Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine has revealed his next move in a fiery interview with Al Jazeera, saying he has evidence of election rigging and will continue to encourage peaceful protests against President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
Bobi Wine, who has rejected the recent presidential election results, claimed that electoral commission officials were involved in ballot stuffing.
“I’m alive. I don’t know how my family is, but I try to keep in touch with my wife. She’s OK, she’s strong. [The security forces are] still at my home. Nobody’s allowed to access the house,” he said in the interview amidst concerns over his safety in hiding.
When asked about the police spokesperson’s claim that he’s not under arrest and is at home, Bobi Wine responded: “I saw the police spokesperson saying I’m in my house. The same police person said that the people that were shot and killed in the house of my deputy president were actually attacking the police station. And yet they were inside the house. You know, so much goes on, and the shamelessness of the Ugandan regime now is bottomless.”
Bobi Wine talked about the incident in Butambala where his National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy Muwanga Kivumbi lost his parliamentary seat.
“Ten people were killed in Butambala at the house of my deputy president. They were shot dead. The police shot through the door of a garage, a car storage room and killed 10 people. But scores were also killed in Iganga. Many people were killed in Kawempe and many other places,” claimed Bobi Wine.
He added that he is in hiding due to threats from the military: “You’ve heard the head of the military, who is General Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, promising to cut off my head, and we had earlier information that they were coming to harm me. So, in that fracas when they raided my house, I used a few old skills to get my way out.”
Bobi Wine responded to President Museveni’s accusations: “It should be known that in every dictatorship, especially here in Africa, to run against a dictator means being a terrorist, means being a traitor and everything.”
He claimed he has evidence of election rigging: “We have evidence before, we have evidence during and after the election. A day or two before the election, several of our polling agents were picked up by the military. Some of them are still missing. And then you have seen videos. They turned off the internet. And this time, not the police, not the military, but electoral commission officials took part in ticking ballot papers in favour of General Museveni.”
Bobi Wine encouraged Ugandans to protest peacefully: “That means nonviolent, legally accepted protests. It means protesting, it means rejecting the abuse of democracy, fighting back against any subversion of our democracy. Our constitution, Article 29, provides that the people of Uganda can protest and demonstrate peacefully and unarmed.”
He also ruled petitioning the Supreme Court, slamming Uganda’s judicial system: “The judicial system in Uganda is not independent at all. In the previous presidential election petitions, the Supreme Court has ordered for certain reforms – they’ve been completely ignored.”
Bobi Wine is currently in hiding, saying: “My reason for not being home is to be able to speak to the world. If I was in my house, you would not be able to access me. I would love to be in my home. I’ve not changed my clothes in days. I want to be home. I want to be free. I want to take care of my people. But the military and police have taken over my home.”
Bobi Wine says
– “The shamelessness of the Ugandan regime now is bottomless.”
– “Moving on is resigning to slavery.”
– “Ugandans don’t have a right, they don’t have a voice.”
– “I’ve not changed my clothes in days. I want to be home. I want to be free.”
The government has accused Bobi Wine and his supporters of flouting electoral rules, but he denies these claims. The situation in Uganda remains tense, with fears of further violence and unrest.
Here’s the full transcript of the interview with Bobi Wine as published by Al Jazeera:
Al Jazeera: How are you? How’s your family?
Bobi Wine: I’m alive. I don’t know how my family is, but I try to keep in touch with my wife. She’s OK, she’s strong. [The security forces are] still at my home. Nobody’s allowed to access the house.
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Al Jazeera: The police spokesman told us that you are not under arrest, that you are at home; obviously, you’re not. What do you say to them?
Bobi Wine: I saw the police spokesperson saying I’m in my house. The same police person said that the people that were shot and killed in the house of my deputy president were actually attacking the police station. And yet they were inside the house. You know, so much goes on, and the shamelessness of the Ugandan regime now is bottomless. You know, they’ll do something glaringly – and they lie about it.
Al Jazeera: You’re talking about the incident in Butambala? Tell us about what happened.
Bobi Wine: Ten people were killed in Butambala at the house of my deputy president. They were shot dead. The police shot through the door of a garage, a car storage room and killed 10 people. But scores were also killed in Iganga. Many people were killed in Kawempe and many other places.
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So, one of the reasons why I could not stay home is that, as a leader, I had to keep in touch with these people; I had to give guidance. I had to be in touch and know what is happening. It was extremely dangerous for me. You’ve heard the head of the military, who is General Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, promising to cut off my head, and we had earlier information that they were coming to harm me. So, in that fracas when they raided my house, I used a few old skills to get my way out.
Al Jazeera: The president has called you a traitor and a “terrorist” – you and other officials of your party. What do you have to say to that?
