Bobi Wine to Ugandans: Turn 2026 into protest vote against impunity, corruption
Opposition NUP party president Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, gestures in Mbale City on April 14, 2025. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
What you need to know:
- Bobi Wine declares 2026 poll a “Protest Vote” against government failures.
Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party president Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, has urged Ugandans to unite in the struggle for political change as the 2026 general elections approach.
Addressing NUP leaders and supporters from at least 40 districts, Kyagulanyi on Monday evening described the meeting at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Mbale City as a call to action.
“NUP is not merely a political party. We are a movement. We are People Power. We are Ugandans united to change the leadership of this country,” Kyagulanyi said in eastern Uganda.
He accused the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), led by President Museveni, of failing Ugandans, citing poor infrastructure, under-resourced hospitals, and rising living costs.
“Many of us did not join politics because we love it, but because we are tired. This is not politics. It is a rebellion. A mission for freedom,” he said.
Kyagulanyi also alleged misuse of public funds, reiterating allegations that MPs were each given Shs100 million by Museveni to pass controversial bills.
“We are dying and ready to continue dying until we see change. We’ve been imprisoned and are ready to be imprisoned for the truth,” he said.
Kyagulanyi also repeated claims that NUP won the 2021 presidential election, which he said was rigged in favor of Museveni.
Calling for early preparation ahead of the 2026 polls, he described the upcoming election as a form of protest.
“This vote is a protest vote against theft, impunity, abductions, and moral decay. We must organize in our communities and villages,” he added.
Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine and President Museveni/ PHOTO. COMBO
Kyagulanyi encouraged Ugandans to run for elective offices at all levels to push for a new leadership model that prioritizes health, education, agriculture, and the economy. By press time on Monday, NRM leaders were not immediately available for a comment outside office hours.
However, the meeting in Mbale City also saw the official defection of Massa Musa, former LC3 chairperson of Mbale Industrial Division and ex-FDC leader, to NUP.
“I’m tired of being in opposition without a path to power. NUP is the only viable vehicle for change,” Musa said, declaring his intention to run for Mbale City mayor on the NUP ticket.
NUP official Ali Bukeni, known as Nubian Li, urged youth to contest leadership positions and condemned the alleged theft of votes in 2021.
Despite heavy police deployment in Mbale City during the event, the meeting proceeded without interference.
