Bobi Wine’s Home Raided as Post-Election Crisis Deepens

The political atmosphere in Uganda has reached a breaking point following a violent military raid on the Magere residence of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The incident, which occurred late Friday, January 23, 2026, has left his wife, Barbara “Barbie” Kyagulanyi, hospitalized and the nation in a state of high tension. This latest escalation comes just over a week after a disputed presidential election that saw long-term incumbent Yoweri Museveni declared the winner with 71.6% of the vote—a result Bobi Wine has vehemently rejected as a “broad daylight robbery.”

According to eyewitness reports and harrowing social media footage, a swarm of masked, uniformed operatives—allegedly members of the Special Forces Command (SFC)—forced their way into the compound under the cover of darkness. In the video, Barbie Kyagulanyi is seen bravely confronting the armed men, repeatedly questioning their presence in her private residence. From her hospital bed on Saturday, she recounted a traumatic ordeal in which soldiers reportedly strangled her, partially undressed her, and banged her head against a pillar in an attempt to force her to reveal her husband’s whereabouts.

Bobi Wine, who remains in hiding after narrowly escaping a previous military raid on January 16, described the attack as a desperate attempt by the state to silence him. The pop star-turned-politician has not been seen in public since the election results were announced, citing grave fears for his safety. His National Unity Platform (NUP) party officials have reported that doors were kicked in, rooms ransacked, and various electronic gadgets and documents were seized during the Friday night operation.

The raid follows a series of increasingly inflammatory statements from the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the President’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Just hours before the assault on the Magere home, Muhoozi issued a public ultimatum on X (formerly Twitter), giving Bobi Wine 48 hours to surrender to police or be treated as a “rebel.” The General further claimed that security forces had already killed 30 “terrorists” associated with the NUP and detained over 2,000 others since the January 15 polls, a figure that has drawn sharp condemnation from international human rights observers.

The situation at Magere is part of a broader, systemic crackdown on dissent that has plagued Uganda throughout this election cycle. Reports indicate that the NUP headquarters remains under siege, and several senior party officials, including lawmaker Muwanga Kivumbi, have been detained on what the opposition describes as trumped-up terrorism charges. The internet blackout and the failure of biometric voter kits during the election have only added to the perception that the democratic process was fundamentally compromised.

As of Sunday morning, Ugandan security agencies have remained largely silent regarding the specific legal justification for the raid. While police spokespeople have previously stated that Bobi Wine is not officially “wanted” for any crime, the military’s actions suggest a different reality. The international community, including the European Union and the United Nations Secretary-General, has called for “maximum restraint” and urged the Ugandan government to respect the rule of law and the safety of opposition figures.

For many Ugandans, the image of Barbie Kyagulanyi being assaulted in her own home has become a potent symbol of the country’s current political climate. The NUP has called for a peaceful “protest vote” of resilience, while the government maintains that security forces are merely preventing post-election violence. With the leader of the opposition currently a fugitive in his own country and his family under physical threat, the path toward a peaceful resolution seems increasingly narrow.

The resilience of the “People Power” movement is being tested like never before. As Bobi Wine continues to communicate from undisclosed locations, he maintains that “the people of Uganda will win” in the end. However, with the military firmly in control of the capital and the President’s inner circle taking an aggressive stance, the coming days will be critical in determining whether Uganda moves toward reconciliation or descends further into state-led repression.