Uganda’s opposition presidential candidate Bobi Wine has told Al Jazeera the military has “taken over” his compound just hours after he alleged Thursday’s election was rigged.
Bobi Wine said the military had surrounded his house for the last two days and it “wreaked havoc” on Friday after taking over his compound.
“They have taken over my compound. They have arrested my security guard and beat him up so bad,” Bobi Wine told Al Jazeera.
“My phone, my wife’s phone and all the phones of the people I am with have been blocked. That is the situation now,” he added.
“The military has taken over my house and are not answering my questions. Me and my wife are stricken with fear. We don’t know what will happen now to our lives.”
Bobi Wine tweeted the news just hours after he said “every legal option is on the table” to challenge the official results.
Military officials told Al Jazeera while there was an incident at Bobi Wine’s residence, it was not “the way Bobi Wine was explaining it”.
“It is not true that the people who jumped over [into his home] were security personnel but they were civilians,” deputy military spokesperson Deo Akiki told Al Jazeera.
“We do not know if they were his guests or not. But as security, we took interest,” he said, adding that one person was arrested while the two managed to escape.
Akiki said the large presence of security forces was “to monitor his security and ensure he is safe” since Bobi Wine was a presidential candidate.
However, Bobi Wine rejected Akiki’s claims, saying no civilian jumped over his wall.
“Some soldiers jumped into his compound and beat up his guards … some journalists who are there are also telling us that there is a huge presence of soldiers around his house,” said Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from Kampala.
