Bobi Wine says brother, NUP's Mufumbiro 'abducted' by armed men
Opposition NUP party mobilization chief Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu and the party's deputy spokesperson Alex Waisswa Mufumbiro. PHOTO/COMBO
What you need to know:
- The alleged abductions come barely a week after the Ugandan military threatened NUP with consequences following an army-like parade held to celebrate Bobi Wine’s February 12 birthday.
Tensions heightened on Monday evening as National Unity Platform (NUP) President Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine accused heavily armed men of abducting the party's deputy spokesperson- and his elder brother, Fred Nyanzi Ssentamu, who also serves as the party's mobilisation chief.
According to Bobi Wine, Nyanzi was taken away in a drone after being intercepted by gunmen at Kubbiri Roundabout, a major intersection in Kampala.
“He has been abducted on gunpoint from Kubbiri Roundabout. The criminal regime is on rampage, BUT WE ARE NOT INTIMIDATED,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
This abduction comes just hours after NUP’s deputy spokesperson Alex Waisswa Mufumbiro was also reportedly “abducted by armed regime operatives.”
Reports suggest that Mufumbiro was also intercepted as he left the party headquarters in Makerere Kavule, following a press briefing where Bobi Wine and other opposition heavyweights jointly addressed the illegal detention of Dr Kizza Besigye.
“He was waylaid and pulled out of his car around Kubiri. Our legal team is doing everything possible to trace where he could have been taken,” Leader of Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi, who doubles as the party spokesperson told journalists.
In a statement, Ssenyonyi, described the two incidents as part of an escalating pattern of political repression by the government.
“The regime is clearly in panic, especially as we step up efforts to demand for the release of all political prisoners,” he noted.
The alleged abductions come barely a week after the Ugandan military threatened NUP with consequences following an army like parade held to celebrate Bobi Wine’s February 12 birthday.
NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine addresses a parade staged by his supporters at the party headquarters in Makerere Kavule, Kampala on February 12, 2025. PHOTO/ COURTESY
On February 15, Defense Public Information Officer [Acting] Maj Gen Felix Kulayigye issued a warning to NUP supporters, commonly known as "foot soldiers" for their army-like conduct saying: “If you choose to behave like a soldier, you have effectively set yourself up to be tried by the military court.”
'Opposition united'
On Monday, Bobi Wine, who challenged Museveni for the presidency in the last election in 2021, led key opposition figures as they issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Museveni to release ailing Dr Kizza Besigye and all other political prisoners.
“We are gravely concerned with the situation of Dr Besigye and other political prisoners who are still being illegally held in prison even after the Supreme Court pronouncement,” Bobi Wine said.
A united opposition vowed to announce their next course of action if the government fails to comply with their demands by the deadline.
“Together, we are issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the regime to release Dr Besigye and all prisoners of political conscience or else, we shall announce a series of national actions for people to rise up and end this impunity,” Bobi Wine declared.
State authorities were not immediately available to comment on Monday's developments.
