Bobi Wine: ‘Stop Sponsoring Our Oppression’
An appeal to Americans for consistency on human rights.
Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu) is a Ugandan politician, activist, lawyer, singer, and actor. Following Uganda’s 2026 disputed presidential election, in which Mr. Ssentamu ran, the regime forced him into hiding. Mr. Ssentamu ultimately left Uganda due to threats to his safety. He is the leader of the National Unity Platform party and a recipient of the Renew Democracy Initiative’s 2026 Heroes of Democracy Award.
This past April, the Renew Democracy Initiative, which publishes The Next Move, honored Bobi Wine with the Heroes of Democracy Award, which recognizes people who have taken risks and made sacrifices for freedom. What follows are Bobi Wine’s remarks from the RDI Heroes of Democracy Gala, edited lightly for clarity.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Hopefully you’re having a wonderful night.
My name is Bobi Wine. I come from Uganda, the most beautiful country in the world. They call it the “Pearl of Africa.” That is where the great Nile River starts from.
A country of 50 million people, the youngest country in the world. I’m so proud to belong to Uganda. Wonderful country, but miserable because it’s under the subjugation of General Yoweri Museveni since 1986.
40 years of misery, 40 years of corruption, 40 years of gun rule, but we still dare to dream for a better day.
I’m honored to be here, ladies and gentlemen. But while I’m here in a beautiful hall, while I’m here sharing smiles, as we speak right now—more abductions are going on, more killings are going on.
On the 15th of January, we had an election. I was running for president, and I believe that I won. Since that day, my wife and I were put under house arrest. I managed to escape.
But again, we celebrate. While I’m here, I’m representing the people of Uganda.
I’m not here as an exilee, no. I’m here as a spokesperson for a country called Uganda, a country of people that refuse to give up, that dream against dreaming, that hope against hope.
While I’m here, I know that we have people that are suffering. But most importantly, allow me to use this opportunity to speak about the women of Uganda.
While so many people are bearing the pain, the women of Uganda, in a very special way, are standing in the gap.
No class, no level is safe. From the woman that sells in the market right to the new First Lady of Uganda—my own wife—who was raided on the 23rd of January and beaten up by more than 70
soldiers that broke into my house and stripped my wife naked as they filmed.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defense Forces and son of General Museveni—the president of Uganda—tweets naked pictures of our comrades, tweets subjugated pictures of my wife with pride, celebrating that he’s winning.
But it’s not just my wife—the strong women that go up are paying the ultimate price.
Women like my sister, Edith Katende—the wife of the spokesperson of our party, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro—who died a few days ago when her husband was even denied the chance to nurse her, even denied the opportunity to lay her to rest.
Women like Irene Nachiwuka, who was so much my fan that she had a tattoo of my name on her leg. That was reason enough to kill her, and she was buried.
Women like Monica Kibalama, wife of John Bosco Kibalama, my friend who was abducted and kept missing for seven years. His wife demanded for him, refused to give up until one day she was also found suspiciously dead in her house.
Women like Fauzia Natabi, who we fondly call “Maama Kyeyune”—the wife of my personal political assistant—whose house was raided, and was picked up by the military in full view of cameras. All that is recorded. She’s been kept in military detention for 37 days, even against a court order.
Women like Agatha Nazziwa, who we fondly call “Blue Tick.” She was abducted, and she’s still missing.
All mothers, daughters, wives, and spouses of the political prisoners.
Female political prisoners like Olivia Lutaaya, who has spent years in prison for simply wearing a T-shirt that has my picture on it.
Women like Sauda Madada, women like Doreen Kaija, and many others. We hold them in high regard.
Learn more about the RDI Heroes of Democracy Awards Gala:
But most importantly, ladies and gentlemen, is that we look at the solution and not at the problem.
Now that we know the problem, now that it’s clear that Uganda is under dictatorship like many other countries, and now that I have the opportunity to speak for those millions of people
to the modern world, to the United States of America—who we know is the world’s biggest democracy—we request you not to continue supporting dictators in Africa, not to continue
choosing diplomacy over democracy, not to continue choosing business over human rights.
Because the dictators in Africa—and particularly in Uganda—rob our countries and plunder our countries, and they invest and come here and enjoy that money. These are dictators that abuse democracies, but they enjoy and benefit from them.
We request you to use the tools that you have to sanction those gross human rights violators, the abusers of democracy and the rule of law. Don’t allow them to enjoy the money they steal from our countries.
Our country’s hospitals are run down, and the schools are run down, and they’re comfortable about it because they seek medical treatment in the developed world. Their children are studying here.
But if you slap sanctions on them, then they will think twice when they are carrying out mass killings. We ask you to invoke the Magnitsky Laws that you have. Those are tools that are not only helpful to you but they can be helpful to us.
Finally, on behalf of the people in Uganda, I know that every time we come and make our case here in the Western world, particularly in America, they accuse us of being agents of the West, of being agents of neocolonialism.
But I say to you that we are not asking you to come and help us. We are only asking you to stop sponsoring our oppression. I believe that’s not too much to ask.
Thank you very much. Love you.
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