Police officers who were attached to the security team of former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, during the recently concluded presidential elections have been arrested, Daily Star has learned.
The revelation was made by David Waswa, the head of the police Counter-Terrorism Division, while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.
According to Waswa, the officers were arrested after they demanded payment for funds they claimed to have earned while providing security to Bobi Wine.
“Their payment has to be effected by the Electoral Commission of Uganda, which appointed them to the job, and not the Uganda Police Force,” he said.
Waswa, who also heads the unit, declined to disclose where the officers are currently detained, noting that he would need to consult before confirming their location. He added that such officers are normally charged within the unit over cases of misconduct.
The arrests come at a time when Bobi Wine reportedly went into hiding for fear of arrest following the elections.
Kyagulanyi lost the January 15 poll to President Yoweri Museveni, who was declared the winner with 71 percent of the total votes cast. Museveni garnered 7,946,772 votes, while Kyagulanyi came second with 2,741,238 votes.
Since polling day, Kyagulanyi’s home in Magere has reportedly remained under heavy military deployment, with security personnel controlling access to the property. Despite uncertainty surrounding his whereabouts, Kyagulanyi has continued to speak to international media outlets.
Later in January, the military raided his home in Magere shortly after he lost the presidential election to the incumbent president, Museveni.
The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Muhoozi Kainerugaba, later confirmed that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) carried out the raid but denied allegations that soldiers assaulted Kyagulanyi’s wife, Barbra Kyagulanyi.
“My soldiers did not beat up Barbie, Bobi Wine’s wife. First of all, we do not beat women. They are not worth our time. We are looking for her cowardly husband, not her,” Gen. Muhoozi said.
