Uganda: Protests in Kampala after Bobi Wine arrested again

Since expressing his intention to run in the election against long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni, Bobi Wine – whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi – has been arrested multiple times. He has won a large following, especially among young people in the East African country, where general elections are scheduled in January 2021.

Many young supporters say they are drawn to Bobi Wine by his criticism of Museveni’s government mingled in his lyrics. Others say that as a young leader, he is better positioned to tackle the challenges they face.

Bobi Wine’s large following has rattled the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and security forces have frequently fired tear gas at his rallies and detained and beaten his supporters, witnesses say.

On the day he was nominated early this month, a squad of military and police personnel used metallic tools to break into his vehicle. He was subsequently detained briefly and police used tear gas to disperse his supporters.

In a statement issued before Bobi Wine’s detention on Wednesday, police had warned that presidential candidates would be arrested if they flouted guidelines limiting attendance at rallies to 200 people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bobi Museveni, who had the constitution amended twice to allow him to run a sixth time in 2021, is seeking another five-year term in the January polls. He has faced escalating police harassment since announcing his intention to challenge Museveni, who seized power as the head of a rebel army in 1986.

His catchy songs about social justice, poverty and corruption have shaken the governing party and its ageing patriarch Museveni, who at 76 is the only president most Ugandans have known.