Uganda: Bobi Wine’s Wife describes Armed attack and Lawyers warn of safety risks

The wife of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has described a violent overnight raid on her home by armed men, an incident that has intensified international concern over the safety of the opposition figure following Uganda’s disputed presidential election.

Barbara Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Barbie, said dozens of men in military uniform forced their way into the family home late on Friday night, demanding to know her husband’s whereabouts.

Speaking from her hospital bed on Saturday, she told reporters that she was alone in the house at the time, apart from a guard at the gate, as her children were away.

Kyagulanyi said the intruders aggressively questioned and insulted her, repeatedly asking why she had married Bobi Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the leading challenger to President Yoweri Museveni in last week’s election.

She told them she did not know where her husband was and refused to unlock her mobile phone, despite their demands.

According to her account, the men ransacked the house while two of them restrained her.

When she resisted attempts to seize her phone, one man lifted her off the ground, prompting her to kick him.

Another grabbed her, tearing her pajama top. She said some of the men looked away during the assault, while others appeared indifferent.

Kyagulanyi later said a gunman pulled her by the hair and slammed her head against a pillar.

Four men forced her to the ground and sat on her until she lost consciousness.

She was taken to hospital around 1 a.m. and treated for bruises and anxiety at Nsambya Hospital in Kampala.

Before the assault escalated, she recorded video footage of the intruders, which she later posted on X, shocking many Ugandans.

She said she believes the raid was ordered by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s army chief since 2024 and President Museveni’s son, citing his repeated threats against her husband on social media. The military did not respond to requests for comment.

The attack comes amid mounting fears for Bobi Wine’s safety. Wine has been in hiding since Museveni was declared the winner of the January 15 presidential election with 71.6% of the vote.

Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) secured 24.7%, a result he has rejected as fraudulent. He has called for peaceful protests and said he fears for his life.

Wine’s lawyer, Robert Amsterdam, urged the international community to demand “immediate, verifiable guarantees” of his client’s safety, warning that threats from the army chief carry the weight of state power.

Amsterdam said Gen. Kainerugaba’s statements materially increase the risk of unlawful harm and trigger Uganda’s obligations under international law to protect life.

Kainerugaba has repeatedly targeted Wine on X, using offensive language and accusing him and his supporters of terrorism.

In recent posts, some later deleted, he claimed that more than 2,000 NUP supporters had been detained since the election. 

In one particularly alarming message, he asserted that “orders stand with the force of the Commander-in-Chief,” and made unverified claims about killings of opposition supporters.

Although police say Wine has not committed any crime and is not officially wanted, multiple posts by Kainerugaba suggest security forces are actively searching for him.

Several senior figures in Wine’s party are either missing or under arrest, according to NUP officials.

David Lewis Rubongoya, the party’s secretary-general, described the situation as a “new phase of persecution,” saying the party is under sustained attack.

The broader political context has further heightened tensions.

Uganda’s election was marred by a dayslong internet shutdown, delays caused by failures in biometric voter identification systems, and allegations of ballot stuffing in Museveni strongholds. 

Museveni has dismissed opposition claims and accused critics of attempting to incite violence.

International concern has grown in response to the post-election crackdown.

U.S. Senator Jim Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged Washington to reassess its security relationship with Uganda, including the possibility of sanctions against specific actors.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for restraint, respect for the rule of law, and adherence to Uganda’s human rights obligations.

Throughout the campaign, Ugandan security forces maintained a heavy presence.

Wine said he was routinely followed, his rallies disrupted, and his supporters dispersed with tear gas. Fearing for his safety, he campaigned wearing a flak jacket and helmet.

Museveni, now 81, will begin a seventh term in office, extending his rule toward five decades.

Supporters credit him with maintaining stability and positioning Uganda as a refuge for people fleeing conflicts elsewhere in the region.

Critics, however, argue that the events surrounding the election and its aftermath underscore a deepening authoritarian turn and a shrinking space for political opposition.