Bobi Wine: It should be known that in every dictatorship, especially here in Africa, to run against a dictator means being a terrorist, means being a traitor and everything. I mean, a priest, a Catholic priest called Father [Deusdedit] Ssekabira was arrested and General Museveni was talking about him, saying the Catholic priest was arrested and detained incommunicado for more than two weeks for working with me. But I was not arrested. Young people are in prison for their association with me and the party that I lead. But I, with the secretary-general and many others, are not detained. This is a crackdown to intimidate, to silence and to completely subdue the forces of change; everybody that yearns for change and everybody that does not support General Museveni.
Al Jazeera: You have rejected the elections. You said that the election is rigged. What evidence do you have?
Bobi Wine: We have evidence before, we have evidence during and after the election.
A day or two before the election, several of our polling agents were picked up by the military. Some of them are still missing.
And then you have seen videos. They turned off the internet. And this time, not the police, not the military, but electoral commission officials took part in ticking ballot papers in favour of General Museveni. We have record of them. We have videos of them doing that, and we’ve started uploading them on social media. (Al Jazeera was unable to verify videos on social media purporting to show officials filling in ballot papers. The Electoral Commission spokesperson declined to speak to Al Jazeera about this allegation.)
The Electoral Commission chairperson … announced results that nobody knows where they come from. They were supposed to pick them from the declaration of results forms and the district tally sheets. Our agents were there; they had different results on the forms. But the Electoral Commission chairperson was declaring something completely different. So, we rejected.
Like we said to the people before, that this was going to be a protest vote. We encouraged people for more than a hundred days that should the dictatorship try to subvert the voice of the people, the people of Uganda should rise up according to Article 29 of our constitution and reclaim their voice. That is what we encourage them to do.
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Al Jazeera: And what does that mean? Protests?
Bobi Wine: That means nonviolent, legally accepted protests. It means protesting, it means rejecting the abuse of democracy, fighting back against any subversion of our democracy. Our constitution, Article 29, provides that the people of Uganda can protest and demonstrate peacefully and unarmed. And that is exactly what we’ve encouraged them and continue to encourage them to do.
It could be protesting on the streets. Some of us started protesting by holding high the national flag. Others can protest by staying at home. We gave it back to the people of Uganda to find numerous creative ways of protesting … to fight back in the most moral, constitutional and legal way possible.
Al Jazeera: And going to the Supreme Court is not an option for you?
Bobi Wine: The judicial system in Uganda is not independent at all. In the previous presidential election petitions, the Supreme Court has ordered for certain reforms – they’ve been completely ignored. So we don’t have hope in the judicial system of Uganda. That’s why we’ve always encouraged the people of Uganda to be the ones to take back their voice.
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Al Jazeera: The government and security forces accused you and your supporters throughout the election of flouting electoral rules, maybe campaigning where campaigns are not supposed to be happening, and that’s why you have been met with this kind of violence and tear gas and blocking rallies. What is your response?
Bobi Wine: That’s what they are saying. But the law as it is in Uganda permits a candidate, most importantly a presidential candidate, to campaign everywhere where there are people. And indeed that campaign programme was confirmed and ratified by the Electoral Commission of Uganda. However, I was not allowed to even drive on the main roads. I was not allowed to campaign in cities or populated areas. I was always sent to the bushes, but people came there.
But also, the Electoral Commission was never in charge of this election; the military took charge of this election. … I mean, if there was anything wrong that I did, if there’s anything that was against the law, I would have been apprehended a long time ago.
Al Jazeera: There are some Ugandans who subscribe to whatever you’re saying, but there’s a lot of fear in the country. And they’re saying, OK, the election is now done, so let’s just move on.
Bobi Wine: Moving on is resigning to slavery. We’ve said it many times that living under a military dictatorship for 40 years is like slavery. Ugandans don’t have a right, they don’t have a voice. Uganda is an extremely young country – the second youngest country in the world [by age], governed by a ruler who is over 80 years old.
Corruption is the order of the day. The country is in a mess. And we, as a current generation – that are the parents of today, that are going to be starting this country – it is our right and duty to ensure that we take charge of our own destiny.
Al Jazeera: And finally, you cannot go home?
Bobi Wine: My reason for not being home is to be able to speak to the world. If I was in my house, you would not be able to access me.
I would love to be in my home. I’ve not changed my clothes in days. I want to be home. I want to be free. I want to take care of my people.
But the military and police have taken over my home. They’ve vandalised my gate. They’ve cut the padlocks. They’ve cut power at my house. So they’ve more or less colonised my home.
Unfortunately, there’s no rule of law in Uganda. I cannot find redress with the courts. I cannot find redress with any institution of state. I just have to fight back in my own crude, non-violent way.
You can see How Museveni’s NRM, Bobi Wine’s NUP and Other Parties Shared 12th Parliament Seats Here.
You can also read about how many people voted per region, the names of Museveni ministers who lost MP seats, and the Ankole incumbent MPs who were defeated Here, There and Over There.
