Uganda Opposition Leader Bobi Wine Exits Country Temporarily

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has announced that he temporarily left the country after spending nearly two months in hiding following the January presidential election that extended President Yoweri Museveni’s decades-long rule.

The move signals a new phase in the political confrontation between the opposition figure and the Ugandan government after a disputed vote that Wine says did not reflect the will of the electorate.

Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, said he departed Uganda to conduct international engagements after remaining underground since shortly after the election. In a five-minute video message published on the social media platform X on Saturday, he confirmed the decision while indicating the move would be temporary.

“Today, I am announcing my brief exit from the country to handle important work,” Wine said.

“Over the next few weeks, I will engage with our friends and allies all over the world before returning to Uganda to continue the push for freedom and democracy.”

Wine has contested the legitimacy of the presidential election held in January, accusing President Museveni’s government of manipulating the vote and suppressing the opposition campaign.

Museveni, who is now 81, has ruled Uganda since 1986 and has repeatedly secured election victories that critics say occurred under conditions of intimidation and violence.

In his March 14 statement, Wine said the outcome had been imposed through coercion. “Two months ago, Museveni yet again usurped the will of the people of Uganda and declared himself president on gunpoint,” he said.

Wine added that security forces attempted to arrest him shortly after the vote. According to his statement, military personnel raided his residence in Kampala the day after the election. “A day later, gripped by shame and fear, the military invaded my home to harm me, but I was able to evade them and go into hiding,” he said.

During the two months he spent in hiding, Wine said authorities carried out a wide-ranging search to locate him. Security forces established roadblocks and conducted vehicle checks while also raiding homes belonging to political allies and supporters.

“The regime has looked for me everywhere,” Wine said. “They have raided the homes of many colleagues and fellow leaders, mounted roadblocks and spot checks of vehicles and motorcycles.”

He also claimed that police officers assigned to his campaign were dismissed and that security forces searched his rural home while maintaining a siege around his residence in Kampala.

Wine said he managed to evade authorities with the help of supporters. “They couldn’t find me because the people of Uganda sheltered me and protected me,” he said.

Uganda’s government and military had not issued immediate responses to Wine’s announcement. However, Uganda’s military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also Museveni’s son, had previously written on social media that the armed forces were looking for the opposition leader, though the exact reasons or possible charges were not specified.

Wine has long argued that his political campaign was constrained by state security measures. He said rallies were frequently blocked and supporters detained during the election period.

Despite leaving the country temporarily, Wine said his political campaign would continue and that he intended to return to Uganda after engaging international partners. “At the right time I will come back and continue with the cause,” he said.