Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
Bobi Wine, Uganda’s most prominent opposition figure, has now been missing from public view for three weeks, after fleeing what he described as an attempted arrest and threats to his life following a disputed national election.
Wine’s whereabouts have remained unknown since 16 January, when he said police and military forces carried out a night raid on his home. His family was left behind as he escaped.
“I want to confirm that I managed to escape from them,” Wine wrote on X the following day. “I know that these criminals are looking for me everywhere, and I am trying my best to keep safe.”
According to official results—strongly disputed by Wine—the election was won by President Yoweri Museveni, extending his decades-long rule. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, was the main challenger in a vote preceded by a widespread crackdown on opposition voices.
While in hiding, Wine has engaged in a heated public exchange with Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and Uganda’s military chief. The feud, largely playing out on social media, has raised alarm among human rights observers due to the nature of the threats involved.
Wine, a 43-year-old former musician, has long drawn strong support from urban youth and first-time voters. Many Ugandans have never known another president besides Museveni, now 81. After the election, Wine alleged widespread fraud and urged supporters to protest.
The post-election period was marked by arrests and attacks targeting supporters and officials of the National Unity Platform (NUP), the party Wine leads. Hundreds were detained.
On 24 January, Wine’s wife, Barbara Kyagulanyi, said armed men forcibly entered their home and assaulted her while demanding information about her husband’s location.
Political analyst Timothy Kalyegira said Wine likely anticipated what was coming. Referring to past elections where opposition figures were placed under house arrest, he said the “street-smart” Wine “knew the inevitable” and chose not to wait for it.
From his hideouts, Wine has continued to release videos and statements rejecting the election outcome and mocking security forces for failing to locate him.
“I advise the regime to stop looking for me,” he wrote in one post. “I will resurface at an appropriate time… Short of peacefully relinquishing power, they will face the inevitable fate of all despots.”
In a more recent message directed at Kainerugaba, Wine wrote: “A rebel without a gun, hiding in plain sight—and yet you can’t find me because I’m concealed by the people. Catch me if you can!”
Kainerugaba, known for his provocative online presence, has repeatedly posted—and later deleted—threats against Wine, including statements declaring him wanted “dead or alive.” In one post, he wrote: “I’m praying the 23rd is Kabobi [Bobi Wine].”
He also dismissed allegations that soldiers assaulted Wine’s wife, later sharing a photo of an armed man standing over her inside her home—claims that further fueled outrage.
The military chief later accused the US embassy in Kampala of helping Wine go into hiding, briefly announcing a suspension of cooperation before walking back the claim and apologising, saying he had been misinformed.
Uganda’s military has denied pursuing Wine. “Please save the UPDF from the Bobi Wine drama,” said Col Chris Magezi, acting spokesperson of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces. Government officials have also said Wine is not wanted by the state.
However, concerns remain. Wine’s lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, warned that the threats significantly increase the risk to his client’s life.
“Based on my personal knowledge of the torture Mr Wine has previously suffered,” Amsterdam said, “his arrest or detention now carries a real and credible risk of death or grievous bodily harm.”
As Bobi Wine remains three weeks missing in action, the political standoff—and the questions surrounding his safety—continue to intensify.
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