Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana was arrested on Wednesday near the Electoral Commission (EC) nomination grounds as National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine was being nominated to run for president in 2026.
Ssewanyana was picked up alongside several journalists accused of crossing the Entebbe Road checkpoint without authorisation during the commotion triggered by Kyagulanyi’s arrival.
Witnesses said a mobile security van whisked the MP and the journalists towards Kajjansi police station. It remains unclear why Ssewanyana was targeted because he had approached the checkpoint from the Kampala side and was not part of Kyagulanyi’s official convoy, which entered the venue from the Kajjansi side after using the Entebbe expressway.
Police at the scene said several other individuals were already in custody at Kajjansi on suspicion of “intending to cause chaos.”
Kyagulanyi cleared to challenge Museveni
Earlier in the day, the EC officially nominated Kyagulanyi to face President Yoweri Museveni and four other contenders in what promises to be a fiercely contested 2026 presidential race.
The NUP flag-bearer arrived at the Lubowa nomination grounds under heavy security, accompanied by his wife Barbara Itungo, senior party officials, and a cheering crowd of supporters.
Inside the nomination tent, eight commissioners, foreign diplomats, election observers, and journalists looked on as Kyagulanyi submitted his credentials, including triplicate nomination forms, academic papers, passport photographs, and proof of payment of the Shs 20 million nomination fee.
“We are satisfied; he has fulfilled the requirements of the Presidential Elections Act. Therefore, I declare Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert a duly nominated candidate. You are now a candidate, congratulations,” announced EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama.
Byabakama reminded the NUP leader to appoint an official campaign agent and share a harmonised campaign schedule. Kyagulanyi must also sign a memorandum of understanding pledging to observe the campaign timetable.
Like other candidates, he has been assigned a security vehicle and a 16-member Counter-Terrorism (CT) police team for 24-hour protection once campaigns begin on 29 September 2025.
Close call
Kyagulanyi’s nomination capped a tense week for his party. Just days earlier, the EC flagged gaps in NUP’s endorsement signatures, noting that only 80 of the required 130 districts had met the statutory minimum of 100 verified supporters per district.
The shortfall briefly threatened his candidacy until a fresh batch of signatures cleared the Commission’s scrutiny on Sunday. Kyagulanyi now joins a crowded field that includes President Museveni of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) leader Rt. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, National Peasants Party flag-bearer Robert Kasibante, and Conservative Party candidate Joseph Mabirizi.
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