On October 5, 2023, Ugandan security forces foiled what was termed the “One Million March,” aimed at welcoming the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) back to the country. Bobi Wine had been out of the country for over two weeks on what was termed a mobilisation tour.
Before Bobi Wine’s homecoming, his followers launched a social media mobilisation campaign, urging supporters to come out in huge numbers to greet their party president at the airport and then march to Kamwokya. Others claimed the procession would march to the State House in order to depose President Museveni’s government.
Bobi Wine, on October 3, 2023, through his Twitter handle, reminded his supporters that he was landing at the airport on October 5, 2023. In a video recorded while he had just landed in South Africa from Canada, he is seen telling his supporters that one million people will march from Entebbe airport to Kamwokya for a press briefing.
The call for the one million-person procession brought mixed reactions from NUP supporters, who wondered why those mobilising for the procession were mostly diaspora supporters who would not participate physically. Other supporters called on Bobi Wine to have his family members lead the procession since none of them has ever been seen participating, but instead the violent protests have seen some supporters involved in accidents and others arrested, but none of the NUP top leaders has ever prevailed for their families.
On October 4, 2023, there was a demonstration by Kibuye Market vendors asking security to prevail. The traders claimed that such demonstrations and political processions usually frustrate their businesses because some thugs look at them as a chance to steal and cause chaos.
Over time, Bobi Wine’s supporters have come to realise how the processions and demonstrations are an earning scheme for Bobi Wine and his group. They have always come out as freedom fighters, but with no agenda; all they talk about is Museveni. This has turned into a cheap con game and a viable cash cow where some people die and others are arrested, but Bobi Wine’s wealth keeps swelling.
On several occasions, Bobi Wine has held fundraising drives to get funds to assist the families of those who have died or been arrested, but none of the families have received help. Instead, the children have dropped out of school, and others have lost the little they had.
In November 2022, Moses Ssimbwa, a resident of Jinja City and known boda boda accident victim, was transported alongside other accident victims and paraded to funders at the UN Human Rights Conference in Nairobi as torture victims, an incident that attracted security institutions to open an investigation into the matter.
This and several other occurrences have exhibited Bobi Wine and his cronies as a greedy group of politicians using people’s hunger for change as an opportunity to enrich themselves. Many NUP supporters have come out to thank the security forces for foiling the “one million march” that would have brought chaos and frustrated traffic and business.