KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s security operation at the Magere home of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, appears to have been deliberately aimed at seizing the mobile phone of his wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, according to opposition officials and lawyers.
They say the phone was taken during a late-night raid by armed personnel, abruptly cutting off communication at a time when she had been in active contact with international media, diplomats and legal observers.
Opposition sources argue that the seizure came shortly after Barbie Kyagulanyi had been briefing international actors on the heavy security deployment at the family residence and the treatment of those inside.
They say this has raised concerns that the device was targeted both to halt the flow of information and potentially to aid efforts to track Bobi Wine, who remains in hiding following an escalating standoff with the security establishment.
National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi said he rushed to Magere after receiving alerts of another military raid, but was blocked from accessing the compound by heavily armed men.
“There are dozens of military men on the outside and visibly on the inside, some in uniform while others not,” Ssenyonyi said.
“I have been denied access by the numerous gun-men, who I am told have broken the house doors, assaulted the family and occupants, ransacked the house, and taken all the gadgets they could find.”
Ssenyonyi said senior police officers he contacted denied knowledge of the operation.
“I’ve spoken to some senior police officers asking why they have to keep behaving in such a vile manner instead of issuing summons to whoever they are interested in,” he said.
“They however say they are not aware of the raid, and apparently don’t even know who is commanding the operation.”
Earlier, Bobi Wine said masked, armed soldiers had forcibly entered the family residence, assaulted relatives and isolated his wife.
“A group of masked, armed soldiers has just broken into our house and beat up my family members,” Wine said in a statement.
“They have currently isolated my wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, alone. Their intentions are unclear.”
International journalists and lawyers confirmed they had been in direct communication with Barbie Kyagulanyi shortly before the raid, receiving real-time updates from inside the home.
British journalist Lindsey Hilsum said Barbie told her she was not allowed to leave the residence, which remained surrounded by security forces.
“She tells me her home remains surrounded by security forces,” Hilsum said, adding that while Barbie could not leave, “some visitors including the vice president of the Uganda Law Society have got through.”
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One of those visitors, Asiimwe Anthony, vice president of the Uganda Law Society, described the situation as unlawful.
“No one deserves to go through what Kyagulanyi’s family are going through,” Asiimwe said.
“Being illegally detained in your own home, arbitrarily denied your personal liberty with no explanation, is a total abuse.”
The operation at Magere comes amid heightened political tension following a public ultimatum issued by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, ordering Bobi Wine to surrender to police within 48 hours. Wine has rejected the demand, saying he will resurface on his own terms.
The security agencies had not issued an official statement by the time of publication regarding the raid, the reported seizure of Barbie Kyagulanyi’s phone, or the command structure behind the operation.
The incident has intensified domestic and international scrutiny of Uganda’s post-election security conduct, particularly concerning the treatment of opposition figures and their families, as pressure mounts on authorities to clarify the legality and intent of the Magere operation.
