KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine has said he will not challenge the outcome of Thursday’s presidential election in court, arguing that the judiciary lacks independence, and instead urged his supporters to take to the streets for peaceful protests against President Yoweri Museveni’s extended rule.
Speaking to the BBC from an undisclosed location, Wine said he had no confidence that the courts could fairly adjudicate an election petition, describing Uganda’s judiciary as “captured”.
“The judiciary in Uganda is captured and we encourage Ugandans to use any legal means to fight back and protect their democracy,” said Wine, 43, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.
Museveni, 81, was declared the winner with 72pc of the vote, according to official results, while Wine, his closest challenger, garnered 25pc The president accused the opposition of attempting to overturn the results through violence, branding them “terrorists”.
Wine dismissed the outcome as fraudulent, alleging ballot stuffing and manipulation, though he did not provide detailed evidence to support the claims.
“We reject those results because they are fake and they don’t in any way reflect the voting pattern. They are completely different from the results at polling stations and on the declaration forms,” he told the BBC.
Ugandan authorities have not formally responded to Wine’s allegations. However, the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) said that while there were “technical and procedural” challenges on polling day, they did not undermine the overall fairness of the election.
African Union election observers also reported seeing “no evidence of ballot stuffing”, but criticised the days-long internet shutdown imposed during the vote.
Wine said he fled his home in a Kampala suburb on Friday night after security forces allegedly raided the area, cutting off electricity and surveillance cameras. He claimed his wife and relatives remain effectively under house arrest, with security personnel preventing food deliveries.
“They jumped off my fence and cut off my electricity and the surveillance cameras. I saw it dangerous for me to stay around,” Wine said, adding that threats from senior security officials forced him into hiding.
Uganda’s army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba — Museveni’s son and a potential successor — said in a post on X that security forces had killed 22 opposition supporters during poll-related violence. He also issued a warning to Wine, giving him “exactly 48 hours to surrender himself to the police”.
“If he doesn’t, we will treat him as an outlaw/rebel and handle him accordingly,” Kainerugaba said.
Wine said such threats underscored the risks he faced.
“You have heard Museveni’s son promising to harm me. He has promised to harm people and he has delivered to it,” he said.
Police have denied raiding Wine’s home, saying the security deployment was meant to protect him as a presidential candidate. Kampala police chief Donald Muhwezi said officers were not concerned about Wine’s whereabouts “as long as he is safe”.
Despite the internet being restored hours after Museveni was declared the winner on Saturday, Wine said communication around his home remains restricted due to signal jammers.
Wine also alleged an ongoing crackdown on opposition supporters, describing what he called a “silent massacre”. In a social media post, he claimed more than 100 people had been killed in election-related violence, though he did not provide evidence.
Local media, including the Daily Monitor, reported that more than 100 youths have been remanded in prison over election-related incidents across Kampala.
This is the second time Wine has lost a presidential bid to Museveni. After the disputed 2021 election, he initially filed a court challenge but later withdrew it, citing bias and lack of impartiality within the judiciary.
Museveni, who first came to power as a rebel leader in 1986, has now won seven elections. Uganda has never experienced a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence.
Calling for calm but sustained resistance, Wine urged Ugandans to exercise their constitutional rights.
“We encourage Ugandans to evoke any constitutional means to fight back,” he said, stressing that protests should remain peaceful.
