Police have confirmed that a total of 79 people were arrested during the two-day presidential nomination exercise held at the Electoral Commission (EC) offices in Lubowa, Kajjansi Town Council, on September 23–24, 2025.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SSP Patrick Onyango, the high-profile exercise was largely peaceful, with security forces successfully keeping order amid scattered incidents of crime and disorder.
Onyango revealed that the first day of nominations, September 23, was marked by a wave of petty crime at Kololo, where 44 suspects were rounded up for phone snatching and pickpocketing during President Yoweri Museveni’s rally.
The culprits are currently detained at Jinja Road Police Station awaiting prosecution.
The following day in Kajjansi, Police arrested 35 people for defying security guidelines, among them Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana.
Onyango explained that the legislator and his group were later released on Police bond.
Meanwhile, several supporters of NUP presidential aspirant Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu also found themselves in trouble with the law, with some arrested for reckless riding and assaulting innocent people.
Security further impounded two motor vehicles and 40 motorcycles during the operations.
Despite these disruptions, Onyango said the exercise went ahead smoothly. “Despite these incidents, the nomination exercise concluded without any serious incidents reported,” he noted.
The two-day event set the stage for eight presidential aspirants to be confirmed on the ballot for the 2026 general elections.
