KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has called on his supporters to be ready to defend their vote in the upcoming presidential election, warning that if longtime President Yoweri Museveni rigs the contest, the people must rise up.
Speaking to CNN’s Zain Asher ahead of the Jan. 15 polls, the musician turned politician said the 81-year-old incumbent has institutionalized corruption as a means to maintain his 40-year grip on power. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, is the leading challenger in a race that has been shadowed by reports of state-led violence and the arrest of opposition activists.
In case Museveni rigs the election like all signs are showing, the people of Uganda must rise up and demand for their victory, Wine said. Dictators might not go with the first or second or third push but eventually they fall if we don’t give up.
Shifting the focus on corruption
Wine argued that the historic challenges facing the East African nation have evolved. While previous generations struggled with ignorance, disease and poverty, he claimed the current administration has turned corruption into a political currency.
Now our problem can squarely be suffered into one: corruption, massive corruption, which has been institutionalized, which has been turned into a currency and as a way of living and a way of staying in power, Wine said.
The opposition leader pledged that his National Unity Platform party would prioritize dismantling this system of state capture. He outlined a vision for re-empowering the legislature and the judiciary to provide a check on executive power, which he characterized as one-man rule.
A high-stakes contest
Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, is seeking a seventh term. His administration has frequently dismissed allegations of vote rigging and human rights abuses, characterizing the opposition’s calls for protests as attempts to incite lawlessness.
During the previous election in 2021, Wine secured 35 percent of the vote, the strongest challenge to Museveni since he took office. However, that election cycle was also one of the deadliest in the country’s recent history, with dozens of people killed during protests following Wine’s arrest.
As Jan. 15 approaches, the international community has expressed concern over the political climate in Uganda.
The United Nations and human rights organizations have recently noted increased pressure on journalists and civil society.
We want to end the state capture and ensure that the judiciary and the legislature are independent, Wine told CNN. That way, we will be able to stop the one-man rule and have knowledgeable, talented and able people to bring minds together and lead our country ahead.
