Uganda 2026 Polls : Agents Assaulted, Leaders Detained In Security Crackdown Targeting NUP Operations in Mitooma
MITOOMA, WESTERN UGANDA — The National Unity Platform (NUP) has accused security forces in Mitooma District of a coordinated clampdown after several of its local leaders and election agents were reportedly assaulted and detained ahead of the 2026 polls.
The party says that Ronald Turyatunga and Kenneth Turyatunga were arrested on Tuesday evening while distributing official appointment letters to party agents in preparation for upcoming electoral activities. Both remain in custody, with family and legal representatives denied access as of Wednesday afternoon.
Eyewitness accounts provided to local media describe a heavy-handed operation involving uniformed and plain-clothed security personnel who allegedly beat several NUP supporters before making arrests. Party phones, documents, and the appointment letters were reportedly confiscated during the incident.
“This is a deliberate attempt to cripple our grassroots mobilization and intimidate our agents ahead of the elections,” said a NUP spokesperson in a statement. “How can we participate in an electoral process when our agents are arrested for merely receiving appointment letters?”
Police in Mitooma have not yet issued a detailed statement regarding the arrests, though a district security official speaking on condition of anonymity claimed the individuals were “distributing unauthorized materials that could incite public disorder.”
The incident has heightened fears of a repeat of the widespread intimidation and violence that marred previous election cycles in politically sensitive regions. Western Uganda, where opposition support has grown in recent years, has been a focal point of tension.
Human rights organizations have condemned the detentions and called for the immediate release of the Turyatunga brothers and all other political detainees held without clear legal grounds.
“Arresting opposition agents under vague allegations undermines the credibility of the entire electoral process,” said a representative from Chapter Four Uganda. “The state must allow all parties to organize freely if these elections are to be considered fair.”
The NUP says it will challenge the arrests in court and has called on international election observers to take note of what it describes as a “pattern of repression” aimed at weakening opposition structures ahead of 2026.
As Uganda moves closer to another election, the situation in Mitooma underscores the volatile intersection of politics, security, and civil liberties—and raises urgent questions about the space for democratic competition in the country.
