Charges against Bobi Wine’s former bodyguards remain shrouded in uncertainty

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Mystery surrounds the arrest and detention of nine counter-terrorism police officers who were attached to National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, during the last elections.

Bobi Wine and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate James Nathaniel Nandala Mafabi were considered high-risk candidates, and each was assigned 16 highly trained counter-terrorism police officers for their security.

Sources confirm that nine of Bobi Wine’s 16 bodyguards have since been arrested and charged before the police disciplinary tribunal under the Counter-Terrorism Directorate, currently headed by Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) David Ssengendo Waswa.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kituuma Rusoke said he had not received a briefing regarding the developments.

Efforts to obtain an official statement from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abas Byakagaba and the police Director of Operations, AIGP Frank Mwesigwa, were unsuccessful.

According to sources familiar with the proceedings, all 16 bodyguards were summoned to the Professional Standards Unit (PSU), where they were interviewed by the commandant, Senior Commissioner of Police (SCP) Christine Nanding.

Each officer was reportedly questioned for at least an hour. Only nine were subsequently arrested and transferred to the Railway Police.

The officers had been drawn from three key units under the Counter-Terrorism Directorate: the Tactical Unit, known for urban counter-terrorism operations; the Very Important Persons Protection Unit (VIPPU); and the Vital Installations Protection Unit (VIPU).

Five of the nine officers were charged at the counter-terrorism headquarters in Naguru, while four others were charged at the VIPPU headquarters at Nsambya Police Barracks.

They face allegations of insubordination and scandalous conduct linked to their interaction with Bobi Wine during the elections, though the specifics of these allegations remain unclear.

The first five officers charged in Naguru are identified as Jeff Okadan, John Osike, Joshua Kigenyi, Emma Luzire, and their commander, Abangira.

They were reportedly charged on Wednesday, while the other four were charged on Thursday at Nsambya.

A senior police source explained that PSU has empowered units, divisions, and regions to conduct disciplinary tribunals within their jurisdictions, eliminating the need for officers to travel to Naguru for every hearing.

This explains why some were charged in Naguru and others at Nsambya. It remains unclear why only nine of the 16 bodyguards were charged, and no official comment has been provided regarding the arrests or the nature of the alleged misconduct.

Other accounts indicate the guards assigned to Bobi are being questioned about how he escaped from his home while they were still deployed under him.

Some of these concerns were raised as the police leadership appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee

Kyagulanyi Responds via Social Media

Reacting to the arrests, Kyagulanyi, who has been in hiding since mid-January, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that: “The criminal regime yesterday paraded before the Police Court, nine of the police officers who were assigned to our campaign! They were all dismissed from the Uganda Police Force with disgrace. Their crime? ‘Neglect of Duty’.

“The criminal regime claims that they assisted me in escaping from my own home. Crazy! And yet, in fact, these professional police officers were withdrawn on 15th January, which was election day. By the time I left my home on the 16th, when the military raided, they were no longer on duty.”

He added, “But now, they’re being hounded, persecuted, and punished because the regime cannot live with the embarrassment of not being able to locate me for two months. They’re looking for anyone to blame.”

Kyagulanyi further stated: “In any event, these officers were deployed to protect me and not to spy on me. But this is what Museveni has turned all institutions into! He expects them to do everything illegal, criminal, or immoral to sustain his criminal enterprise.”

He alleged, “Choosing to act professionally has landed very many civil servants in trouble. We understand that in addition to being dismissed, officer Kigenyi and another were taken back to detention at the police station at the Railway grounds and are still being interrogated! … For now, we stand in solidarity with these officers, who, like many other Ugandans, have had to taste the wrath of a desperate regime in its evening.”

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