Uganda election activist arrested ahead of vote

Supporters of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) celebrate the victory of President Yoweri Museveni after the results of the presidential election in Kampala, Uganda, on January 16, 2021. [AFP]

A Ugandan election watchdog on Wednesday denounced the arrest of its leader as a crackdown on rights groups intensifies two weeks before the country goes to the polls.

Uganda will hold elections on January 15, with President Yoweri Museveni, 81, looking to extend his 40-year rule of the country.

Sarah Bireete, a renowned lawyer and executive director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, was detained on Tuesday.

"My house is under siege by Police and Army," she posted on X shortly before being taken into custody.

Bireete, who also chairs the East and Horn of Africa Election Observers Network, has been outspoken about the increasing authoritarianism in the east African country.

Police confirmed the arrest on X but the Centre for Constitutional Governance said she had not been charged with any offence.

"We believe this arrest is a deliberate attempt to stifle one of the most prominent voices calling for government accountability," the NGO said in a statement.

"Every election cycle, the regime targets civil society leaders, journalists, and human rights activists with arrests, abductions, torture," said the leading opposition candidate, Bobi Wine, on X.

There are fears the government will shut down the internet during the election as it did during the last vote in 2021. Last week, it banned the import of Starlink equipment and similar devices.

Democratic rights have been eroding across the region, with thousands reportedly killed by security forces in Tanzania during and after an election in October in which all the main opposition candidates were disqualified.