Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has defended his decision to leave Uganda after the 2026 elections, asserting it was a strategic move to preserve his life and that he outmaneuvered security forces. He drew parallels with other African leaders who sought refuge abroad during political struggles.
National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, has addressed assertions that he abandoned Uganda’s democratic fight by leaving the country shortly after the 2026 elections. Speaking from the United States during an interview with journalist Mordecai Muriisa, Bobi Wine refuted claims of cowardice.
Discover more African Music management News He stated that survival should not be misconstrued as a failure, emphasizing that critics will always find fault. “We must know that naysayers will always have something to say. Even when you survive, they’ll say, ‘You recovered, why didn’t you become a martyr?’ So it is not what the naysayers say that matters, but what we believe in,” he remarked.
Bobi Wine asserted that he is alive today because he successfully evaded Ugandan military and security agencies, whom he claimed were actively searching for him. “I’m alive today because I was able to outsmart the Ugandan military, beat Museveni and his son at their own game, and I left Uganda intact. Otherwise, I would be dead,” he declared.Geographic Reference
The opposition leader described his departure as a “tactical withdrawal,” positioning it as a strategic decision to continue the struggle rather than an abandonment. He referenced historical figures like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Ahmed Ben Bella, Julius Nyerere, and even current President Yoweri Museveni as leaders who sought foreign sanctuary at various points in their political careers before returning to advance their causes.
Bobi Wine’s departure from Uganda after the 2026 elections was low-profile, with his presence abroad only being confirmed nearly a month after he left, when reports surfaced of his arrival in the United States.
