MP Matovu, 39 others detained over Bobi welcome procession- police

Police said Friday that they are holding Busiro South MP Charles Matovu on charges of inciting violence following his arrest on Thursday over a foiled procession to welcome National Unity Platform (NUP) president, Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine.

“A total of 40 suspects, including Member of Parliament Hon. Matovu Charles (Busiro South), were apprehended for inciting violence. Various items intended for use in processions, such as red berets, handheld megaphone speakers, and white and red T-shirts branded "Kunga Uganda," were recovered and exhibited,” Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango said in a Friday morning statement.

According to him, relevant statements were taken, and all 40 arrested suspects underwent fingerprinting and profiling. 
“These individuals will face charges in court as operations persist,” he added.

The legislator, a member of NUP and his co-accused were arrested following “a successful security operation” conducted on Thursday, using overt and covert officers, according to Mr Onyango.
Mr Onyango’s statement was issued hours after Mr Kyagulanyi and other NUP leaders said more than 300 of their supporters and party leaders had been detained.

NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya yesterday condemned what he described as indiscriminate arrests of many party faithful whose only crime was attempting to give their returning leader a befitting welcome.
Mr Rubongoya was himself held up by police and barred from proceeding beyond a roadblock set up at Kitubulu, just outside Entebbe town centre, as he headed for the airport to receive Mr Robert Kyagulanyi. 
“People were arrested in Makindye Sabagabo, Nansana, Entebbe, Kawempe. So far, our office has gathered that about 300 people have been arrested, mostly leaders, including councillors, mayors and a Member of Parliament,” he said.

Mr Kyagulanyi was Thursday put under house arrest after being seized by security officials on his return home from a trip abroad.
The United States voiced concern over the action, saying it feared "democratic space is shrinking" in Uganda.
Mr Kyagulanyi, a popstar-turned-politician who ran unsuccessfully against veteran President Museveni in Uganda's last election in 2021, has been arrested numerous times in the past.

"They picked me illegally like you saw and as we speak right now I'm under house arrest. Soldiers and police are all over," Mr Kyagulanyi told journalists at his home in Magere, Wakiso District.
"As soon as I landed goons grabbed me, dragged me, twisted my hands and bundled me into a waiting private car. They drove me to the old airport where they pulled me out and put me in a military car with many soldiers and police officers.

"It was very humiliating," said Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.
Kyagulanyi’s supporters had planned to accompany him en masse to his home, but police had said such a gathering was illegal.
Ugandan authorities have a long history of using so-called "preventative arrest" to detain opposition leaders, often holding them for several hours before returning them to their homes so as to stymie mass demonstrations.
Last month, police announced they were banning mobilisation rallies being organised by NUP across the country because of public order issues.

"Concerned that detention of (Bobi Wine) upon his return to Uganda and detention of other opposition supporters mean democratic space is shrinking in Uganda," the US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs said on X.
"Harassment of opposition voices and of human rights abuses damage prospects for Ugandan progress and its partnership with the international community," it added.

Mr Kyagulanyi made a failed bid for the presidency in 2021 in a tense and violent election race against Museveni, who has ruled over Uganda since 1986.
The campaign was marked by a crackdown on the opposition and at least 54 people were killed during anti-government demonstrations.
Kyagulanyi flew in from South Africa via the Rwandan capital Kigali after a tour to promote a documentary about him by National Geographic TV entitled "Bobi Wine: The People's President."

His return was eagerly anticipated by his supporters, many of whom view him as a symbol of change in a country ruled for so long by one man.
Ugandan soldiers and other security forces had been deployed on roads leading to Entebbe airport since early Thursday morning, as well as outside NUP offices and in Kampala's central business district.
Police had warned organisers not to go ahead with the planned procession and for people not to join the gathering, with Mr Onyango Onyango describing it as an "illegality."

Once hailed for his commitment to good governance, former rebel leader Museveni has crushed any opposition and tweaked the constitution to allow himself to run again and again.
The next presidential ballot is due in 2026. Museveni, 79, has yet to say if he will stand.