UGANDA: Tension Mounts Ahead of 2016 Elections

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July 31, 2025

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KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s leading opposition figure, Bobi Wine, says the country’s political climate has “gone from bad to worse” as tensions mount ahead of the January 2026 presidential election. In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, the singer-turned-lawmaker accused the government of escalating repression against political opponents and described a growing wave of intimidation aimed at silencing dissent.

Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, warned that the threats he faces “come in no unclear terms,” particularly from powerful figures at the highest levels of government. Among them is Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba—army chief, commander of all security forces, and the son of President Yoweri Museveni—whose incendiary comments on social media have drawn international concern.

In a series of alarming posts on X (formerly Twitter), Gen. Kainerugaba in January declared he would “cut off” Wine’s head “if the president allowed it.” In May, he boasted about detaining Wine’s missing bodyguard “in my basement.” When the bodyguard was eventually presented in court, he appeared to be the victim of torture, unable to walk unaided.

“It’s a constant reminder that the threat is real, because this is no ordinary person,” Wine said. “This is a person that is not only the son of the person in charge of the country but is also the person in charge of all the organs of violence—he heads the military, the police, the prisons. He is above the law, and he has acted as such.”

The interview was conducted at the headquarters of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) in the capital, Kampala, a location that was recently raided by security forces. Wine, 43, is President Museveni’s most formidable political challenger and commands strong support among Uganda’s urban youth and working-class communities. His party holds the largest number of opposition seats in Parliament.

Museveni, 80, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, continues to portray Wine as a destabilizing force aligned with foreign interests. But Wine, who denies the accusations, gained political prominence after his 2021 presidential bid, during which he secured 35% of the vote compared to Museveni’s 58%—the incumbent’s lowest result to date. Wine and his supporters claim the election was rigged through widespread ballot stuffing and other electoral irregularities, allegations dismissed by the authorities.

Since that election, the NUP alleges dozens of its members have been abducted or imprisoned. According to Wine, these acts of violence and suppression are calculated to instill fear in anyone aligned with his movement. “The attacks are meant to send fear down the nerves of all those that work with me and all those that stand for what I stand for,” he said.

As the 2026 race looms, both Museveni and Wine have begun early campaigning. Museveni has focused recent efforts on Kampala, where many residents—disenchanted by economic hardship—represent the bedrock of Wine’s support. Known among his followers as the “ghetto president,” Wine draws on his roots in the slums of Kampala, where he first rose to fame in the early 2000s as a dancehall artist. His music, once celebratory, gradually evolved into a sharp critique of state corruption and oppression, helping him forge a reputation as a voice for the marginalized.

With Uganda heading into a high-stakes election season, the contest between Museveni and Wine appears set to define the country’s democratic future—and may yet prove one of its most volatile political battles in decades.

—Report by Associated Press.