Keypoints:
- Opposition leader says soldiers raided his home and assaulted his wife
- Lawyer calls on UN to demand safety guarantees
- Global concern grows over Uganda’s post-election crackdown
UGANDA’S post-election tensions deepened on Saturday after the country’s main opposition challenger said soldiers raided his home, assaulted his wife at gunpoint and left her hospitalised, as international alarm mounts over an intensifying crackdown following President Yoweri Museveni’s re-election.
The alleged attack comes days after Museveni secured a seventh term in office in a disputed January 15 vote, an election criticised by observers for repression, internet shutdowns and threats against opposition figures — raising fresh fears about political violence in East Africa’s long-standing strongman state.
‘Hundreds of soldiers’ at family home
The opposition leader, popularly known as Bobi Wine, said the raid took place while he was in hiding due to fears for his safety.
In a statement posted on X, he said ‘hundreds of soldiers’ stormed his residence, looted property and interrogated his wife about his whereabouts.
‘They put my wife on gunpoint, asking her to reveal my whereabouts,’ he wrote. ‘They strangled her and insulted her.’
He added that she was rushed to hospital and remains admitted ‘dealing with all the physical and psychological trauma’.
Ugandan security forces have not publicly responded to the allegations.
Disputed vote and flight into hiding
Museveni, 81, was declared the winner of the presidential election with 71.65 percent of the vote, according to official results. The opposition challenger — born Robert Kyagulanyi, a 43-year-old former reggae singer turned politician — was credited with 24.72 percent.
He rejected the outcome as ‘blatant theft’, accusing authorities of widespread intimidation, ballot manipulation and arrests of opposition supporters.
Several independent observer groups and non-governmental organisations also criticised the election, pointing to a nationwide internet shutdown that lasted several days and the heavy deployment of security forces before and after polling.
Army chief’s threats fuel alarm
Tensions escalated further after President Museveni’s son, army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, issued a series of inflammatory statements on social media.
In one post — later deleted — Kainerugaba threatened to hunt down and kill the opposition leader. In another message posted on Friday, he claimed security forces had killed dozens of people linked to the opposition party.
‘So far we have killed 30 NUP terrorists,’ he wrote, referring to the National Unity Platform. He also claimed more than 2,000 people had been arrested, using a derogatory nickname for the opposition leader.
The Ugandan military has not confirmed the claims.
Lawyer urges UN intervention
In response, the opposition leader’s legal team appealed for urgent international protection.
‘In light of these reckless statements, we urgently call on the international community, including the United Nations, to demand immediate, verifiable guarantees of Mr. Wine’s safety and ensure he can return to his family without harm,’ said lawyer Robert Amsterdam.
‘Mr. Wine has committed no crime. His only offence is exposing, once again, the brutal and dictatorial nature of President Museveni’s rule through peaceful political opposition and the exercise of fundamental rights,’ he added.
International concern grows
The European Union said it was deeply concerned by events surrounding the vote.
‘We regret pre- and post-electoral violence and threats, particularly against opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi,’ an EU spokesperson said.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was ‘following with concern the post-election situation in Uganda, including reports of arrests, detentions and violent incidents involving opposition figures and supporters’.
Human rights organisations warn that the current crackdown mirrors previous election cycles but is unfolding with heightened aggression and unprecedented public threats by senior military officials.
A familiar pattern, a dangerous moment
Museveni has ruled Uganda since 1986, making him one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. His grip on power has endured through constitutional changes, tightly controlled elections and repeated confrontations with challengers.
For many Ugandans, the latest allegations underscore a familiar but troubling pattern: elections that promise competition but end in force.
As the opposition leader remains in hiding and his wife recovers in hospital, diplomats and rights groups say the coming days will test whether Uganda’s post-election crisis stabilises — or slides further into repression.
