The wife of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine is receiving medical treatment in hospital after soldiers allegedly raided her home overnight, searching for her husband.
Speaking from her hospital bed in Kampala, Barbra Itungo Kyagulanyi says soldiers stormed the house believing Wine was inside, after tracking a phone signal linked to him. She explains that she briefly switched on her husband’s phone earlier in the day while trying to retrieve a password, unaware it could reveal the device’s location.
Kyagulanyi alleges she was strangled, beaten and held at gunpoint during the raid as soldiers demanded information about her husband’s whereabouts. She describes being dragged by her hair, having her head slammed against a pole, and being pinned down by multiple men who continued to demand access to the phone.
In a post on X, Bobi Wine says hundreds of soldiers raided his home while he was away, looting property and assaulting his wife. He accuses security forces of attempting to extract his location through intimidation and violence.
Wine has been in hiding since last week’s presidential election, which extended President Yoweri Museveni’s rule to a seventh term. Wine has rejected the result, calling it “blatant theft.”
The situation has drawn further concern after Uganda’s army chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba President Museveni’s son publicly vowed to hunt down Wine. Kainerugaba claims at least 30 opposition supporters have been killed and more than 2,000 arrested since the vote.
Police have also detained senior opposition figures, including National Unity Platform deputy president Muwanga Kivumbi, who faces potential criminal charges linked to election-related violence.
Wine’s lawyer has urged the United Nations and the international community to demand guarantees for Wine’s safety, warning that his life remains at risk. Election observers report widespread repression, including a days-long internet shutdown, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres says he is closely monitoring developments in Uganda.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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