Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine with his wife Babie
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Opposition leader and National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has revealed that his wife and children have fled Uganda for fear of their lives, following what he described as a sustained campaign of intimidation and violence by security forces.
Speaking at the Geneva Human Rights Conference, Bobi Wine said security agencies had taken over his home in Magere, Wakiso District, turning it into a heavily guarded outpost despite the absence of his family. “Security forces took over my home and surrounded it, and they are occupying it as we speak right now. My wife and children had to flee the country for fear of their lives,” he told delegates.
According to Bobi Wine, the deployment intensified in the aftermath of the January 15 presidential election, in which President Yoweri Museveni was declared winner with 71.6 percent of the vote. Bobi Wine, who garnered 24.7 percent, rejected the results, alleging widespread electoral fraud, voter intimidation, and violence orchestrated by state agencies.
Since the disputed polls, the opposition leader has remained in hiding, issuing a series of video messages urging Ugandans and the international community to reject what he termed a “sham election” and to hold the government accountable for alleged human rights violations committed during and after the voting period.
Bobi Wine further alleged that shortly after the elections, security forces stormed his residence, jumping over the perimeter fence and assaulting his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, in a bid to force her to disclose his whereabouts. He claimed the operation was carried out on the orders of the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
“As soon as the election was finished, Museveni’s son, who is also the chief of the Ugandan military, issued an order to take me to him dead or alive,” Bobi Wine alleged. “The military acted on that order, raided my home, tortured my family members, humiliated and undressed my wife while accusing her of hiding me.”
He added that soldiers recorded and photographed his wife during the ordeal, images he claims were later shared online by the military chief, deepening the trauma and fear experienced by his family.
Until now, the public had not been aware that Bobi Wine’s family had left the country. The revelation follows a failed attempt last week by NUP Deputy President for the Eastern Region, John Baptist Nambeshe, and other party officials to visit the Magere home to check on the family, deliver food items, and present court documents for signing. The delegation was denied access by armed security personnel guarding the residence.
It remains unclear whether the security forces were aware at the time that the family had already fled. With the confirmation that the house is now empty, questions have emerged about the rationale for maintaining a heavy security presence at the property.
Human rights groups and opposition figures have condemned what they describe as continued harassment and intimidation of political opponents and their families, warning that such actions undermine democracy and the rule of law. As Bobi Wine’s family remains in undisclosed exile, pressure is mounting on the Ugandan government to address allegations of abuse and to guarantee the safety and rights of all citizens, regardless of political affiliation.
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