HEADLINE: Tensions Rise as NUP Mobilizes Protest Vote Amidst Museveni Warning of Crackdown
KAMPALA – With the January 2026 general elections on the horizon, Uganda’s political landscape is heating up as the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) intensifies its strategy for a “Protest Vote,” prompting a stern warning from President Yoweri Museveni and raising fears of a major security crackdown.
According to insider reports, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has charged his party leaders with a vigorous grassroots mobilization campaign. The strategy centers on building youth action groups, referred to as Egaali, under the slogan “Kanonye, Kalonde, Kakume, Kalwanirire” (Watch, Plan, Revolt, Liberate). Sources indicate a clandestine team has also been established within the party to specifically coordinate plans for the protest vote—a collective effort to reject the incumbent government through the ballot.
This mobilization has reportedly triggered significant concern within State House and security apparatuses. “There is panic in circles that want to protect their gains,” a trusted source revealed. In response, security agencies are said to be preparing for operations reminiscent of the 2021 election period, which saw the widespread arrest of NUP supporters, coordinators, and alleged ringleaders.
The looming showdown was thrown into sharp relief during a campaign stop in Masaka City. NRM Presidential Candidate Yoweri Museveni addressed the threat directly, telling supporters he had received intelligence that NUP members were intimidating his followers.
“I have started receiving information that opposition supporters in NUP are threatening my people,” Museveni stated. “I advise those threatened to report those threatening them to security so that I take action against them.”
A visibly furious President issued a stark warning: “This time, I am not going to allow any person to intimidate my supporters.” He vowed to arrest alleged perpetrators, declaring he would “keep them somewhere as proof to my supporters that I am still strong and can shield them from all sorts of threats.”
The statement has been interpreted by political observers as a clear signal of a potential heavy-handed security response in the coming months. The 2021 elections were marred by a severe crackdown, with thousands arrested, widespread reports of human rights abuses, and a prolonged internet shutdown.
As the countdown to #UgandaDecides15thJan2026 continues, the stage appears set for a high-stakes confrontation. The opposition is banking on a mass youth-driven protest vote, while the state is signaling its readiness to deploy security forces to, in its words, “maintain order.” This escalating rhetoric threatens to cast a long shadow over the electoral process, raising fears of renewed violence and repression in the pivotal months ahead.
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