National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, delivered a fiery New Year’s address on Friday, highlighting Uganda’s vast human and natural resources while decrying the continued poverty and suffering of millions of its citizens.
“Uganda is rich in people and resources, yet millions of its citizens live in total poverty. This is not because they lack the capacity to transform their lives, but because they have lacked accountable leadership for so long a time,” Bobi Wine said. “Last year, we continued to suffer under a regime that has already spent forty years suppressing our right to exist as dignified human beings while concentrating power and wealth in the hands of a few.”
The opposition leader emphasised that the suffering of ordinary Ugandans—from market vendors in Nakawa to farmers in Jinja, teachers in Moroto, and youth in Kiruhuura—is caused by a corrupt and unjust system, not by their neighbors. “This awakening, this new love for our country and for one another, is an achievement of our campaign so far. It shows that Ugandans now see each other as brothers and sisters facing the same challenges and deserving the same dignity,” he said.
Bobi Wine also celebrated the growing civic awareness and defiance he says his campaign has inspired nationwide. “One of our greatest achievements during the ongoing campaigns has been the reawakening of our people across the country.
From Kisoro to Koboko, Busia to Kaabong, Ugandans have stood up to reclaim ownership of their country and their future. Citizens now proudly and defiantly raise the Uganda flag as a symbol of resistance; a symbol of a nation that belongs to all who live in it,” he said.
Despite what he described as “ongoing brutality and interference from the regime,” including intimidation, teargas, arrests, attacks on supporters, and restricted access to key towns and roads, Bobi Wine said the public support for his campaign has remained strong.
“Yet, everywhere we have gone, the reception from the people has been overwhelmingly positive. Millions of Ugandans have turned out to welcome us and assert their readiness to reclaim their country and stand for a New Uganda,” he said.
The NUP candidate’s address comes as Uganda enters the final weeks of its presidential campaign ahead of the January 15 polls, with tensions running high across the country.
