Africa-Press – Uganda. National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi has urged Ugandans not to be cowed by the wave of abductions targeting opposition members, calling on citizens to resist intimidation and intensify efforts to remove the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) from power.
Speaking on Sunday during a thanksgiving ceremony for outgoing NUP Electoral Commission chairperson Mercy Walukamba in Busembatya Town Council, Bugweri District, Kyagulanyi said the increasing arrests of opposition activists were designed to stifle dissent and discourage political participation.
“The abductions are meant to instil fear and stop people from rising up against dictatorship,” Kyagulanyi said. “We must not be intimidated. Let us use every legal and peaceful means to end this regime.”
The event, held at St John’s Church of Uganda, drew thousands of NUP supporters and local residents. Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, used the platform to call on Ugandans to contest for office at all levels under the opposition banner to ensure meaningful representation.
He also criticised the NRM government for banning rice cultivation in wetlands, saying the policy disproportionately affects communities like Busoga whose livelihoods depend on rice farming.
“People in Busoga depend on wetlands to grow rice and survive. The government is denying them the right to earn a living under the guise of environmental protection, yet a balance can be found,” Kyagulanyi said.
He accused authorities of portraying him as violent to justify repressive actions. “I am a law-abiding citizen, but they depict me as chaotic to justify their brutality,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Unlike previous visits marked by tear gas and arrests, Sunday’s ceremony proceeded without incident. Police remained parked in a vehicle nearby but did not interfere.
Kyagulanyi hailed Walukamba for her integrity and resistance to bribery during her five-year tenure leading the NUP’s Electoral Commission.
“She refused to be compromised. She didn’t accept bribes from people seeking party tickets. We thank her for standing firm,” he said, before formally accepting her resignation.
Walukamba is now preparing to contest for the Bugweri Woman MP seat in 2026. She pledged to guard her supporters’ votes against electoral malpractice.
“In the last election, I was denied victory because someone feared for their job. This time, we are ready,” she declared.
Jinja City Woman MP Manjeri Kyebakutika, also present, thanked Busoga voters for their support in 2021 and urged even greater turnout for the opposition in 2026.
Meanwhile, NUP’s eastern Uganda chief coordinator Andrew Kiiza Kaluya demanded the release of Counsel Nasser Mudiobole, a former Iganga MP aspirant who was reportedly abducted on Friday from his home in Kyaliwajjala by armed security operatives.
As political speeches intensified, the clergy stepped in to urge restraint. Rev Canon Andrew Mpaata pleaded with speakers not to attack the ruling government during a church event.
“I am afraid for myself and my job when you people start attacking the ruling government,” Mpaata said, drawing jeers from the congregation.
The ceremony marked a key moment in the NUP’s mobilisation efforts in eastern Uganda, with leaders pledging to confront repression while building grassroots structures ahead of 2026.
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