National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has appealed to the European Union (EU) to break its silence on the increasing cases of human rights violations in Uganda, particularly the arbitrary arrests and torture of opposition supporters.
The call came during a meeting between the EU delegation in Uganda, led by Ambassador Jan Sadek, and top NUP leaders at the party’s headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Monday.
The engagement is part of a broader EU effort to hold talks with all political parties in the lead-up to Uganda’s 2026 general elections.
Among the NUP officials present were Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi, Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya, Opposition Chief Whip John Baptist Nambeshe, and others.
The EU team was led by Ambassador Sadek and several European diplomats.
Bobi Wine said he used the platform to highlight the plight of NUP supporters, many of whom remain in jail on what the party insists are trumped-up charges designed to silence dissent.
“We raised the issue of human rights. We took the opportunity to also raise our concerns about the seeming hobnobbing of the diplomats with a clearly brutal person, that is, General Museveni’s son, and we expressed our concern that the people of Uganda tend to view it as a support for their oppression,” Bobi Wine said after the meeting.
He specifically pointed out the recent arrest and reported torture of his civilian bodyguard Edward Ssebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, who was seized in Mukono last month and held in military detention before being arraigned in Masaka court over a week later on robbery-related charges.
Mutwe, according to NUP, was tortured while in custody and appeared in court unable to walk unaided.
“I took the opportunity to also raise the plight of our brother, Eddie Mutwe, who is rotting away in jail, and I mentioned that it would go a long way to helping him out if the voice of the development partners is raised to save his life and ensure that he gets urgent, specialized treatment,” Bobi Wine added.
The EU ambassador emphasized that their meetings with political stakeholders, including the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), are aimed at promoting a democratic and peaceful electoral process.
“We have met with NRM; now we are meeting with NUP, and we will proceed also with the other political parties. And why are we doing this? Well, because this is an important year. Uganda is heading for elections next year in 2026. It’s an incredibly important process for the democracy in the country,” Sadek said.
He acknowledged the EU’s concern over increasing violence and misconduct by security forces, especially during elections and by-elections the most recent being the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election, where both opposition supporters and journalists were reportedly brutalized.
“This does not seem to point to a level playing field, which is so important in a democracy that is having elections. We appeal to all political forces in the country to respect the ideas of democracy and pursue these elections in a calm way to achieve fair and credible election results,” Sadek noted.
As the 2026 polls draw nearer, tension continues to rise, with opposition figures like Bobi Wine demanding stronger international condemnation of state actions that, they say, are designed to cripple political competition and discourage civic engagement.
