KAMPALA – Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, formally entered Uganda’s 2026 presidential race on Wednesday, electrifying a massive crowd of supporters in Nateete.
Addressing the cheering throngs, Bobi Wine slammed President Yoweri Museveni’s four decades in power, calling them a period marked by repression and economic injustice.
“For 40 long years, one man and a small group of his relatives and friends have ruled our country at gunpoint,” he declared. “They have looted our nation and turned every institution of government into a tool of oppression. They have reduced the citizens of Uganda into slaves on their own land.”
Bobi Wine stressed that despite widespread poverty, Uganda is a wealthy nation held back by corruption, urging citizens to reclaim their shared rights.
“They have reduced all of us into beggars, and they’ve turned our poverty into a tool of control, and yet, our country is not poor, our country is rich,” he told supporters, earning roaring applause.
Rallying the Flag: A Call for Unity
In a symbolic gesture, Kyagulanyi raised the National Unity Platform (NUP) flag, urging Ugandans to embrace collective ownership of the country.
“Hold the flag with pride. Uganda belongs to us. We all have equal shares,” he told the crowd, which responded with thunderous chants of support.
Bobi Wine’s wife, Barbie Kyagulanyi, also addressed the crowd, reinforcing his message of hope and liberation.
“If you give Bobi votes, he will liberate Uganda from the abyss,” she said. “He promoted and fought for the interests of Kyadondo East. He will not let Uganda down. You’ll never regret voting for Kyagulanyi.”
A Rematch Against Museveni
Kyagulanyi’s 2026 nomination marks his second presidential bid, following his high-profile 2021 challenge against Museveni, during which he alleged widespread electoral fraud.
President Museveni, now 81, officially entered the race on Tuesday, running on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket. He has pitched his campaign around consolidating “hard-won gains” and moving Uganda toward middle-income status after nearly four decades in power.
Uganda’s Growing Candidate Field
So far, the Electoral Commission has cleared eight candidates for the February 2026 ballot, highlighting a competitive and historic election:
- Yoweri Museveni – NRM (incumbent)
- Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) – NUP
- Robert Kasibante – National Peasants Party (NPP)
- Joseph Mabirizi – Conservative Party (CP)
- James Nathan Nandala Mafabi – Forum for Democratic Change (FDC)
- Gregory Mugisha Muntu Ojera – Alliance for National Transformation (ANT)
- Mubarak Munyagwa Sserunga – Common Man’s Party (CMP)
- Frank Bulira Kabinga – Revolutionary People’s Party (RPP)
The Stakes Are High
With nomination week ongoing, the 2026 race is shaping up as another intense showdown between Museveni’s entrenched incumbency and a resurgent opposition, spearheaded by Bobi Wine. His ability to galvanize urban youth and disaffected voters could make this election one of Uganda’s most pivotal in decades.
Bobi Wine’s message is clear: Uganda is not just a country to be governed—it belongs to all its citizens, and he is ready to fight for their freedom and equality.
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