Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has said he has left Uganda to pursue what he described as “critical engagements” abroad after weeks in hiding following the disputed 2026 presidential election.
In a video message posted Saturday on X, the leader of the National Unity Platform said he would temporarily operate outside the country while mobilizing international pressure against the government of Yoweri Museveni.
“By the time you see this video, I will have left the country for some critical engagements outside Uganda,” Kyagulanyi said. “At the right time, I will come back and continue with the cause.”
Kyagulanyi said he had been in hiding for weeks and thanked supporters across the country who helped conceal him while security forces searched for him.
“I thank all of you fellow Ugandans who concealed and protected me for all this time when the regime was looking for me,” he said, adding that citizens “fed me, clothed me and offered me shelter.”
The opposition leader claimed that the country’s security agencies had spent weeks searching for him but failed because “the people have protected me.”
He accused authorities of mounting roadblocks, conducting searches and raiding homes of his associates in an attempt to locate him.
Kyagulanyi also alleged that security forces recently raided the home of his personal assistant, Don Sheriff Nadja, and abducted Nadja’s wife after failing to find either of them.
The statement comes amid heightened political tensions following the 2026 presidential election, in which Kyagulanyi challenged Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
Official results declared Museveni the winner, but Kyagulanyi and his supporters rejected the outcome, alleging widespread irregularities.
“We won the 2026 presidential election,” Kyagulanyi said in the video. “We won it and Museveni rigged it.”
He said his decision to travel abroad was part of a broader strategy to escalate pressure on the Ugandan government through international advocacy.
“Among the things we hope to pursue are targeted sanctions against Museveni and his enablers,” he said, urging foreign governments to reconsider support for the Ugandan administration.
Kyagulanyi added that he plans to work with supporters in the diaspora to “lobby, mobilize and organize” against what he called violations in Uganda.
In his absence, he announced that his deputy, Alina Zedriga, would serve as acting president of the opposition movement after her recent release from prison.
Despite leaving the country, Kyagulanyi insisted he intends to return.
“After doing my work on the international platform, I will return back to my country and let the regime do whatever they want to me in full view of the world,” he said.
He ended his message by urging supporters to remain united: “For now, I ask you comrades to remain firm, remain united and keep the hope alive.”