Ugandan police fired water cannon and tear gas on Thursday as opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine attempted to campaign in Kayunga District, about 75 kilometers northeast of Kampala. The clashes erupted after large crowds of National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters lined roads to welcome the candidate, despite heavy police deployment. Footage from local media showed Wine whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu standing atop his campaign vehicle and confronting officers directly.
“You, police officer, what you’re doing is illegal,” he shouted. “I am a presidential candidate and I am supposed to talk to the people. Why do you shoot bullets at the audience?”
Ugandan authorities have repeatedly restricted Wine’s campaign activities, citing COVID-19 measures and public order laws. Opposition groups, however, accuse the government of using security forces to suppress political mobilisation ahead of the January general elections. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, is seeking another term after being cleared by the electoral commission. His ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has long been accused by critics of using state institutions to silence dissent.
Wine, a former musician whose political rise has energised Uganda’s youth, continues to draw massive crowds across the country despite frequent arrests, blocked rallies, and violent confrontations with security forces. His NUP party has framed the 2026 elections as an opportunity to end decades of single-party dominance.The polls will decide Uganda’s next president, parliamentary representatives, and thousands of local government officials in what is shaping up to be one of the most contested elections in years.
