Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, told supporters in Luweero District on Tuesday that his campaign faces conditions resembling a war, citing alleged government interference and intimidation.

Addressing three rallies in Kalule, Zirobwe, and Kyegombwa, Bobi Wine said the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Museveni, spends billions of shillings on soldiers, police, vehicles, and other logistics aimed at disrupting his campaign.

Campaign-linked injuries and fatalities have been reported at multiple Bobi Wine rallies, amid clashes involving armed forces firing live rounds.

“Our campaign is not an ordinary campaign. We are almost at war. You can see the soldiers and vehicles deployed. These people even knock and kill our supporters,” Bobi Wine said at Kalule playground in Nyimbwa Sub-county.

Through out his campaign activities on Tuesday, Bobi Wine appeared to put on a bulletproof vest, similar to the protective gear worn by journalists in conflict zones.

During Sunday night’s NTV presidential debate, Bobi Wine called for cutting funding to security forces and redirecting the money to key sectors such as education, health, and infrastructure.

Two days later, he accused the NRM of turning a blind eye to land grabbing in areas including Luweero, saying, “It is ok for the NRM when our people are losing land to the grabbers and it is also ok when our people are failing to get all the other basic services. But I tell you that this is not ok. We shall recover our land when we vote out the NRM on January 15, 2026.”

Bobi Wine added that roadblocks, arbitrary arrests, police interference, and tear-gassing of supporters have marked his campaign, especially in the Buganda region, an opposition stronghold.

“Even as we talk, one of our supporters has just died because of injuries. This is the kind of campaign that we are going through. Our victory is assured, and this is why Museveni and his government are acting desperately,” he said.

Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba early this week defended security crackdowns at opposition rallies saying: “There is need to collocate the right to political expression with the rights of other members within the same ecosystem. It is our duty as police to ensure that both sides enjoy their rights, and whoever breaches the law is handled appropriately.”

Meanwhile, the rallies in Luweero were also addressed by NUP members of Parliament from Luweero, including Woman MP Brenda Nabukenya, Denis Ssekabira (Katikamu North), and Kirumira Hassan (Katikamu South), who highlighted illegal land evictions and disputed cases allegedly orchestrated by powerful actors in government.

“Our people have lost land to land grabbers,” Nabukenya told the candidate.

Luweero, with a 2024 population of 616,242, is part of Uganda’s cattle corridor and was the epicenter of the early 1980s war that brought the NRM (Museveni) to power.

The Electoral Commission lists 297,752 registered voters in the district, where Bobi Wine won 70.45% of the 2021 presidential vote.

Unlike previous public gatherings, Tuesday’s rallies were largely peaceful. However, confrontations occurred along sections of the Zirobwe-Gayaza road, where security forces reportedly engaged NUP supporters with tear gas.