Bobi Wine, also known as Kyagulanyi Ssentamu Robert, is a Ugandan pop-star, activist and political leader. He heads the National Unity Platform, Uganda’s largest opposition party, and was elected to Parliament in 2017.
Having received massive support from many people across the country, Wine started the People Power Movement in 2017 to encourage young Ugandans to get involved in politics. Since then he has been arrested, tortured, and subjected to various other forms of abuse and harassment. Several of his supporters and friends have been targeted by the government, with some killed, while others have been abducted and tortured.
As a singer, Wine’s music has mostly focused on social justice issues. He has been blocked from performing in Uganda since 2018, his music considered a threat to the political establishment.
Wine was a presidential candidate in Uganda’s 2021 election, described by the Journal of Democracy as “the most violent and least fair in the country’s history”. He was placed under house arrest shortly after and denied access to food or water.
Wine ran again for president in January 2026 and was declared the runner-up. Denouncing the vote as fraudulent, he went into hiding after security forces raided his home. He will address the Geneva Summit by video.
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