KAMPALA, Uganda – Ugandan police say they have detained former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, who last month announced he would seek the presidency in elections next year.
Mbabazi was arrested as he traveled from the Ugandan capital, Kampala, to a town in eastern Uganda where he wanted to consult with his supporters.
Andrew Felix Kaweesi, an assistant inspector general of police, told reporters Thursday that he had taken "preventive action" against Mbabazi.
The arrest of Mbabazi, a former ally of long-serving Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni who now says this East African country wants a peaceful transfer of power, could stoke political tensions here.
Mbabazi announced last month that he would seek the presidency as a member of the ruling party. He was denounced by party officials who hope Museveni will run unopposed.