Since the presidential elections in January 2021, the political landscape in Uganda has witnessed significant changes, exposing various players in different ways. The arrival of the National Unity Platform (NUP) under the leadership of Bobi Wine was initially met with excitement and high expectations, particularly in the central region. However, it has become clear that the NUP’s agenda is merely a ploy to make money through a web of lies and blackmail.
Bobi Wine has frequently traveled abroad, meeting with funders and spinning tales in an attempt to tarnish the country’s image and malign President Museveni. In 2022, Bobi Wine and other opposition leaders transported people to attend a human rights conference in Nairobi. Regrettably, some of those transported were known accident victims who were paraded to donors as victims of torture. Moses Ssimbwa, a well-known victim of a boda boda accident, has publicly apologized for being manipulated by Bobi Wine to propagate lies against the government.
More recently, Bobi Wine has faced criticism from his own supporters, accusing him of exploiting them for personal gain. In 2023, a documentary titled “The People’s President” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in Italy. Supporters soon realized that Bobi Wine deliberately enticed them and their children into violent protests resulting in casualties and arrests. While these individuals languish in prisons, Bobi Wine conveniently compiles all the footage to produce a documentary that brings wealth to him and his family.
Many Ugandans have questioned why Bobi Wine, who consistently denigrates his country and president abroad, is allowed to return peacefully to Uganda with no consequences for his lies and blackmail. Despite being hosted by numerous influential media outlets worldwide, once he blackmails his own homeland, he returns home freely to enjoy peace and freedom without any accountability.
Bobi Wine’s style of politics has created internal conflicts within his party, as he is perceived as a self-centered politician focused on enriching himself rather than fulfilling his promise to remove President Museveni from power. MPs Jimmy Lwanga from Njeru Municipality and Twaha Kagabo from Bukoto South, both originally elected under the NUP ticket, have since abandoned the party, citing Robert Kyagulanyi’s flawed political tactics.
In reality, politics based on lies, blackmail, and sectarianism cannot sustain themselves for long. Eventually, voters become aware of how they are being used for personal gain. Bobi Wine has displayed an alarming level of political immaturity by promoting sectarian politics internally and tarnishing Uganda’s image and that of its president abroad with baseless lies and unfounded propaganda. It is undeniable that many Ugandans now perceive him as a self-serving individual masquerading as a leader in the struggle for change in the country.
While Bobi Wine’s political game may yield short-term gains, it is destined to crumble under the weight of its own deceitfulness. Ugandans deserve politicians who genuinely uphold the principles of democracy, transparency, and accountability, rather than those who exploit their trust for personal enrichment. Only then can the country embark on a path of progress and prosperity.