Prior to the demonstration, police and military bar the opposition headquarters in Uganda

In anticipation of anti-government rallies scheduled for Tuesday despite a prohibition, soldiers and police barricaded the offices of the largest opposition party in Uganda on Monday. A police spokeswoman described this action as a preventative measure.

Robert Kyagulanyi, often known as Bobi Wine, the leader of the National Unity site party, said in posts on the social media site X that security guards had surrounded the NUP offices in Kampala, the country’s capital, preventing anybody from entering or leaving.

Wine said that a number of NUP leaders had been “violently arrested” and displayed images of parked army trucks and military troops at the location.

“The military and police have raided and surrounded the National Unity Platform offices …” he stated. “The cowardly regime is so afraid of the people because they know how much they have wronged them!”

When contacted for comment regarding the reported arrests, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke did not immediately answer.

Pop singer-turned-politician Wine, 42, has become the largest rival to 79-year-old President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled East Africa since 1986.

The youth of Uganda, who have led the recent protests, planned to march to parliament on Tuesday despite the rally being banned. The purpose of the event is to protest alleged pervasive corruption and violations of human rights during Museveni’s long-term leadership.

Wine stated that although his party did not plan the demonstrations on Tuesday, it did support them.

Security forces, according to Rusoke, had taken preventative measures against what he described as the NUP’s “mobilization for the protest.”

“We have been keeping an eye on this. We took precautions after their actions raised a red signal,” he said.

In Uganda, protests are allowed under the constitution, but organizers must get police permissions in advance, which are not always granted.

The opposition and human rights advocates claim that corruption and misappropriation of public monies are pervasive in Uganda and have long accused Museveni of neglecting to bring charges against dishonest high-ranking officials who are either politically affiliated with or loyal to him.

Museveni has consistently said that he does not tolerate corruption and that those who do so—such as parliamentarians and even ministers—are brought to justice whenever there is enough proof.

The Criminal Investigations Directorate was given instructions by Museveni on Monday “to arrest and prosecute all government officials linked to ghost civil servants on the payroll,” his ministry said on X.

He said that the planned protests were being funded by outsiders and cautioned Ugandan youth against participating in them in a speech on Saturday.

“Some groups, including some opposition members, are constantly collaborating with foreigners to incite unrest in Uganda, including rioting, unlawful protests, careless and illegal processions, etc. “These individuals ought to examine themselves, or else we will be forced to examine them,” he declared.