KAMPALA, Uganda — The explosive battle for Kampala’s 1.5 million votes begins today as Bobi Wine and President Yoweri Museveni prepare for a massive campaign collision in the heart of the nation.
With the Jan. 15 polls looming, the two heavyweights have retreated to the capital for a final, high-stakes showdown. Kampala Central, the nation’s political and economic engine, will host back-to-back rallies that could determine the momentum of the entire election.
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the musician and opposition leader known as Bobi Wine, is scheduled to lead the charge today with a morning rally at Kamwokya Katale and an afternoon event at Aga Khan Grounds. Following him Tuesday, Museveni and his National Resistance Movement will take over the city with a crowning event at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
Security forces have already turned parts of the city into a fortress. Military trucks and specialized police units sealed off roads leading to Kololo early Monday, while plainclothes personnel and counterterrorism units took up positions throughout the vicinity.
The stakes are historically high for Museveni, who is fighting to reclaim a city his party lost to the National Unity Platform in 2021. NRM officials described their final push as the icing on the cake, with information director Emmanuel Dombo stating the party is focused on a strategy of continuous mobilization to win back the central region.
NUP leaders, meanwhile, are treating the Kampala rallies as a victory lap for what they call a protest vote against poverty and discrimination. Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said the party chose the capital to celebrate support gathered from across Uganda.
Kampala and the surrounding districts represent a massive 3.7 million-voter bloc. In the last election cycle, the NUP’s surge in the region was so dominant that it unseated 10 Cabinet ministers and Museveni’s own vice president.
With over 1.5 million voters in the city and millions more watching from the sidelines, these final 48 hours are set to be the most volatile of the campaign season.
