The police counter-terrorism officers who had been assigned to National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine’s security detail during the 2026 presidential campaigns have been arrested, the Nile Post has learnt.
This website has learnt that the guards were arrested this week and detained at Railway Police Station in Kampala.
“They face charges of disobedience of lawful orders and withdrawing from work without permission,” a source privy to the matter told this website.
It is, however, not clear how the officers disobeyed lawful orders and how they withdrew from work without permission.
Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kituuma Rusoke, was not readily available for a comment on the matter. The Nile Post has contacted him on his known telephone number, but he was yet to respond at the time of publishing this article.
Bobi Wine, who is currently out of the country, said on Wednesday through his social media platforms that he had learnt that the guards had been arrested and detained.
“These officers are usually targeted for doing their job with professionalism and patriotism,” he posted on X.
Kyagulanyi alleged that this was not the first time that police guards attached to his security detail during campaigns are being arrested and detained, noting that a similar occurrence happened in 2021.
“We learnt that they were questioned about our sources of funding, who I was meeting, what our plans were among others. They were also interrogated about why they always sought to protect us from violent attacks by other sections of the police and military,” Bobi said in a post on X.
After nomination last year, all presidential candidates, including the incumbent President Museveni who had been duly nominated by the Electoral Commission, were given personal security detail to guard them during the campaigns.
Each candidate was given 16 police guards from the Counter Terrorism Directorate. Their allowances were to be footed by the Electoral Commission.
A few weeks ago, the New Vision, the government newspaper, reported that the bodyguards and drivers were demanding their payment.