Key Developments: Bobi Wine says soldiers raided his Magere home while he was in hiding, held his wife Barbara Kyagulanyi at gunpoint, forced her to remove her phone password, partially undressed and strangled her. She was taken to hospital and remains admitted. Wine, declared runner-up to President Yoweri Museveni in the Jan. 15 vote, says documents and devices were also seized. The U.N. has voiced concern over the arrests and violence targeting opposition figures.
Bobi Wine Alleges Soldiers Choked, Partially Undressed Wife During Raid; She Is Hospitalised
FILE PHOTO: Ugandan Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, walks with his wife Barbara Kyagulanyi, after he addressed a press conference as they prepare to leave their Magere home to vote in the general election, in Kasangati town near Kampala, Uganda January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/ File Photo
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine said on Saturday that soldiers forcefully entered his home in the Magere suburb north of Kampala, held his wife at gunpoint, partially undressed and strangled her, and that she was rushed to hospital where she remains admitted.
Wine — a pop star-turned-politician who has gone into hiding after evading an earlier raid on his home — made the allegations in a post on X. He said the incident took place overnight on Friday into Saturday while he was away from the property.
Allegations of Abuse and Seizure
According to Wine, soldiers broke down doors, assaulted staff and demanded to know his whereabouts. He said they seized money, documents and electronic devices from the house. Wine said the soldiers grabbed his wife Barbara Kyagulanyi's phone, forced her to sit down and ordered her to remove the phone password; when she refused, they assaulted her.
They forced her to remove her blouse and took pictures... my wife was rushed to hospital where she remains admitted, Wine said.
Official Responses and Wider Context
A spokesman for the Ugandan military, Chris Magezi, could not immediately be reached for comment. Uganda's military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba — President Yoweri Museveni's son — has publicly demanded that Wine surrender or be treated as a rebel and has issued threats against him. Muhoozi has also said authorities killed 30 supporters of Wine's National Unity Platform (NUP) and detained about 2,000 people; those figures have not been independently verified in this article.
President Museveni, who has ruled for four decades, was declared the winner of the Jan. 15 presidential vote with 71.6% of the vote versus Wine's 24%. Wine has rejected the result, alleging widespread fraud, including ballot stuffing. Wine has not been formally charged with a crime in connection with the election or these events.
International Reaction
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the arrests and reported violence involving opposition figures and supporters. Human rights groups and opposition critics have long accused Museveni of using the military to maintain his grip on power; ruling party officials deny those claims and say Museveni continues to enjoy popular support among voters.
(Reporting by Reuters Nairobi newsroom; edited.)
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