US EditionUgandan opposition leader campaigns in flak jacket
Bobi Wine wore protective gear due to repeated detentions and attacks amid a campaign marked by violence and mass arrests, with 400 supporters detained, his party said.
- On the eve of the January 15, 2026 vote, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu campaigned in Mukono, Uganda wearing a flak jacket and helmet as soldiers filled Kampala, Uganda.
- After earlier campaigns marred by police roughing and arrests, Wine was detained several times and began wearing a bullet-proof jacket and helmet during the campaign.
- A photo captured Friday by photojournalist Hajarah Nalwadda shows Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu's safety gear offers no protection from tear gas, and Wine told Reuters, `Every time we go through this treacherous atmosphere and we get to the people, it's like a breath of fresh air`.
- With Museveni focused on succession, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu is not widely expected to win Thursday's election against President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who seeks to hand power to Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
- With over 73 per cent of Uganda's about 46 million people under 30 and more than 42 per cent inactive, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu appeals through job focus but faces criticism from LGBTQ rights activists and opposition figures.
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68 Articles
A pop star, an ageing autocrat and a crackdown: What to expect from Uganda’s election
By Nimi Princewill, CNN (CNN) — Millions of Ugandans will Thursday cast their votes in a crucial presidential rematch between a former pop star and their long-time authoritarian leader, who aims to prolong his nearly 40-year rule. In their previous encounter at the polls in 2021, President Yoweri Museveni, now 81, won by a landslide. Bobi Wine, a singer-turned-politician, finished a distant second. Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, dis…
Associated Press News
Ugandan opposition leader campaigns in flak jacket
The Ugandan opposition leader known as Bobi Wine has been campaigning for president in a flak jacket and helmet as soldiers filled the streets of the capital, Kampala.
Uganda is holding elections on Thursday, but the power is unlikely to change.
The former reggae star returns, for the second time, to assault the ballot box in an atmosphere of unprecedented violence on Thursday, January 15. On him, rest the expectations of generation Z, which today defies authoritarian regimes in East Africa.
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