputy President (Western) – On remand
- John Mary Ssebuufu – Electoral Management Committee Head (Buganda) – On remand
- Doreen Kaija – Head of Leadership School – On remand
- Bright Muhumuza – Party Mobiliser – On remand
