In a surprising twist amid Uganda’s tense post-election climate, Presidential Advisor on Ghetto Affairs and former Firebase ally Mark Bugembe, aka Buchaman, has publicly urged opposition leader Bobi Wine to abandon his elusive tactics and seek police protection instead.
Speaking in a recent local television interview, Buchaman warned that Bobi Wine’s continued “robadoba style”—a term evoking clever hide-and-seek maneuvers from their ghetto days—could prove deadly.
He cautioned that the opposition figure, skilled at evading detection in plain sight, risks injury, death, or getting caught in crossfire amid heightened security pursuits following the disputed presidential election.
“I know him well; he’s brilliant at hiding,” Buchaman said. “But drop the robadoba style. You could easily get hurt or worse. He’s grown past the ghetto tendencies—he’s a big man now.”
Buchaman, once a close collaborator with Bobi Wine in the music and activism scene before aligning with the government, emphasised the opposition leader’s elevated national status.
He advised Bobi Wine to return home and allow police to safeguard him as an important public figure, rather than living in secrecy that endangers himself and his family.
The comments come as Bobi Wine has reportedly been in hiding since mid-January, fleeing what he described as a military raid on his residence. Tensions remain high, with accusations of state harassment and international scrutiny over the political climate.
Buchaman’s plea highlights fractured loyalties in Uganda’s opposition circles, framing evasion as outdated street survival rather than legitimate resistance.
Whether Bobi Wine heeds the advice or views it as provocation remains to be seen, but the warning underscores the perilous stakes in the country’s ongoing power struggles.
