Bobi Wine said he remained under house arrest after security forces moved in immediately after he cast his vote, effectively sealing off his residence.
The home of Uganda’s leading opposition presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has been placed under heavy security surveillance as the country awaits the announcement of results from Thursday’s general election.
Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who is seeking a seventh term in office, is widely expected to win.
Local media reports indicate that the residence in Magere has been under tight security since January 13, when Kyagulanyi returned from his final campaign activities.
The heightened deployment has fuelled tension amid an anxious wait for the official declaration of results by the Electoral Commission.
Kyagulanyi, who contested the presidency on a National Unity Platform (NUP) ticket, was seeking to unseat the 81-year-old Museveni, leader of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), who has been in power since 1986.
NTV Uganda reported a heavy police presence around the 43-year-old opposition leader’s home, with officers stationed at multiple points and a drone seen circling the area.
Security officers ordered a journalist reporting live from the scene to end the broadcast within three minutes or risk being forcibly removed.
A drone above Bobi Wine's residence in Magere.
Video footage from the area showed officers in full combat and riot gear patrolling the compound and its surroundings, while others moved in and out on motorcycles.
Roads leading to the residence were barricaded, and the neighbourhood appeared deserted, with no civilians in sight.
In a statement issued early Friday, Bobi Wine said he remained under house arrest, describing the military deployment around his home as a demonstration of fear rather than strength.
He said security forces moved in immediately after he cast his vote, effectively sealing off his residence.
“Yesterday, after casting my ballot, the military deployed all around my home in order to place me under house arrest,” Bobi Wine said.
“These criminals even jumped over the fence and entered our compound. My house is still besieged and no one is allowed to come in or go out.”
He claimed security forces abducted one party official and beat up another in charge of the western and northern regions, respectively.
The developments come as President Museveni maintained a commanding lead in provisional results released by the Electoral Commission.
Based on returns from about 60 per cent of polling stations, Museveni was leading with 75 per cent of the vote, while Bobi Wine, his closest challenger, trailed with 21 per cent.
An internet shutdown imposed earlier in the week has limited the flow of information, with reports of election-related violence only emerging on Friday.
According to the BBC, at least seven opposition supporters were reportedly killed on Thursday night.
The opposition claimed the victims were attacked by security forces at the home of a Member of Parliament in Butambala, about 55 kilometres south-west of Kampala.
Police, however, blamed the violence on opposition supporters, underscoring the sharply conflicting accounts surrounding the election period.
As Ugandans continue to wait for the final results, the heavy security presence at the opposition leader’s home and reports of violence have heightened concerns over the credibility of the electoral process and the post-election environment.
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