Ugandan Police Place Activist MP Bobi Wine Under House Arrest

Ugandan activist and musician-turned-Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Kyagulanyi, best known as Bobi Wine, has been placed under house arrest after being detained by police and being forced to cancel scheduled events.

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"Police and the military have been deployed at my residence since yesterday, after the violent arrest. My home is under siege. They have surrounded my fence and installed barricades on all roads leading to my home," Wine said in a Facebook post.

The activist explained that he was not allowed to leave the premises.

Wine, on Facebook, also added that Ugandan police have canceled some 124 of his shows across the country. "We shall peacefully demonstrate against these illegalities by police," the MP said.

The 36-year-old reggae artist has constantly spoken out against the government and vowed to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, one of Africa's longest serving leaders with some 32 years of rule. Wine has said he will challenge Museveni in the 2021 polls.

According to reports, the opposition official was leading a group of supporters to a venue, on the outskirts of the capital Kampala, to address concert cancellations, and also reportedly to present a petition against police brutality, when he was taken into custody.

“When they blocked me, I asked my lawyers to deliver the letter, but they too have been blocked and stopped from accessing the police headquarters. A public office! They were ordered to leave the gate to the police headquarters immediately or face arrest!” Wine posted to his Twitter account.

Ugandan police used teargas and water cannon to disperse the group that was gathering at the venue for the Kampala concert, an Africa News report stated.

"Tear gas and water cannons, that is obvious, that is the process of dispersing crowds. It was just two canisters, and we didn't use live bullets for this purpose," a spokesperson told CNN.

The police confirmed that Wine was placed under preventative detainment and his movement will be restricted, claiming that the MP planned to disrupt public order.

"We asked him [Wine] and his promoters to work with us until the safety standards of over 10,000 people are met, you know emergency cases, sniffer dogs and enough security,” the spokesperson disclosed.

“They threatened to go ahead with the concert and turned it into a protest... We managed to pick him and two of his promoters and escort them to their homes. Our officers professionally managed to calm the situation.”

Footage posted on Wine's Twitter account showed dozens of police officers, wearing helmets and carrying shields and batons, surrounding the singer's car prior to removing him the vehicle.

"We are encouraged by the people of Algeria who in the past weeks forced a dictator to resign, and the people of Sudan who through peaceful protests forced a powerful despot to give way," Wine stated from his home and called for protests against police and other state injustices.

Ugandan authorities previously denied Bobi Wine permission to stage concerts in Kampala, Arua and Lira. 

Last August, the MP was arrested and reportedly tortured by security forces leading to international outrage and condemnation.