Daily Monitor journalist Derrick Wandera has expressed deep concern about what he describes as a troubling escalation in the use of force by security agencies during ongoing campaign activities, warning that the situation mirrors violent episodes witnessed in the 2021 general elections.
Speaking during NBS Morning Breeze on Friday, Wandera said the recent crackdown on National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters in Mbarara represents a clear departure from government assurances of a peaceful electoral environment.
“There is certainly a fundamental shift from what we saw in 2021 in terms of use of force and violence,” Wandera said.
He recounted witnessing the arrest of Bobi Wine’s supporters in Mbarara, an experience that reminded him of the widely criticised Kalangala incident during the 2021 campaign season
He described the Mbarara arrests as “a big black spot” on the credibility of the current election cycle and said they undermine the earlier statement by Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao, who had insisted that the 2026 elections would be peaceful.
“What happened in Mbarara sweeps away the statement Minister Mao made about peaceful elections,” Wandera added.
Wandera’s comments come after a wave of arrests targeting supporters of Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, the NUP presidential candidate.
Some of the arrests occurred along the Mbarara–Ibanda Road as Bobi Wine travelled to his second campaign rally in the Ankole sub-region, scheduled to take place at Bwizibwera in Mbarara District.
Nobi Wine accused security forces of assaulting and violently dispersing supporters and alleged that additional attacks were carried out by unidentified individuals dressed in NRM-branded T-shirts and carrying posters of President Yoweri Museveni.
Many of those arrested were subsequently produced in courts across the country, where they face a wide array of charges.
These include obstruction of police officers, robbery, malicious damage to property, and several traffic-related offences such as driving without licences, riding without helmets, and operating vehicles without insurance.
Other supporters were charged with participating in unauthorised military-style drills following a February 12, 2025 parade held at the NUP Makerere–Kavule headquarters as part of celebrations marking Bobi Wine’s 43rd birthday.
Among those charged are several senior NUP figures, including Deputy Spokesperson and Nakawa East MP aspirant Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, Kampala Central Woman Lord Councillor aspirant Saudah Madaada, and the party’s school coordinator Dorren Kaija.
Several key aides to Bobi Wine among them Edward Ssebufu (Eddie Mutwe) and Achileo Kivumbi are also among the accused. All individuals have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In response to the arrests, NUP leadership issued a strong condemnation, characterising the developments as part of a systematic pattern of political persecution ahead of the 2026 general elections.
The party renewed its demand for the immediate release of what it describes as political prisoners and urged the government to honor constitutional protections related to freedom of assembly, political expression, and fair legal process.
NUP leaders also highlighted that many individuals arrested in previous election cycles have spent more than five years in detention without trial, raising concerns that the continued violence is aimed at targeting NUP supporters.