Two top aides to Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine were among several people arrested during a raid on an event marking the country’s independence day on Monday, his party said.
Heavily armed soldiers and police surrounded the headquarters of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) in Kamwokya, a low income area of the capital Kampala, and roads were blocked off to stop vehicles from entering, it said on X, formerly Twitter.
Monday’s action came just days after Wine, who unsuccessfully challenged President Yoweri Museveni in 2021 elections, declared he was under house arrest after being seized by security agents on his return from a trip abroad last Thursday.
The NUP said its secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya and spokesman Joel Ssenyonyi were attempting to address journalists at the party’s office when around 15 soldiers bundled them into a type of unmarked minivan known in Uganda as a “drone”.
The opposition meeting was intended to commemorate the 61st anniversary of Uganda’s independence from Britain.
The NUP said the pair were taken to a nearby police station, while Wine said two evangelical pastors who had planned to lead prayers were also arrested.
“The military and police have raided and cordoned off the NUP Head Office, Kamwokya yet again, in order to block us from holding prayers for our dead, detained and disappeared comrades,” Wine posted on X.
“No one is allowed to enter or leave the office. While they do this, they will shamelessly gather today to celebrate ‘independence’ even when they behave worse than the colonialists.”
Wine later posted pictures from his home north of Kampala with people carrying pictures of lost loved ones and posters saying “Free all political prisoners”.
There was no immediate comment from police about the NUP statements and it is not clear if Wine is prevented from leaving his home.
The popstar turned politician, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has been arrested numerous times in the past.
Police denied Wine had been arrested on Thursday, saying they had merely “escorted” the 41-year-old from Entebbe International Airport to his home.
The United States voiced concern with the State Department’s Bureau for African Affairs saying it feared “democratic space is shrinking” in the East African country.
On Friday, the NUP published a list of names of 120 activists it said were detained the previous day.
Police said 40 arrests were made, including an MP, and that “unfortunately” 14 journalists had also been detained but since released.
