“In the 2021 election, the police officers who were attached to our campaign were attacked violently and subjected to all manner of brutality,” Kyagulanyi said. “After the election, several of them, including their head Afande Kato, were arrested and detained for a long period.”
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Former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has condemned the arrest and detention of police officers who were assigned to him as security during the recently concluded general election, accusing the government of targeting officers who professionally carried out their duties.
Kyagulanyi, who contested under the National Unity Platform (NUP), said the arrest of his former security detail follows a similar incident that occurred after the 2021 general election.
In a statement, Kyagulanyi alleged that officers assigned to protect him during the election campaigns are often subjected to harassment, torture and detention after the elections.
“In the 2021 election, the police officers who were attached to our campaign were attacked violently and subjected to all manner of brutality,” Kyagulanyi said. “After the election, several of them, including their head Afande Kato, were arrested and detained for a long period.”
He added that during the previous arrests, the officers were reportedly interrogated about the opposition leader’s activities, including his sources of funding, the people he met, and his political plans.
Kyagulanyi further claimed that the officers were questioned about why they often intervened to shield his campaign team from violent attacks by other sections of the security forces.
“Now in 2026, we have learnt that the officers who were attached to our campaign have also been arrested and are being interrogated,” he said. “These officers are usually targeted for doing their job with professionalism and patriotism. May we all stand in solidarity with them and work for their freedom.”
Parliament Raises Concern
The matter was also raised in Parliament during a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday, where legislators demanded an explanation from the Uganda Police Force over the reported arrests.
According to information presented before the committee, several officers who had served on Kyagulanyi’s security detail were arrested about six weeks after the election.
While addressing the media, police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said he had also learned about the arrests during the PAC sitting.
“I am going to first consult my superiors who are responsible for the day-to-day affairs of these officers to brief me on the matter before updating the general public about their status,” Kituuma said.
The PAC session was chaired by Mawogola South Member of Parliament Gorreth Namugga, who also serves as the committee’s deputy chairperson.
Committee members questioned police officials about the circumstances surrounding the arrests and why the officers had not yet been paid their allowances despite completing their election assignments.
The Director of Counterterrorism in the police, David Wasswa Ssengendo, told the committee that although the officers fall under his directorate, their payment is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission.
Ssengendo appeared before the committee together with the Assistant Inspector General of Police, James Ochaya, and other officials.
When asked about the detention of the officers, Ochaya said he needed more time to investigate the matter, explaining that he could not immediately account for every arrest made within the force.
Namugga urged him to make inquiries and provide a report to the committee, but Ochaya said it was not possible to do so at that moment. The committee later directed police leadership to submit a report on the matter as soon as possible.
Circumstances of the Arrest
According to reports, the officers were initially summoned to the headquarters of the VIP Police Protection Unit in Nsambya, where they were questioned about their deployment during the election period.
Those who were absent were asked to report the following morning. They were later directed to police headquarters in Naguru, where they were reportedly arrested and detained in police cells near the railway line.
Before their detention, the officers are said to have recorded statements about their deployment, which had been arranged by the Electoral Commission to provide security for Kyagulanyi during the presidential campaign.
Among those reportedly arrested are their commander Jonan Abangira, his deputy Osike, Josh Kigenyi, Moses Luwisi, Sula Sizoomu, John Jeff Akodan and several others.
During the election period, the Electoral Commission assigned eight counterterrorism officers, including a driver, to each presidential candidate.
The Electoral Commission spokesperson, Julius Mucunguzi, recently said the commission had not yet received a formal complaint regarding unpaid allowances from Kyagulanyi’s security team through their supervising officers.
Police spokesperson Kituuma also said the force has not opened any criminal case against Kyagulanyi.
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