President warns opposition is ‘playing with fire’ by taking to the streets.

Ugandan security forces have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in advance of a planned antigovernment rally over alleged corruption and human rights abuses.

Police and soldiers cut off access to the office of the National Unity Platform (NUP), which sits near the capital, Kampala, on Monday. The threat of protests has angered longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who claimed it to be a plot being operated by unnamed “foreigners”.

NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi claimed that the blockade prevented people from entering or leaving, while some have been roughly detained.

“These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks,” he wrote on X.

Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, added that several opposition leaders had been “violently arrested”.

These cowards have turned the National Unity Platform Headquarters into a military barracks. Several leaders have been violently arrested. They have now blocked the roads leading to the office. All because THEY ARE SCARED OF THE PEOPLE. And yes, WHEN WE LOSE OUR FEAR FOR THEM,… pic.twitter.com/ogLuJSLN0x

— BOBI WINE (@HEBobiwine) July 22, 2024

Bobi Wine, 42, a pop star turned politician, has in recent years emerged as the biggest challenger to Museveni.

The 79-year-old has ruled the East African nation since 1986. However, Ugandan youth have spearheaded unrest recently, and are planning to march to parliament on Tuesday to protest against alleged widespread corruption and human rights abuses.

‘Red flag’

Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said security forces had taken precautionary steps against what he called NUP’s “mobilisation for the protest”.

“We have been monitoring [this]. Their activities raised a red flag and we took precaution[ary] measures,” he said.

Opposition leaders and rights activists say embezzlement and misuse of government funds are pervasive in Uganda. They have long accused Museveni of failing to prosecute corrupt high-level officials who are politically loyal or related to him.

The NGO Transparency International ranks Uganda low on its corruption perceptions index, at 141 out of 180 countries.

Museveni has repeatedly denied tolerating corruption. He says culprits, including lawmakers and ministers, are prosecuted if there is enough evidence.

In a speech on Saturday, the president warned Uganda’s youth against the planned protest, warning them that they are “playing with fire”.

“Some elements, some of them from the opposition, are always working with the foreigners to foment chaos in Uganda – riots, illegal demonstrations, illegal and inconsiderate processions, etc. These people … should check themselves or we shall have no alternative but to check them,” he said.