‘Bobi Wine escaped Uganda military raid, his wife under house arrest,’ son says
'Bobi Wine escaped Uganda military raid, his wife under house arrest,' son says
Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was cut off from communications on Saturday after a police raid on his home, his party said, with the security forces determined to prevent unrest ahead of imminent election results.
President Yoweri Museveni, 81, looked set to be declared winner and extend his 40-year rule later on Saturday in an election marred by reports of at least 10 deaths under an ongoing internet blackout.
As Uganda endured a tense wait after Thursday’s polls, Museveni had a commanding lead against Wine, 43, a former singer turned politician, with final results due around 1100 GMT.
There were conflicting reports about Wine’s whereabouts after claims that police and the army had raided his home on Friday night.
A senior official in his party, Nkunyingi Muwada, told AFP that “security personnel in black attire scaled the wall” of Wine’s residence and confiscated their phones.
Wine’s son, Solomon Kampala, who is currently outside Uganda, wrote on X that his father “was able to escape” during the raid, but this could not be confirmed.
AFP was blocked from entering Wine’s residence early on Saturday and could not reach him or his entourage by phone.
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Police said they had “controlled access in areas we feel are security hotspots”.
“We have not necessarily denied people accessing (Wine), but we cannot tolerate instances where people use his residence to gather and… incite violence,” police spokesman Kituuma Rusoke told reporters.
Wine’s party had earlier written on X that he had been “forcibly taken” by an army helicopter from his compound, but later deleted the post. The report was denied by the army as “absurd” and “designed to incite his supporters”.
A nearby stall-owner, 29-year-old Prince Jerard, said he had heard a drone and helicopter at the residence the previous night, with a heavy security presence.
“Many people have left (the area),” he said. “We have a lot of fear.”
With more than 90 percent of votes counted on Saturday, Museveni was leading on 71.9 percent to Wine’s 24.5, the Electoral Commission said.
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