NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 17 — Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has said his wife and children are under house arrest following a night raid by security forces at his residence in Magere.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader popularly known as Bobi Wine has vowed a “complete rejection” of the presidential election results announced by the Electoral Commission.
In a statement released on Saturday, Kyagulanyi said soldiers and police raided his home overnight, switched off electricity, disabled some CCTV cameras, and deployed helicopters over the area.
He said he managed to evade arrest and is currently not at home, while his wife and other family members remain confined inside the residence.
“Last night was very difficult at our home in Magere,” Kyagulanyi said, adding that security forces were searching for him “everywhere” as he tries to stay safe.
He attributed confusion over his whereabouts to a nationwide internet shutdown, saying neighbours feared his family abducted after security forced blocked access to his home.
Widespread malpractice
Kyagulanyi reiterated his party’s outright rejection of the results, citing what he described as widespread electoral malpractice.
He alleged ballot stuffing, a “military takeover” of the electoral process, the detention of opposition leaders and polling officials, and the targeting of NUP candidates even in constituencies where, he said, evidence showed they had won.
“Their results have zero backing,” he said, describing the situation as “absolute madness.”
He also condemned the killing of citizens who he said had attempted to demonstrate peacefully against what he termed electoral “thuggery,” and defended the right of Ugandans to protest in defence of their sovereign right to choose their leaders.
According to the latest figures released by the Electoral Commission, President Yoweri Museveni has secured 71.88 percent of the vote, equivalent to about 7.6 million votes, while Kyagulanyi trails with 2.6 million (24.46 percent).
The developments come amid heightened political tensions, restrictions on movement and communications, and growing international scrutiny of Uganda’s electoral process.
