Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said Sunday he has left the country after spending two months in hiding, accusing President Yoweri Museveni’s government of targeting him and his allies in the wake of January’s disputed election.
In a five-minute video posted on X, formerly Twitter, Wine said he had traveled abroad for “critical engagements” and to mobilize international pressure, including targeted sanctions, against Museveni’s administration. He repeated his claim to have won the presidential vote, which Uganda’s electoral commission declared for Museveni with 72% of ballots.
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Museveni, 81, has led Uganda since 1986. He and his government accuse the opposition of seeking to overturn the result through violence. Wine, 44, a pop star turned politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, rejected those characterizations and said he has committed no offense. “Running for president is not a crime,” he said.
Wine alleged that security forces repeatedly raided the homes of his supporters looking for him — most recently on Thursday — and set up roadblocks nationwide. He said his house in the capital, Kampala, remained surrounded by the military, as it has been since election day. “I thank all you fellow Ugandans who have concealed and protected me all the time while the regime was looking for me,” he said.
While some government officials have denied that security forces were seeking Wine, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba — the president’s son and head of the country’s military — wrote on X that the opposition leader was “wanted dead or alive” and threatened to castrate him. The posts were later deleted. Kainerugaba did not allege any specific offenses in those messages.
The BBC has asked the police for comment.
Wine’s departure follows weeks of sporadic protests and arrests tied to the contested vote. After demonstrations against the results, Kainerugaba, widely seen as a potential successor to his father, said 30 “terrorists” from Wine’s party had been killed. Wine and his allies have dismissed that characterization and call the crackdown a bid to crush dissent.
Uganda’s election period was marked by an internet shutdown, restrictions on opposition campaigning, and heavy security deployments. Wine’s National Unity Platform contested the outcome, saying tally sheets and digital evidence showed a different result. Authorities have rejected those claims, and Museveni’s camp has insisted the vote was free and fair.
In his video on Sunday, Wine urged foreign governments and regional bodies to increase pressure on Kampala over human rights and electoral integrity, framing his trip abroad as part of a coordinated push. He did not disclose his current location.
Wine’s profile has grown beyond Uganda’s borders since he entered politics, galvanizing young voters and positioning himself as a generational challenger to Museveni’s long rule. His critics accuse him of inflaming tensions; his supporters say he has exposed the risks faced by opposition figures and ordinary citizens who back them.
As of Sunday, it was unclear whether authorities had issued any formal notice seeking Wine’s arrest. His assertions of raids and surveillance — along with Kainerugaba’s deleted posts — underscored a volatile standoff that shows little sign of easing more than two months after the vote.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
