Kampala, Uganda:– Security agencies in Kampala have arrested 16 suspects for allegedly plotting to disrupt President Museveni’s nomination ceremony for NRM Chairman and 2026 Presidential Flag Bearer, a week after a spate of street robberies linked when he picked the nomination forms last Saturday.
In a police statement issued on Saturday evening, Kampala Metropolitan spokesperson Patrick Onyango confirmed: “During the event, 16 suspects were arrested for allegedly planning to disrupt the city and were found smoking opium. They are currently detained at CPS Kampala, and their files are being prepared.”
The event, Onyango said, proceeded peacefully under heightened security with foot and motorized patrols, undercover officers, and a quick response team in place.
Tension first erupted last Saturday, June 28, when around 21 youths, many wearing NRM yellow shirts, went on a violent theft and assault spree along Kampala’s key routes leading to Kyadondo, targeting pedestrians, boda-boda riders, and vendors.
CCTV footage helped police track down and arrest the suspects before holding them in custody at Central and Wandegeya police stations.
Witnesses reported that some of the hoodlums claimed they were paid between Shs 10,000–20,000 and handed NRM-branded T-shirts by campaign mobilisers to join the crowds—only to later turn violent.
Police did not link the suspects arrested today to the party, but the scale of the incidents prompted criticism and calls for tougher crowd control.
Learning from recent incidents, police intensified security ahead of Saturday’s nomination event. Strategies employed included: Strategic deployment of motorcycles and foot patrols in Kampala’s central business and transit routes
Undercover officers stationed near Kyadondo and other vulnerable locations, a quick-response unit on standby and real-time CCTV monitoring and intelligence coordination
Onyango emphasized ongoing vigilance calling on business owners to be alert and victims of crime urged to report suspicious activities.
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