Ugandan opposition figure and presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has warned that he will call for public protests if President Yoweri Museveni is perceived to rig the country’s general election scheduled for this week.
Wine, 43, said he has told Ugandans not to wait for his instruction before taking to the streets should there be evidence of electoral manipulation.
He spoke to AFP at his home in Kampala amid mounting tension as more than 20 million voters are registered ahead of Thursday’s vote.
Observers, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have criticised the Ugandan government for repression and hundreds of arrests of Wine’s supporters in the lead‑up to the polls.
Wine acknowledged that protests might prompt further crackdowns, but he maintained that violent regimes can be challenged through sustained pressure.
Wine’s main political rival is 81‑year‑old Museveni, who has ruled Uganda for nearly four decades and is widely expected to secure another term, with his control over state institutions and security forces aiding his incumbency.
He also said he would welcome international support including from the United States so long as such assistance did not supplant Ugandans’ own efforts to determine their political future.
The election environment remains tense, with reports of heightened security force actions and restrictions on opposition mobilisation across the country.
