The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader and Uganda’s opposition leader, Bobi Wine, has accused President Yoweri Museveni’s government of cracking down on civil society organisations just days before Uganda’s General Election, warning that the move threatens democracy, human rights, and the credibility of the vote.

The NUP leader made the remarks on X on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, two days before the January 15, 2026, polls, amid high tension across the country.

Bobi Wine said the shutdown targets organisations that have been outspoken on human rights abuses or were preparing to monitor the election process. He claimed the actions were deliberate and aimed at silencing critical voices ahead of voting day.

His statement comes amid reports that several civil society leaders and activists are facing pressure, restrictions, or detention as the country heads to the polls.

In his post, Bobi Wine accused the government of acting out of fear and abusing state power to weaken institutions that hold leaders accountable.

“The height of cowardice and impunity! Two days to the General Election, the criminal regime has shut down several leading Civil Society Organisations, including Chapter Four Uganda, Alliance for Election Finance Monitoring (ACFIM), Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-U), National NGO Forum, and the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders. The list is apparently much longer,” he wrote.

He went on to explain why, in his view, these particular organisations were targeted, linking the move to past reports and current election monitoring efforts.

“The targeted organisations are those that have been loud against human rights violations or are preparing to monitor the elections! ACFIM, which tracks spending in elections, is targeted because in the last election, its report exposed how Museveni used hundreds of billions of taxpayers’ money to rent support and eventually steal the election. Now, he has done worse. Even the organisation that has been vocal in protecting the rights of journalists who are regularly brutalised is being shut down. This, as a leading Civil Society leader, Sarah Bireete is, in detention for simply speaking out and educating the masses,” he wrote

Pattern or repression

Bobi Wine also linked the current shutdown to what he described as a long-standing pattern of repression during election periods, saying civil society groups are often accused of working against the state.

“Like it was in the last election, NGOs are targeted because the criminal regime accuses them of supporting us, which they call ‘activities prejudicial to security’. And yet, in reality, their real crime is refusing to sanitise Museveni’s brutal, corrupt, inept regime of blood and shame,” the statement reads.

He concluded by calling on Ugandans to stand with the affected organisations and use the ballot to reject intimidation and abuse of power.

“As we stand in solidarity with them, we strongly condemn these cowardly actions in the strongest terms possible. Uganda deserves a strong civil society that will do its work without intimidation. We can put an end to this madness in two days by strongly protesting at the ballot box and collectively rejecting any attempt to usurp the popular will of the people,” he wrote.

The developments add to growing concerns from opposition groups and observers about the political environment ahead of the election.