Ugandan opposition leader and National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, was under heavy security deployment on Tuesday night, just two days before the January 15 general elections.
The developments coincided with a nationwide internet and phone communication shutdown ordered by the government on Tuesday evening.
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By 6:00 pm, access to the internet was cut across the country, with most mobile communication services also disabled.
This marks yet another election cycle in Uganda conducted under restricted digital access.
According to a statement issued by Dr Daniel Kawuma, the NUP Diaspora Team Leader, the security presence around Bobi Wine’s home and the communications blackout have intensified fears over the integrity of the electoral process.
The statement claims the shutdown has created an “information blackout” at a time when opposition figures and civilians are reportedly facing arrests.
Civil society organisations and election watchdogs have also been affected.
The statement alleges that several monitoring groups have been restricted from operating, with some observers detained and denied bail.
These actions, it says, further limit independent oversight of the elections.
Beyond politics, the shutdown has had broader social and economic implications. Health services, particularly in rural areas that rely on mobile connectivity, have reportedly been disrupted.
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Online businesses have also been affected, resulting in financial losses for many Ugandans.
The latest move has renewed scrutiny of President Yoweri Museveni’s administration, which has been in power for nearly four decades.
The NUP diaspora leadership has called on the international community to move beyond observation and take action, while urging Ugandans not to be intimidated and to participate peacefully in the January 15 elections.