Summary lead paragraph

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said he fled the country after going into hiding following the Jan. 15 presidential election, saying he did so to escape a military search. In a video message posted on X on Saturday, Wine said he had left Uganda for “critical engagements outside Uganda” and did not disclose where he went, while indicating he would return when the time is right.

The announcement and what Wine said in the video

Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, said that by the time viewers saw the video he would have already left the country. He said he would undertake “some critical engagements outside Uganda” and that “at the right time I will come back and continue with the cause.” Wine also thanked “fellow Ugandans” who, he said, “concealed and protected me for all this time when the regime was looking for me.”

In the same message, Wine said it was impossible for Ugandan security operatives to find him because “the people have protected me.” He did not provide an itinerary or location, leaving his whereabouts beyond Uganda unclear.

The weeks in hiding after a disputed election

Wine said he went into hiding shortly after the election, and his whereabouts became unknown to the general public for weeks. His concerns appeared tied to the aftermath of a disputed presidential election in which Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner, with 71.6% of the vote, according to official results that Wine rejected as fake.

After the election, Ugandan soldiers raided Wine’s house on the day after the vote, even as Wine had already gone into hiding. During the campaign, Wine had been campaigning for weeks while wearing a helmet and flak jacket at rallies where security forces were frequently present, according to the report.

Threats from Museveni’s son and the police position

The report said concern for Wine’s safety grew after Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba—Museveni’s son and presumptive heir—repeatedly posted threats about Wine on X. It said Kainerugaba suggested Wine is wanted for unspecified crimes. The report also said Ugandan police stated they were not looking for Wine.

The hunt for Wine, the report said, was being led by Kainerugaba, who has called Wine a “baboon” and a “terrorist.” It said Kainerugaba has a yearslong pattern of posting offensive tweets on X that he sometimes deletes later.

Political context ahead of Museveni’s swearing-in

Wine is the most prominent of seven candidates who ran against Museveni, and the report said he has a large following among young people in urban areas, including many who are unemployed and who are angry with the government over official corruption and lack of economic opportunity. Many of those supporters, the report said, want political change after four decades of the same leader.

The report noted that Museveni, 81, is scheduled to be sworn in in May for a seventh term, a step that would bring him closer to nearly five decades in power. It said supporters credit Museveni with helping maintain relative peace and stability in Uganda, while opposition figures, including some who previously were close allies, condemn what they describe as a descent into authoritarianism.

Source note

The video was posted by Wine on X on Saturday, the day he said he had left Uganda. The report said he did not reveal where he went.