Mbale — Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has said he would protect President Yoweri Museveni if the long-serving leader accepts defeat in the January 15, 2026, presidential election and hands over power peacefully.
Bobi Wine, the National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer and Museveni’s main challenger, made the remarks during a campaign rally at Malare playgrounds in Mbale City on Friday, as the election campaign entered its final stretch amid heightened political tension.
“We have just over 10 days to reach liberation day, and in the new Uganda, everything will change,” Bobi Wine told thousands of supporters. “President Museveni is finishing his term, and if he accepts defeat and hands over the presidency, we will protect him.”
The comments are part of a broader message by the opposition leader aimed at encouraging a peaceful transition of power after nearly four decades of Museveni’s rule.
Bobi Wine said preparations were already underway for what he described as a “new Uganda,” promising to end tribalism and ensure equal opportunities for all citizens.
“We want a country where everyone is equal, where no one is persecuted because of who they are or where they come from,” he said.
At the Mbale rally — his first major campaign appearance in the city’s Industrial City Division — Bobi Wine claimed victory was inevitable, while accusing state institutions of bias.
“We have defeated President Museveni already,” he said, alleging that security forces were being used to intimidate voters rather than protect them. “The Electoral Commission knows the truth.”
Similar assurances have been made by Bobi Wine earlier in the campaign. In October 2025, while campaigning in Mityana District, he was quoted as saying: “If Museveni peacefully hands over power, we shall protect him.”
The repeated pledge appears intended to reassure Museveni, his supporters, and the security establishment that a transition under an opposition-led government would not be driven by revenge, but by reconciliation and rule of law. At the same time, Bobi Wine has warned that clinging to power undemocratically could fuel public anger.
Museveni dismisses it as empty talk
President Museveni, 81, has dismissed Bobi Wine and the opposition as inexperienced and out of touch.
In comments aired by state broadcaster UBC in December, Museveni said: “Bobi Wine and his group are not serious, ‘bamulya ebyengede’. They want to eat what they have not worked hard for.”
In a separate address later in the month, Museveni added, “Bobi Wine and his European backers are not very clever. They don’t know Uganda.”
As the January 15 vote approaches, the political environment remains tense, with the opposition calling for non-violence and vote protection, while accusing the government of intimidation and plans to rig the election.
Observers say Bobi Wine’s pledge to protect Museveni is a strategic attempt to lower the stakes of defeat for the incumbent and avert a violent or contested transition.
Whether the message will ease tensions or influence the outcome remains uncertain as Ugandans head toward what many see as one of the most consequential elections in the country’s history.
