Faith Nyasuguta
Ugandan opposition leader and former musician Bobi Wine has declared his intention to run for president in the 2026 elections, warning that his life and freedom are constantly under threat from President Yoweri Museveni’s regime. Despite a history of imprisonment, physical attacks, and death threats, including from Museveni’s son, Wine says he is determined to challenge what he describes as decades of oppression.
“We cannot just give the election to General Museveni,” Wine told The Guardian in an interview. “While I am here speaking to you, I don’t know if I’ll be in jail next week. But if I am still alive and not in jail by the end of this year, then I’m going to run for presidency, again.”
Wine, born Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, leads Uganda’s main opposition party, the National Unity Platform (NUP). His candidacy in the 2021 election ignited youth support across the country, where more than 80% of the population is under the age of 35. He hopes to tap into that youthful energy once again.
“Young people are so hopeful because they see the possibility,” he said. “I think I stir a lot of hope because I don’t shut my big mouth, and that’s a big challenge to the regime.”
President Museveni, now in his eighties, has ruled Uganda since 1986, making him one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. He has confirmed his intention to seek a seventh term in office in the January 2026 vote. Past elections under his watch have been marred by allegations of fraud and state-sponsored violence. In 2021, international observers including the US State Department described the election as “fundamentally flawed.”
Wine fears that the next election will be even more violent. “Thinking about how brutal it is going to be; it’s going to be terrible,” he said. “We already see signs. One of my MPs recently died after being tortured during a by-election. Journalists were beaten. US embassy observers were forced to leave.”
He has also been targeted by Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has issued public threats, once tweeting that he had “a bullet” reserved for Wine. Kainerugaba, currently chief of defence forces and head of the Patriotic League of Uganda, is seen as a likely successor to his father.
Still, Wine believes change is possible if international actors stop turning a blind eye. “I am convinced that if the world stands firm with us, 2026 could be a turning point,” he said. “But right now, the international community seems more interested in diplomacy and business than in democracy and human rights.”
He sharply criticized foreign aid policies, particularly under U.S. President Donald Trump, saying aid cuts hurt ordinary Ugandans while what remains often fuels the regime’s abuses. “We have fewer medicines and more bullets. American guns are killing our people. The soldiers who torture us are trained in America.”
Wine urged the international community to stop enabling the regime. “We’re asking for targeted sanctions on those in power. Stop sending taxpayers’ money that’s used against our people.”
Corruption, he said, remains one of Uganda’s biggest obstacles. “We lose two-thirds of our annual revenue- that’s 10 trillion Ugandan shillings- to corruption. That’s the government’s own estimate, so the real figure may be higher.”
Despite the risks, Wine insists he has no choice. “Those who are fighting for freedom don’t choose it, it happens to them. I’d rather be making music than risking my life, but I must stand up.”
His wife, author and activist Barbie Itungo Kyagulanyi, played a key role in his 2020 campaign and is already preparing for the next race. “She’s energised,” Wine says.
Their journey, marked by defiance and danger, was captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Bobi Wine: The People’s President. Now, as Uganda heads toward another crucial election, Wine’s message remains clear: “We cannot afford to give up.”
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