KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine has said he will not challenge the results of Thursday’s presidential election in court, citing what he described as a lack of judicial independence, and has instead called on his supporters to mount peaceful street protests.
Speaking to the BBC from an undisclosed location, Mr Wine said he would continue resisting President Yoweri Museveni’s rule despite growing fears for his personal safety following a heightened security crackdown after the vote.
“The judiciary in Uganda is captured and we encourage Ugandans to use any legal means to fight back and protect their democracy,” the 43-year-old former pop star said.
President Museveni, 81, was declared the winner with 71.65% of the vote, according to the Electoral Commission (EC), extending his rule to a seventh term. Mr Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, finished second with 24.72%.
The president has accused the opposition of attempting to overturn the results through violence, branding some of their actions as terrorism, claims Mr Wine and his party reject.
Mr Wine maintains the election outcome was fraudulent, alleging widespread irregularities including ballot stuffing, though he has not presented detailed evidence.
“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 in the electoral on the polling stations and on the declaration forms,” he said.
Security fears and house arrest claims
The opposition leader also accused security forces of preventing food and supplies from reaching his family home, where his wife and relatives remain under what he described as de facto house arrest.
He said he fled the residence in a Kampala suburb on Friday night during what he called a security raid.
“They jumped off my fence and cut off my electricity and the surveillance cameras. I saw it dangerous for me to stay around,” Mr Wine said, adding that he had not been seen in public for days.
Police have denied raiding his home, saying the deployment was intended to provide protection to a presidential candidate.
Although internet services were restored late on Saturday after a days-long shutdown, Mr Wine said communication remained difficult due to alleged signal jamming around his residence.
Observer missions and disputed claims
Uganda’s Human Rights Commission (UHRC) said while there were “technical and procedural” challenges on polling day, these did not undermine the overall fairness of the vote.
African Union (AU) election observers similarly reported that they saw “no evidence of ballot stuffing,” though they strongly criticised the nationwide internet blackout imposed during and after voting.
Mr Wine, who challenged the 2021 election results before withdrawing his petition over alleged judicial bias, said recent events confirmed his lack of faith in the courts.
He also alleged a “silent massacre” of opposition activists, claiming in a social media post that more than 100 people had been killed during election-related violence, though no independent verification has been provided.
Local media reports indicate that more than 100 youths have been remanded in prison in Kampala on charges linked to post-election unrest.
Army chief’s warning
Tensions escalated further after Uganda’s army chief, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Museveni’s son and a potential successor, said on social media that security forces had killed 22 opposition supporters during election-related violence.
He also issued a direct warning to Mr 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,” Gen Kainerugaba said.
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Mr Wine said the remarks reinforced his fears.
“You have heard Museveni’s son promising to harm me. He has promised to harm people and… he has delivered to it. You have read his recent tweets. That’s why I have to be careful with myself,” he said.
Calls for peaceful change
Despite the tension, Mr Wine urged his supporters to pursue non-violent action, framing protests as a constitutional right.
“We encourage Ugandans to evoke any constitutional means to fight back,” he said, calling for what he described as a peaceful change of leadership.
Police officials have played down concerns over his whereabouts. Kampala police chief Donald Muhwezi told local media that authorities were unconcerned “as long as he is safe.”
In his victory address, President Museveni said the result demonstrated the continued dominance of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence, a reality analysts say continues to shape the country’s recurring post-election tensions.
