“I am in hiding, but I don’t want to be in hiding. It was necessary though so I can stay alive and be able to speak to you right now. I’ve said it before and I say it again that I will resurface at the right time in my country” – Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine (18.02.2026).
Yesterday Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine held a speech for the Geneva Summit in Switzerland, which was called “Bobi Wine on Uganda”. As his in hiding and such, it is courageous and bold to do this. That his speaking and recording a speech for the world to see. They can hear him speak as his on the run and moving around in the Republic.
The first pieces we have to read is this part of the speech:
“Despite what happened in 2021, we were driven by hope to give it another try. So in 2025, I announced that I was running for president again. For 112 days, I traveled across the country campaigning and the population turned up overwhelmingly. Yet again, our campaigns were violently attacked. Our supporters were murdered. We were blocked from reaching many places and were also blocked from several media stations. As usual, Museveni shut down the internet again. This time 3 days to the election. And what happened thereafter was not an election but a military operation. The election was so rigged to the point that even at the polling station where Museveni voted, he got much more votes than the actual registered voters in the register. Our polling agents in several places were arrested and whisked away. Several of our party officials were arrested and many abducted. Two female deputy presidents of our political party were abducted and held incommunicado in a military barracks for three weeks before being thrown into a prison where they are languishing right at this moment. The military was deployed on our streets shooting on spot whoever dared to challenge the criminality. It was under these circumstances that yet again he declared himself winner of the election. This time with over 70% of the vote” (Bobi Wine, 18.02.2026).
Here Bobi Wine is just explaining in simple terms how the General Elections of 2026 went down. Everyone that has followed can say this is a well addressed and directly saying what was happening in the Republic. He just blatantly states it and exposes it to the world. This is what the President and the Firs Son doesn’t want out. They just want the glory and the legitimacy out of it, but not the ramifications of doing it this way. Therefore, Bobi Wine is just calling out the grievances and the misuse of power from the state. That is all natural and makes sense, because he should call it out and spread the word about it. Just showing the impunity and brutality of the state to secure another term for regime.
The cost of him contesting again:
“Right now I’m speaking to you while in hiding. This is because as soon as the election was finished, Museveni’s son, who is also chief of the Ugandan military, issued an order to take me to him dead or alive. The military acted on his order and raided my home. They tortured my family members, humiliated and undressed my wife, accusing her of hiding me. Meanwhile, they were recording and taking pictures of her, which the military chief later on shared on Twitter and bragged about capturing my wife. They also took over my home and surrounded it, and they are occupying my home as we speak right now. My wife and children had to flee the country for fear of their lives” (Bobi Wine, 18.02.2026).
It is really tragic that this is where things are in the Republic. That the main contender and the popular candidate are now in hiding. The one who stood tall and dared to challenge the incumbent. He is now on the run. His family in exile and they were all violated by the state security agents and officers who had no trouble to do this and show how vile they are. Muhoozi even have boosted his own ego and been proud of his soldiers acting with violence towards unarmed civilians in their home. That’s what they are willing to do and what they can do, because there is no safeguards or rule of law active in the Republic. The Law is only viable and in use against the opposition, but not in regards to rulers or the ones who clings on to power. They can use harassment, violence and lethal means to get their way. That’s what they did in regard to Bobi Wine and his family, which is why his running and are in hiding.
One worrying prediction:
“The way I see it, if the international community continues to be complacent, then Uganda will go from bad to worse. Museveni’s military will massacre many more innocent Ugandans. You, ladies and gentlemen, in the Western world will be forced to grapple with millions of Ugandan refugees pouring into your countries. And maybe then the international community will come and commiserate with the people of Uganda just like they did after the genocide in Rwanda, but it was too late” (Bobi Wine, 18.02.2026).
He is really speaking out of worry and concern. We are seeing how the state just continues to push the barrier and continues their rampage on the opposition. Whoever who is a activist or a leader within the opposition. They can be kidnapped, apprehended, detained, tortured and even killed without any justification or proof of criminal conspiracy before being kept in detention. So, the worrisome concern of Bobi Wine is legit, as the state is just more structured in this and doesn’t care about outcries, as bail is easily denied or blocked, and neither is the Habaes Corpus applications in the court respected. So, if you are captured there are no way for the person taken to get free or have any rights after being detained. That shows what the state does and how it operates at this current time.
He ends with a powerful plea:
“We call upon the international community to treat General Museveni exactly how they treated Idi Amin because Idi Amin did what he did to Ugandans for only 8 years. Museveni has done much worse to the people of Uganda and it has been for 40 years and counting. Because of the inaction of the international community, Museveni’s mode of dictatorship and human rights violations is being seen as acceptable in the region and it must be stopped before it is exported to other countries in the region and in the continent. We ask the international community not to recognize Museveni’s regime because it is not legitimate. Please terminate any forms of cooperation with this government because he is not legitimate. On our end, as the people of Uganda, we are committed to nonviolent means of changing our country, nonviolent means of putting an end to this 40-year-old dictatorship. And you can be sure that the people of Uganda will sooner or later free themselves because oppressed people cannot stay oppressed forever” (Bobi Wine, 18.02.2026).
You should read this twice. Just like the warning. His stating a sincere belief and what the Ugandans should recognize, but also the International Community. They have already helped and secured the longevity of Museveni. Now the same community needs to act and help the people of the Republic, instead of keeping them oppressed for the sake of “stability” and “continuation of status quo”. Which is what is the driving force of today, apparently.
We have to hope for change and that there is a will of the people. The international community won’t save or salvage the people from the oppressor. It is only the people who can save themselves and push the oppressors out. The international community can weaken the regime, but not break it. Especially not in the sort of way it is run right now. They won’t give way and neither will this end the dictatorship.
Bobi Wine deserves credit for doing this and pledging for support. That’s the right thing to do, but will anyone listen? Peace.
MinBane 