Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has said that he and other political opponents of long-time President Yoweri Museveni have been threatened ahead of presidential elections scheduled for early next year.
Fears for the safety of Wine, a singer-turned-politician whose real name is Kyagulani Sentamu, have grown in recent months, fueled by regular attacks on the X network by Museveni's son and presumed heir apparent, army commander Muhuzi Kainerugaba.
In January, Kainerugaba wrote that he would "cut off Wine's head" if the president allowed it, and in May he was criticized for saying he was keeping Wine's missing bodyguard "in his basement." The bodyguard later appeared in court looking like a victim of torture, unable to walk unaided.
"It's a constant reminder that the threat is real, because this is no ordinary person," Vine said, speaking of Kainerugaba. "This is a person who is not only the son of the person who is in charge of the country, but he is also the person in charge of all the organs of violence. He is in charge of the army, the police, the prisons."
Vine's party claims that dozens of its followers have been imprisoned or disappeared since 2021.
Museveni, who is 80 and has ruled Uganda since 1986, accuses Wine of being an agent of foreign interests. But Wine, who denies the charges, has a large following among the working class, and his party is the largest opposition party in parliament.
In the 2021 elections, Wine won 35 percent of the vote, while Museveni, with 58 percent, achieved his worst result ever, solidifying Wine as his main rival. Wine claimed that his victory was stolen through voter fraud. Electoral authorities denied these allegations.
Wine and Museveni will face off again in the presidential election scheduled for January 2026.
Museveni has been campaigning in Kampala in recent days, trying to boost his chances among people who would likely support Wain, city dwellers who often lack a reliable source of income and who hope a change of government will benefit them.
Kainerugaba recently stated that government security would protect all presidential candidates, a warning to Wine and others not to hire private security.
Kainerugaba's presidential ambitions have heightened fears of the creation of a family dynasty in a country that has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1962.
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