By JONATHAN KAMOGA

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Uganda’s largest opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), has embarked on a countrywide tour to raise grassroots support. It is an early programme by its leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine who still harbours ambition to unseat incumbent Yoweri Museveni ahead of the 2026 general elections.

And out of either, a change of tack or fear of censure from local and international human rights watchdogs, security forces have allowed Bobi Wine to go about his tour.

Bobi Wine, his party officials and supporters have in the past endured running battles with security forces breaking up opposition gatherings especially in rural areas.

"This week, NUP top leadership started their mobilisation tour in the ruling party and President Museveni’s stronghold of western Uganda. They want to establish party offices, meet with party leaders, and recruit new members and supporters," the NUP officials said.

Read: Uganda opposition unites to counter ruling NRM

Fred Nyanzi, NUP National Secretary for Mobilisation said the tour is intended to form grassroots support bases across the country ahead of the next elections, identify potential candidates for all elective positions and spread the message of change to supporters.

“Across the country, our supporters have been intimidated, harassed by the regime and many now fear to openly identify with us.

“So we thought this tour will among other things give them hope. It is required of us as top party leadership to assert ourselves, resist oppression and do everything within our power to awaken the people and show them the power they yield,” Nyanzi said.

While the reception has been good in the parts of the country they have so far visited, Mr Nyanzi said there is continued intimidation from state operatives directed towards organisers, venue owners, radio stations and supporters.

Read:Museveni clears 'barrier' to 2026 polls win

Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, in a short response to The EastAfrican, said that the party activities will not be disrupted as long as officials co-operate with the police. Over the years, opposition politicians and their supporters have been arrested, had meetings dispersed and some killed for what the government calls illegal assemblies under the Public Order Management Act.

Some have been thrown out of radio stations during scheduled talk shows by Resident District Commissioners who are the representatives of the president at district level.

Ssenyonyi said that whereas police have not disrupted their current activities in the usual ways which include teargas, arrests, shootings and maiming, there have been some disruptions.

In Mbarara, a local radio station went off air after a talk show with Bobi Wine had just started.

In Kasese, the police and military blocked the NUP leadership from accessing another local radio station. In Kabale, the team was blocked from accessing a radio station they had booked before they hurriedly booked another one.

The public address system at their scheduled rally venue was confiscated.

Some observers say that Bobi Wine’s tour could have come up to counter recent ones by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the president’s son who doubles as a Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations.

Muhoozi has expressed interest in seeking the presidency in 2026 and taking the mantle from his father.

Read: Muhoozi now bets on Museveni to go for presidency

His supporters have organised for him rallies, birthday bashes and music concerts at which he makes short political speeches mostly addressed to the youth.

"The heavy deployment of both military and police officers in places that the opposition party is traversing is one of the other ways the state is using to scare away people from giving an ear to the NUP party leader," Nyanzi added.

“This tour is also largely a mobilisation tool. From the mobilisation structures that we are forming will then emerge the formal grassroots party structures as we prepare for the next general election or other eventualities,” Nyanzi said.

During one of his rallies in the western district of Kasese on Wednesday, Bobi Wine told his supporters that there was no difference between Museveni who they are trying to wrestle power from and his son Muhoozi.

Wine said that the country should also resist a Muhoozi ascension to the presidency.

“I am here to relay the revolutionary message to remove Museveni from the presidency. He now wants to bring his son to inflict the same torture on Ugandans. We must prevent that from happening by getting Museveni out of power as early as we can,” he said.

Unlike opposition rallies, Muhoozi’s are never disrupted.

Read: Why Uganda's Gen Muhoozi remains defiant

However, for Bobi Wine, it is rare to have uninterrupted rallies. His campaign in 2020/21 elections epitomised the scale of violence spearheaded by security forces.

According to NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi, the surprising police restraint could be because of an International Criminal Court case that the opposition party recently filed against Museveni and his son over allegations of crimes against humanity, murders and torture of Ugandans.

“Primarily we believe that it is because we filed a case against Museveni and his son at the ICC.

“The case was registered, and the court continues to ask us for more evidence. We think currently, they are not beating or shooting at our supporters because they think we could use that as additional evidence,” Ssenyonyi said.

Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga, in a short response to The EastAfrican, said that the party activities will not be disrupted as long as officials cooperate with the police.

Over the years opposition politicians and their supporters have been arrested, had meetings dispersed and some killed for what the government calls illegal assemblies under the Public Order Management Act.

Read: Uganda's opposition muted as Museveni embarks on new term

Some have been thrown out of radio stations during scheduled talk shows by Resident District Commissioners who are the representatives of the president at district level.

Ssenyonyi said that whereas police have not disrupted their current activities in the usual ways which include teargas, arrests, shootings and maiming, there have been some disruptions.

In Mbarara, a local radio station went off air after a talk show with Bobi Wine had just started.

In Kasese, the police and military blocked the NUP leadership from accessing another local radio station.

In Kabale, the team was blocked from accessing a radio station they had booked before they hurriedly booked another one. The public address system at their scheduled rally venue was confiscated.

“They are doing everything possible to block our message from reaching out to the masses in the countryside. But they will not be successful. Our message will reach out to all Ugandans using different means,” Bobi Wine said on Wednesday.

Another school of thought says that since Muhoozi’s rallies are never dispersed, regime enforcers think it would look bad on them if they stopped Bobi Wine’s rallies.