Speaking during NBS Frontline on Thursday, Byaruhanga said he does not believe security forces are biased against NUP.
“I don’t think security is against NUP. I think NUP are against themselves,” he said.
Byaruhanga explained that after the nomination of candidates, all political parties signed memoranda of understanding outlining how candidates and their agents should conduct themselves during the election period.
He maintained that these guidelines apply equally to all political actors and are not tailored specifically to NUP.
Byaruhanga further claimed that some NUP supporters have suffered serious injuries as a result of their own actions, alleging that certain individuals lost their legs after their candidate’s convoy violated traffic regulations. He argued that such conduct is unacceptable and should not be blamed on security agencies.
His remarks drew an immediate rebuttal from NUP Treasurer Benjamin Katana, who insisted that the party has not breached any laws governing electioneering. Katana said NUP activities remain within the legal framework and accused security agencies of selectively enforcing regulations against opposition supporters.
The exchange comes against the backdrop of escalating tensions surrounding NUP campaign rallies across the country. Over recent weeks, hundreds of NUP supporters have been arrested during events addressed by the party’s presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine. Several of these rallies have been characterised by heavy deployment of police and military personnel.
In Kawempe, eyewitnesses reported a significant presence of security forces, including officers in both uniform and plainclothes. Security operatives were also accompanied by sniffer dogs, with allegations that some handlers unleashed the dogs on opposition supporters, heightening fear and chaos at the gatherings.
Bobi Wine has repeatedly accused security agencies of violently assaulting his supporters and deliberately disrupting his campaign activities.
He has cited several incidents, including a confrontation in November along the Mbarara–Ibanda Road as he travelled to his second campaign rally in the Ankole sub-region.
The rally was scheduled to take place in Bwizibwera, Mbarara District. According to Bobi Wine, some of the attacks on his supporters were carried out by individuals wearing NRM T-shirts and carrying posters of President Yoweri Museveni, suggesting coordinated efforts to undermine NUP activities.
Following the arrests at various campaign events, detainees were produced before courts in different parts of the country and charged with a range of offences.
These include obstruction of police officers, robbery, malicious damage to property, and multiple traffic-related violations such as driving without licences, riding motorcycles without helmets, and operating uninsured vehicles.
Other suspects were charged with participating in unauthorised military-style drills, allegedly linked to a parade held on February 12, 2025, at NUP’s Makerere–Kavule headquarters to mark Bobi Wine’s 43rd birthday. Authorities claim the event violated laws regulating paramilitary activities.
Among those facing prosecution are several prominent NUP figures, including Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the party’s Deputy Spokesperson and Nakawa East parliamentary aspirant; Saudah Madaada, Kampala Central Woman Lord Councillor aspirant; Dorren Kaija, the NUP School Coordinator; and six of Bobi Wine’s close aides, among them Edward Ssebufu, commonly known as Eddie Mutwe, and Achileo Kivumbi. All the accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Despite the mounting arrests and legal challenges, NUP leadership has continued to call on security agencies to act professionally and impartially.
The party has urged authorities to respect the law, protect all Ugandans equally, and allow political actors to campaign freely without intimidation or excessive use of force.
NUP maintains that the continued diversion of campaign routes, the arrests of supporters, and the alleged use of brutality by security personnel undermine democratic principles and threaten the credibility of the ongoing electoral process.
The party warns that unless these issues are addressed, public confidence in the 2026 elections could be severely eroded.