KAMPALA, Uganda — International counsel for Robert Kyagulanyi, the opposition leader known as Bobi Wine, issued a formal demand Monday to the Ugandan government for binding safety guarantees, citing an “immediate risk to the life, physical integrity, and liberty” of the politician and his family.
In a letter to Ugandan authorities, Robert Amsterdam of the firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP alleged that a military presence at the Kyagulanyi residence is an act of political retaliation rather than a legitimate security measure. The demand follows a disputed election that the opposition has condemned as a fraud.
“What is now being carried out against Bobi and his family is therefore not a legitimate security measure, nor a neutral act of law enforcement. It is retaliation,” Amsterdam wrote in the letter. “In a functioning democracy, electoral disputes are addressed through lawful remedies, transparency, and due process—not through intimidation, siege tactics, and the targeting of an opponent’s family.”
The legal team is seeking the immediate and verifiable withdrawal of state forces from the residence in Kampala. Amsterdam alleged that the deployment has already led to a “violent attack” on the politician’s wife, Barbara Kyagulanyi, who told reporters from a hospital bed that armed men broke into the home and assaulted her while demanding her husband’s whereabouts.
“I saw a swarm of men,” Barbara Kyagulanyi said of the raid. “I called my brother-in-law and told him, ‘This is the end.’”
The legal notice also specifically named Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and a senior military commander. Amsterdam accused the general of making public threats against Kyagulanyi on social media and called for his removal from power.
“General Kainerugaba exercises command authority over armed forces that have repeatedly been implicated in serious human rights violations,” Amsterdam stated. “His statements therefore carry the weight of state power and have operational significance.”
According to the firm, the United States, Britain, and Germany have been notified of the situation. Amsterdam warned that any harm suffered by the family would trigger a pursuit of legal accountability and international sanctions.
“Responsibility does not disappear within the chain of command; it rises through it,” the letter stated.
Ugandan government officials have previously maintained that security deployments are intended to preserve public order. Kyagulanyi, who heads the National Unity Platform, has been in hiding since the Jan. 15 election results were announced, declaring he has “evidence” of widespread fraud.
