Bobi Wine is back in Uganda
Bobi Wine is back in Uganda
Bobi Wine, the head of the Ugandan opposition, claims that after returning from South Africa, he was “grabbed” by “goons” and placed under house arrest. The most formidable opponent to President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in charge for nearly 40 years, is the singer-turned-politician.
The 41-year-old has been charged with treason and has been arrested multiple times. Bobi Wine was “escorted” home, according to police, who disputed that he had been arrested. “Ignore rumors that propagandists are trying to have him arrested,” the police stated in a statement.
Former musical sensation Bobi Wine, whose true name is Robert Kyagulanyi, ran a tight race against President Museveni, 79, in 2021 and was unsuccessful in winning the presidency. A crackdown on the opposition and at least 54 deaths amid anti-government protests characterized the election campaign.
Bobi Wine came on Thursday after a slew of foreign engagements, via Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. The authorities claimed that his supporters’ intention to meet him at Entebbe International Airport and lead a massive march to his residence, which is around 50 kilometers (30 miles) away, was unlawful.
Bobi Wine claimed that “goons grabbed me and dragged me, twisted my hands, and bundled me into a waiting private car” as soon as he landed, even before he had cleared immigration. Later on, he declared that he was under house arrest from his residence.
The leader was brought away in a video that his National Unity Platform (NUP) released on X, the old Twitter, following his plane disembarkation in Entebbe. On the footage, one of his associates could be heard asking, “Where are you taking him?”
“When our president arrived at Entebbe Airport, the cowardly regime took him into custody. The NUP leader in parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, stated, “We set out to receive him today, but the panicked regime security could not even allow him into immigration.” Later, in an attempt to keep some of his followers from getting to his house, police used tear gas.
Members of Bobi Wine’s party, who saw him as a symbol of change for youth in a nation dominated by one man for decades, eagerly awaited his return. Due to concerns about public order, authorities said last month that NUP demonstrations would no longer be permitted anywhere in the nation.
Since early on Thursday morning, Ugandan soldiers and other security personnel have been stationed outside the NUP headquarters, in Kampala’s major business area, and on the highways leading to Entebbe airport. Security personnel had escorted Bobi Wine to his home in Magere, Kasangati, according to police spokesman Patrick Onyango.
In an effort to thwart large-scale protests, Ugandan authorities have long used “preventative arrest” to imprison opposition leaders. Frequently, they do so for many hours before releasing them back to their homes. More than two years will pass until elections. However, Bobi Wine has already started running for office again and hopes to topple Mr. Museveni.
