
“Together, we have been everywhere preaching the message of a New Uganda. And today, with this nomination, we start the final phase in our mission to freedom and true independence. Since our nation was born in 1962, every change of leadership has been written in blood. The blood and sacrifice of ordinary citizens of Uganda and yet the leaders who promise liberation have always delivered oppression. For 40 long years, one man and a small group of relatives and friends have ruled our country on gunpoint. They have looted the nation and turned every institution of government into a tool of oppression. They have reduced the citizens of Uganda into slaves on their own land. They have turned our poverty into a weapon of control” (Bobi Wine, 24.09.2025).
Yesterday was the second time that Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine and the National Unity Platform (NUP) was nominated as the Presidential Candidate representing his party. He spoke with force and conviction. Bobi Wine is proving why a skilled orator and politician. That’s why the promise of a New Uganda isn’t new either, but it is a compelling story that needs to be told. As the regime and the oppressors isn’t gearing down.
“I know some of you are already asking: Why vote again after what happened in 2021? Why do we risk it, the teargas, the bullets, the prisons, the torture chambers and even death which is awaiting for us? My answer to you is this: We risk it all because the alternative is giving up and that’s 10 times worse. If we give up now; we shall have no moral authority to complain about what happens next. If we surrender now, that means that the fighting spirit Ritah Nabukenya, of Frank Senteza, of Yasin Kauma and many others has been defeated. It means they died in vain. It means betrayal of our comrades who have spent years in prison counting on us who are still ‘free’ to continue fighting for their freedom too” (Bobi Wine, 24.09.2025).
Bobi Wine knows what is ahead and what at stake. He knows very well the costs and the burden of campaigning. He saw it last time and it won’t be any different this time around. The party and Presidential Candidate knows the treacherous terrain his going into. The NUP and Bobi Wine will be in trouble, and it is coming. He will be in pain and others surrounding him will feel it too. There will be more victims and more people hurt in this campaign too.
“To Gen Museveni: I know you don’t like to listen to young people, but atleast listen to your friend Gen. Kahinda Otafire. Uganda was here before you, and Uganda will remain long after you are gone. You don’t have to burn it down on your way out. The best guarantee for your legacy and for your security, and for what you and your people have earned in the last 40 years is to allow a peaceful and democratic transition. That opportunity is available and we are not a vengeful people. We still believe in peace, we believe in justice and we believe in reconciliation” (Bobi Wine, 24.09.2025).
This plea will go nowhere. Museveni won’t listen to reason or anything else. If so, he wouldn’t have walked this journey of President for Life. That when he would have stepped down already and never altered the 1995 Constitution for own personal reasons. He wants to protect his gains and that’s why his still there. All the other matters are on the back-burner and he don’t mind the consequences. Museveni just wants to rule indefinitely and has no other plan.
“Today, as we go into what is likely to be an even more violent campaign, I will rely on you more than ever. We are embarking on a long walk to freedom. Whatever lies ahead of us, is going to test everything we are and everything we stand for.But freedom has never comes easily. Our grandparents shed blood for independence 62 years ago. Our parents shed blood for what they thought was a liberation 40 years ago. Our comrades, in this generation, are in prison for this very struggle; they have shed blood for this struggle. Many of them are missing and they don’t even have graves, for this struggle. Let us carry on their mission. The same courage and discipline that have kept us going since 2017 until today, should carry us through this campaign” (Bobi Wine, 24.09.2025).
This is just stating the true state of affairs, but it tells what he expects to come. It is just tragic that a Presidential Candidate has to say these words and state it’s like this. Because, this shows how sinister the state is and what it does to dissidents. This isn’t spreading fear, but acknowledging the possible outcome of the campaigns and elections for his people. That they are getting kidnapped, tortured and possibly die for the cause. Imagine being told that and it’s for one man being on the ballot, instead of the President since 1986. That’s where we are in 2025 and that’s grim.
“So prepare yourselves, hug your loved ones one final time and tell them that we are going to war. A war we never chose but was imposed on us by our oppressors. We’re facing an enemy armed to the teeth but we are bare-handed. Only armed with the truth and God. We’re fighting for our God-given right to live like full human beings in our country. We will never give up until we are free. And we shall be free in the end” (Bobi Wine, 24.09.2025).
This here is a memo. The Nomination Speech is compelling and a chilling one. Anyone who is following should be worried and concerned. There was nothing revolutionary in it, but a statement of honest sincerity of the cost and the willingness to want change. Alas, the burden is there and someone will pay the price, because that freedom and liberty isn’t given. That is the true reality here, as the one in power isn’t bestowing it onto others. Therefore, this is a long journey and it’s far from over. Peace.














