Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine electrified Kampala on Monday as tens of thousands of supporters lined the streets to welcome his presidential campaign convoy.
The 43‑year‑old musician‑turned‑politician, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has become the face of Uganda’s restless youth, promising change after nearly four decades of Yoweri Museveni’s rule.
Wine began his day at Luzira maximum‑security prison, visiting detained members of his National Unity Platform.
He told cheering crowds that those behind bars remained defiant and committed to political transformation. “The dictator must go,” he declared, as supporters in red and black swirl wild around his convoy.
A Capital Tour Under Heavy Security
It was Wine’s first major tour of the capital since confirming his second bid for the presidency. Police and army units lined the campaign route, enforcing restrictions that rallies remain within designated areas.
At one point, officers fired tear gas to disperse crowds attempting to move toward another venue.
Wine’s challenge is formidable. Museveni, now 81, has ruled since 1986, building a political establishment that has weathered coups, insurgencies, and international criticism.
His son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has repeatedly threatened Wine online, even posting claims he would behead him.
Wine’s 2021 campaign ended in defeat amid allegations of fraud and widespread violence. He has been arrested multiple times and accused security forces of torture while in custody.
But this time, still unbroken, his message of defiance continues to resonate with Uganda’s younger generation, many of whom see him as their only hope for change from the old order.
Museveni’s Legacy and Uganda’s Tense Climate
Museveni’s campaign says the octogenarian is offering stability, experience and economic progress, with promises to steer Uganda toward middle‑income status.
Truth be told, ended the brutal dictatorships of the 1970s and 1980s starting from the time of Gen. Idi Amin, but critics say he has derailed and now replicated the authoritarianism he once fought against.
Poverty remains widespread, with one in six Ugandans living below the poverty line.
Uganda’s political climate is tense. Last year, veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye was abducted in Kenya and returned to Uganda, where he now faces a treason charge that carries the possibility of the death penalty.
As Wine’s campaign gathers momentum, the question is whether Uganda’s youth‑driven movement can overcome the entrenched power of Museveni’s regime on election day, or whether the country will once again see elections marred by violence and repression, but the old man still in power. What do you think? Comment.
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