The January 24 raid by the army on the home of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has sent shockwaves across the country after his wife recounted how soldiers forced their way in, ransacked the house, smashed doors, pulled her hair and undressed her.
It came almost two weeks after Bobi Wine, who was President Museveni’s main challenger in the January 15 election, fled his home fearing house arrest.
The Electoral Commission, appointed by the president, declared Mr Museveni winner with 71.65% of the vote against Bobi Wine’s 24.72%. He rejected the results calling them fake.
Mr Museveni marked his 40 years in power on January 26 at Kololo Heroes Corner in Kampala. His son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the head of the army, posted on X to say Bobi Wine was being supported by white people.
“The Bazungu [white people] are trying to create a hero out of Kabobi. Their machinations will not succeed. Kabobi is not a Muchwezi,” Gen Kainerugaba said, using the nickname he gave Bobi Wine.
Editor’s Note:
- Below is a verbatim transcript of the harrowing account of Bobi Wine’s wife, Barbie. Readers may find some details disturbing. She was speaking to content creators from her bed in Nsambya Hospital.
- The language, repetitions and shifts reflect trauma.
- No attempt has been made to clean up the narration.
Soldiers force their way in
These people were drunk and they were very provocative. One of them asked me in Runyankore how I could end up marrying a traitor of a Muganda as if I never saw Banyankore to marry. Yesterday the group that came to raid our home was a different group.
They were so many, heavily armed, drunk, and they looked the same and spoke one language. They broke into the lower gate. Our askari was in a different corner, so he saw them and he called me.
I had already gone to bed, I was just preparing to leave at 1pm. The askari called me and said: These men are many, and they are coming in this time.
I just shot a small snippet, because already they had ladders and they were climbing to our veranda.
So, in the moment, I got out of the bed, switched off the bed light, then tried to walk out of the bedroom and lock it, looking for a place to hide, but then I realised that was not a wise thing to do.
I opened the bedroom again, went in, opened the balcony room to make a video of at least some evidence that these people were coming in. I just shot a small snippet, because already they had ladders and they were climbing to our veranda.
So, when I shot that, I locked the veranda door again, went in, sent the video to our son, Solomon, and I asked him to let people know that we were under attack.
Every window has like 10 soldiers
Then I called our other son, who is also my brother-in-law, Dax, and I told him, it’s finished, these people are coming in, definitely. So, I walked out of the room, locked the door, and then went down the stairs.
When I reached the stairs and looked in the window, there was this big group of men, every window had like ten men in it. And they said: Open the door, they said it in Runyankore. I replied in Runyankore. I said I was not going to open it.
They had finished breaking everything, there were so many, very many
So, I passed the stairs, went to the general bathroom, locked the door, and called our neighbour, one of our neighbours, and I said: We have a problem here, let everybody know. Then I came out of the room. When I came out of the room, they were already coming into the sitting room.
They had finished breaking everything, there were so many, very many. They went to all directions of the house. Ceiling, rooms, kitchen, outside in the compound, on the verandas, my bedroom, kids’ bedrooms, bathrooms, everywhere.
They ask for her phone password
They were everywhere. They were very many. In that moment, they did not allow me to follow anybody where they were.
One of them told me to give them my phone. He came and stood me, sat behind me, told me, give me your phone. I gave it to him from this angle.
He put it in front of me and said: Give me the password in Runyankore. And I said back: I am not giving you the password. He said: You are going to give me the password, and I said I’m not giving you the password. He left, went outside on the veranda, came with other four men. So when he came back, he went in the same position where he was.
Soldiers strangle and undress Barbie
He lifted me by the trousers. I was wearing night trousers and a shirt. He lifted me by the trousers, lifted me up.
And then the one who was standing in front of me, strangled me by the knee from the front. And then he told me: Give me the password. And I told him in his face, I will not give you the password.
The one who was behind here pulled my shirt. So now I was between two men. One was strangling me and one was pulling my shirt from there.
No, give me the shirt I’ll dress myself up. He gave it to me.
And you know how the button chokes you here. So the button was choking me. I kicked the man who was in front of me.
And when I kicked him in some place very hurtful, and he walked away. Then this one pulled me and all the buttons broke. Then he stayed with the shirt in his hands.
So I walked across the room naked. Now, in that room there were so many men. Some of them just shied away and looked to the side.
Some of them kept looking. And I was in one sober one. And he said in Luganda: Nedda, nedda, Maama mumuddize essati ye ayambale [No, No. Giver her back her shirt and let her wear it.]
It was on the floor. One of them picked it and said: Wanika emikono oyambale esaati [Raise your arms and dress up] and I said: No, give me the shirt I’ll dress myself up. He gave it to me.
Barbie is held by hair, pushed, sat on
In that moment, the other guy who took my phone and who had my shirt, who tore my shirt in the beginning, came back and held me by my hair. It was plaited like this last night. He held me by my hair and pushed me all the way up to the pole across in the sitting room.
And I hit my lip. And then he told me: Bring the password. I said again: There’s no password for me.
Then he pulled me down on the floor. And they sat on me. I felt as if four bodies sat on me.
There was someone, I think, who was overseeing everything. He told them: What’s happening here? Leave her. Then they went.
I sat on the floor. And in that moment, I felt thirsty. I felt nauseous.
I felt dizzy. My body was confused. I asked for water.
They brought me a glass of water. I asked for more. They gave me another glass.
Barbie blacks out
And that was the last that I remember. The next moment that I got to realise, I was on the veranda sleeping in my own vomit. And the askari and the other boy organised and dropped me to the hospital.
๐ด So they left you in your house […] ?
They left me in my house. In my house on the veranda. Because when I realised I was outside on the veranda sleeping in my own vomit.
So all this while, they were asking me where my husband was. Where is your husband? I said, I don’t know where he is. They asked me in Runyankore: Did you think you’d bring your brother here to run in Kampala MP and win? That’s not how you come and conquer
I don’t have a brother that run for any position. They kept asking the askari, where are the children? They beat him here on the face. He has another cut on the head.
They asked him where the children are and where is the basement. He said, I’m new here. I don’t know if there is even a basement here.
So they collected everything. Phones, laptops, chargers, airpods, anything electrical. They took away our camera system.
They went to the ceiling, broke everything down, left us in the dark. I don’t.
๐ด Do you think these men were sent by Gen Muhoozi?
Gen Muhoozi has given my husband an ultimatum of 48 hours, sometime two days ago, two, three days ago now.
Okay, it’s past 48 hours. And he told him to come out of the latrine, if that’s where he was hiding. Then he said, I am looking for you and when I find you, I will treat you the way they treat, was it rebels, was it? Outlaws.
Outlaws, yes. Outlaws. So if someone threatens you to that extent and they are in an office of power and they are in control of the army and all the army outfit, how could you say they are not the one that sent those people?
What message do you have for your husband? Wherever he is, he should just do his thing.
He shouldn’t worry about me. As soon as the doctor says I am going to go, I am going back to our home. Relax, I am going to be fine.
I shouldn’t be the reason you leave your hiding. You should come at your own timing and when you feel safe. Otherwise, I am okay.
๐ด The raid followed public threats made against Bobi Wine, who continues to share updates and videos from his hideouts. It is not clear why security forces have not arrested him or whether they know where exactly he is hiding.
