Questions are mounting within the security establishment following the arrest and detention of nine police officers who were previously deployed to guard opposition leader Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, during the last general elections.
The officers, drawn from the Counter-Terrorism Directorate of the Uganda Police Force, were part of a security detail assigned to protect high-profile presidential candidates.
Both Kyagulanyi and Nandala Mafabi, who contested under the Forum for Democratic Change, were each provided with 16 elite Counter-Terrorism personnel because they were classified as high-risk candidates.
However, sources within the police indicate that nine of the officers who had been attached to Kyagulanyi have now been arrested and arraigned before a disciplinary tribunal operating under the Counter-Terrorism Directorate.
The unit is currently overseen by Assistant Inspector General of Police David Ssengendo Waswa.
Attempts to obtain an official explanation from the police leadership have so far yielded little information.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said he had not yet received details about the matter, while efforts to reach the Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba and the Director of Operations Frank Mwesigwa were unsuccessful.
According to sources familiar with the proceedings, all 16 officers who formed Kyagulanyi’s security detail were recently summoned to the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) for questioning.
The officers reportedly appeared before the PSU Commandant, Senior Commissioner of Police Christine Nanding, where each was interviewed for about an hour.
After the interviews, nine officers were detained and later transferred to the Railway Police Station.
The officers had been drawn from several specialised sections within the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, including the Tactical Unit responsible for urban counter-terror operations, the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU), and the Vital Installations Protection Unit (VIPU).
Five of the officers were formally charged at the Counter-Terrorism headquarters in Naguru, while four others were charged at the VIPPU base located at the Nsambya Police Barracks.
The charges reportedly relate to alleged insubordination and conduct deemed scandalous during the election period, particularly regarding their interaction with Kyagulanyi.
However, details of the alleged misconduct have not been publicly disclosed.
Among the officers reportedly charged at Naguru are Jeff Okadan, John Osike, Joshua Kigenyi, Emma Luzire, and their commander Abangira.
The group was reportedly presented before the disciplinary tribunal on Wednesday, while the remaining four officers were charged the following day at Nsambya.
Senior police sources say recent internal reforms have allowed police units and regions to conduct disciplinary hearings locally instead of transferring every case to Naguru headquarters.
This arrangement reportedly explains why the officers faced proceedings in different locations.
Despite the disciplinary action, it remains unclear why only nine of the original 16 officers were charged.
Some accounts suggest investigators are examining how Kyagulanyi managed to leave his residence while police officers were still deployed for his protection.
The issue reportedly surfaced during discussions involving police leadership and members of Parliament’s accountability committees.
Kyagulanyi, who had remained out of the public eye for some time following the elections, responded to the arrests through a post on the social media platform X.
In the post, he claimed the officers had been dismissed from the police force on allegations of neglect of duty, accusing the government of targeting them for allegedly helping him evade security surveillance.
Kyagulanyi argued that the officers had been withdrawn from duty on the day of the election and were therefore not responsible for his movements afterwards.
He also criticised the government, saying the officers were being punished unfairly.
The arrests have sparked debate about the circumstances surrounding the case, with many observers awaiting a formal explanation from the police leadership regarding the allegations and the fate of the officers involved.
