Opposition leader Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has claimed that several police officers who were deployed to guard him during the election period have been dismissed from the Uganda Police Force.
In a statement posted on X, Kyagulanyi alleged that nine officers were recently brought before the Police Court and expelled from the force over accusations of neglecting their duty.
According to him, authorities claim the officers helped him escape from his home shortly after the January election.
“The regime yesterday paraded nine police officers who had been assigned to our campaign before the Police Court and dismissed them with disgrace. Their alleged offence is ‘neglect of duty’ because they supposedly helped me escape from my own home,” Kyagulanyi wrote.
However, the opposition leader insisted the accusation does not make sense because the officers had already been withdrawn from their deployment before the incident in question.
He explained that the officers were removed from duty on 15 January, the same day the election took place, meaning they were no longer stationed at his residence when security forces surrounded his home the following day.
Kyagulanyi said that when the military raided his residence on 16 January, the officers who had previously been assigned to him were not present.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, officials from the police leadership told Parliament they were not aware of the alleged arrests.
While appearing before the Parliament of Uganda’s Public Accounts Committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police James Ochaya said he had not been briefed about the matter and could not confirm the claims.
When pressed by legislators for more information, Ochaya said the Director of Counter-Terrorism, Wasswa David Ssengendo, would be in a better position to respond.
However, Ssengendo also told the committee that he was not aware of the issue but promised to consult further and report back with clarification.
