Bobi Wine says he was tased during Fort Portal standoff with Police

National Unity Platform (NUP) President and presidential candidate, Bobi Wine, has accused police officers of using an electronic taser on him during a tense standoff in Fort Portal City on 9th December 2025. 

The incident occurred at a roadblock while the candidate was en route to a campaign venue

A video posted online by his wife Barbie Itungo appeared to show the presidential hopeful visibly distressed as he got back into his vehicle, with his short-sleeved shirt seemingly ripped. 

Bobi Wine claimed he was "shocked" by the hand-held electronic device, which the police have recently introduced for crowd control purposes during the ongoing election cycle.

The incident followed a disagreement over the candidate's campaign route. 

According to Bobi Wine’s account in the video, he felt compelled to avoid a route suggested by the police, citing a fear of a "planned effort to harm him during the diversion." 

However, the Uganda Police provided a contradictory statement via Vincent Twesigye, the regional spokesperson for Rwenzori West. 

Twesigye stated that preparatory meetings had been held with NUP coordinators and that a specific route had been mutually agreed upon, including entering the region via the Kihura–Rwanwanja–Kahunge road and exiting through Harubaho. 

The police accused the NUP candidate of deliberately disregarding this pre-agreed plan, which subsequently led to multiple confrontations throughout the day.

Twesigye detailed a series of standoffs triggered by the candidate’s alleged deviations. 

The first confrontation, lasting approximately ninety minutes, occurred at the Kihura trading centre when the candidate disregarded the agreed-upon route. 

A second dispute arose upon reaching Harubaho, lasting about thirty minutes, before the candidate proceeded to his scheduled rally at Busiita Playground in Bunyangabu. 

Later in the afternoon, the candidate once again diverted towards the central business district upon reaching Ibonde. This prompted a final security intervention around 3:30 p.m., resulting in a stalemate that persisted until 7 p.m., when the candidate was finally escorted to his lodging for the night.

Police spokesperson Twesigye reiterated that security forces "will not concede to any attempts by candidates to flout agreed arrangements or portray themselves as victims."