Kyagulanyi accuses security of cracking down on NUP supporters
“In our records now, we have more than 400 arrests of our people across the nation,” Kyagulanyi said.
From left, secretary for Finance NUP Benjamin Katana, NUP presidential flag-bearer Robert Kyagulanyi and NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya during the press conference in Magere on Thursday, November 27. (Photos by Poinsano Nsimbi)
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National Unity Platform (NUP) 2026 General Election presidential flag-bearer Robert Kyagulanyi has accused security agencies of cracking down on his supporters.
The NUP party president says over 400 of his supporters and campaign officials have been arrested across the country in what he described as an escalating crackdown by security agencies ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Kyagulanyi says the arrests are politically motivated and intended to weaken the Opposition’s mobilisation efforts.
He was speaking on Thursday, November 27, 2025, ahead of his campaign rallies in Kayunga district.
“In our records now, we have more than 400 arrests of our people across the nation,” Kyagulanyi said.
Many of them, the Opposition leader says, have been remanded and are in prison over trumped-up charges and that all these arrests are politically motivated.
However, the Police have repeatedly denied this and instead accused his supporters of criminal acts, including attacking security forces. For instance, on Monday, November 24, 2025, there were clashes between the Police officers and NUP supporters in Kampala city's suburb of Kawempe, leading to the arrest of several. The Police has also accused Kyagulanyi of violating campaign guidelines.
The Force, in a statement, condemned what it described as acts of hooliganism by supporters of Kyagulanyi.
During his campaign activities in Kawempe, seven security personnel were seriously injured in the clashes, Police said.
It was not immediately clear how many civilians were injured. Police added that Kyagulanyi’s campaign had been preceded by a coordination meeting between the Police, the Electoral Commission, and the candidate’s organising team to agree on venues and routes.
“While at the NUP headquarters, security officers were attacked with stones, an act of violence that was repeated at Bwaise Roundabout and at the campaign venue,” the statement said.
NUP presidential flag-bearer Robert Kyagulanyi speaking during the press conference.
Police also sustained damage to their vehicles, including an ambulance that was vandalised, according to the statement.
Police said the force “strongly condemns the hooliganism displayed today” and warned that similar behaviour would be met with firm action to ensure campaigns remain peaceful.
While speaking to journalists at his home in Magere in Wakiso, he said: “This brutality is escalating every day."
He added, “Innocent citizens have been beaten, arrested and teargassed simply for coming to listen to political speeches.”
Kyagulanyi cited several incidents in which security forces allegedly used excessive force, including the deployment of dogs, tasers, pepper spray and tear gas on crowds.
“You all saw the Police unleashing dogs on innocent citizens, reminiscent of the apartheid days in South Africa,” he said.
He singled out Kawempe as one of the areas where supporters were allegedly subjected to violence.
“People were beaten, old women were brutalised, and citizens were pushed into a dangerous ditch,” Kyagulanyi said, adding that the party was documenting injuries and following up on those harmed during the operations.
This publication, however, could not independently verify Kyagulanyi's claims.
Road closure
The NUP leader further claimed that the arrests were being accompanied by deliberate efforts to block Opposition campaigns through road closures and heavy security deployments.
“Roads are blocked to prevent us from reaching the people,” he said. “Even when we use alternative routes, we are met with tear gas and harassment for no legal or moral justification.”
Kyagulanyi also criticised what he termed the selective enforcement of campaign regulations, arguing that ruling party activities were allowed to proceed uninterrupted.
“You see processions by NRM leaders and even Museveni himself,” he said. “But when it is the Opposition, the Police claim they are stopping illegal processions. That is double standards.”
However, New Vision Online has since established that Incumbent presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni has not had processions at his rallies. He usually arrives at venues where his supporters have already gathered.
He faulted the Electoral Commission leadership for what he described as silence in the face of widespread arrests and violence.
“The chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) has been conspicuously silent on the arrests and brutality against our supporters,” Kyagulanyi said. “Yet he is quick to criticise the opposition over minor issues.”
The Electoral Commission's stand has guided on campaign processions at almost every briefing. It has maintained its ban on presidential candidates moving with processions during their campaigns.
Despite the arrests and restrictions, Kyagulanyi said NUP would continue campaigning peacefully and within the law.
“We will remain non-violent, disciplined and law-abiding,” he said. “But we will continue reaching out to Ugandans and documenting every injustice. Our weapon is the camera.”
Electoral Commission's stand
It should be noted that Kyagulanyi's allegations against the country's top electoral body (EC) come a day after its chairperson, Justice Simon Byabakama, condemned what he termed as gross guideline violations during campaigns.
In a statement, Byabakama said: We have, however, noted, incidences where some candidates, their agents and supporters have deviated from the guidelines. The following have been reported, and/or observed as some of the particular areas of non-compliance:
- Organising processions that violate traffic rules and disrupt trade order in the affected areas, and which has sometimes resulted in avoidable confrontation with law enforcement;
- Making impromptu stops and addressing the public in such non-scheduled locations;
- Using defamatory words, and language which incites disorder, hatred, and threatens violence;
- Tearing, removing or defacing candidates’ posters and banners
We strongly condemn acts of violence, hooliganism, and intolerance that have been reported in some areas across the country. We strongly appeal to all candidates, their agents, supporters, and the general public to adhere to lawful and peaceful campaign conduct.