Ugandan opposition leader and former presidential candidate Bobi Wine has emerged from a two-month period in hiding to announce his departure from the country, citing the need for “critical international engagements” and to mobilize global support against President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. The pop star-turned-politician, whose legal name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, maintains that the January presidential election was systematically rigged to ensure Museveni’s continued rule.
In his first public appearance in weeks, conveyed through a five-minute video statement on social media platform X, the 44-year-old opposition leader reiterated his claim to victory in the contested polls. President Museveni, 81, who has governed Uganda since 1986, officially secured 72% of the vote according to election authorities and has accused opposition factions of attempting to violently overturn the results.
The political climate has grown increasingly tense with reports of military operations targeting Wine’s supporters. Wine alleges that authorities have conducted repeated raids on homes of his associates and established nationwide roadblocks in pursuit of him. His residence in Kampala remains under military siege, a situation that has persisted since election day.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Museveni’s son and head of Uganda’s military, previously issued alarming threats against Wine on social media, including a since-deleted post describing him as “wanted dead or alive” and threatening castration. While some government officials have denied security forces are actively hunting Wine, Kainerugaba—widely perceived as a potential presidential successor—also claimed that 30 “terrorists” from Wine’s party were killed during post-election protests.
Expressing gratitude to Ugandans who protected him during his concealment, Wine emphatically stated: “Running for president is not a crime.” He has called for targeted international sanctions against Museveni’s government while continuing to assert his legitimate claim to the presidency amid ongoing political turmoil.