President Museveni, 81, is seeking to extend his rule beyond four decades as the opposition reports “widespread ballot stuffing” and arrest of their senior members.
“The world needs to know what is happening in Uganda on Election Day. The Internet switched off. Massive ballot stuffing is reported everywhere. Our leaders, including the Deputy President for Western Region, arrested. Many of our polling agents and supervisors abducted, and others chased off polling stations. BVVK machines have failed everywhere. The people of Uganda must rise to the occasion and reject the criminal regime. the world must never give any legitimacy to the regime of blood and shame,” Mr Kyagulanyi said in a social media post before his party, NUP, said military officers had surrounded his home in Magere, Wakiso District.
“He’s under military siege. His home was surrounded by police and the army last evening. He’s not able to interact with agents. His home is not a gazetted detention facility. If he has committed any crime, there’s due process. He can be arrested, arraigned in court and dealt with in accordance with the law. But because he has not committed any crime and institutions of the state are unfortunately being dragged into partisan politics on the side of the incumbent, they now must find ways of undermining his ability to do what is within his right as a candidate or citizen of this country,” said NUP National Treasurer, Mr Banjamin Katana.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke told journalists he was not aware of Mr Kyagulanyi being placed under house arrest.
Security forces confined Mr Kyagulanyi to his home for days after the last election in 2021, in which he was credited with 35% of the vote. The United States said that the election was neither free nor fair, a charge rejected by Ugandan authorities.
The UN human rights office said last week that this year’s election was being held in an environment of “widespread repression and intimidation”.
Security forces repeatedly opened fire at Mr Kyagulanyi’s rallies, killing at least two people, and arrested hundreds of his supporters. The government said it was responding to lawless behaviour.
A Museveni win would hand the former rebel leader a seventh term in office. He is widely believed to favour his son, military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, as his successor, though he has denied grooming Kainerugaba for the role.
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