President Yoweri Museveni reportedly blocked a plan by Ugandan security agencies to arrest opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, despite intelligence services allegedly determining his location.
According to reports, intelligence agencies had tracked and located the National Unity Platform (NUP) leader and sought the president’s authorisation to move in and apprehend him.
However, the president reportedly declined the request, saying there was no need to proceed with the arrest.
The claims were revealed by journalist and political commentator Andrew Mwenda during a recent podcast.
Mwenda said security agencies had established where Bobi Wine was hiding but required permission from the president before taking action.
“What I know with a high degree of confidence is that the intelligence services were able to establish where Bobi Wine is and they needed permission from the president to go and apprehend him from there and the president said ‘no, leave him’,” Mwenda said.
He added that the information came from what he described as “very reliable sources” within the state security apparatus.
Bobi Wine in hiding since January
Robert Kyagulanyi has been in hiding since January 16, a day after the election, when he reportedly escaped from his home after security forces surrounded the premises.
Since then, the NUP leader has appeared in several recorded messages released online from undisclosed locations.
One of his most prominent appearances was a virtual address to lawmakers at the European Parliament in Brussels on February 23, 2026.
His exact whereabouts remain unknown, with the opposition leader saying he will only reveal his location when he believes the time is right.
Recent reports have also suggested that the NUP leader may have since left the country and is currently living in the United States, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Conflicting government statements
Government officials have issued differing accounts regarding the state’s position on Bobi Wine.
The commander of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, previously indicated that security agencies were actively searching for the opposition leader.
However, the Minister of Information and National Guidance, Chris Baryomunsi, has said the government is not pursuing Bobi Wine and that he has no case to answer.
This week, the National Unity Platform told journalists during a press conference that Bobi Wine is still in the country and in good health, though the party did not disclose his location.
