The search for Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has resumed after a brief suspension, Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) General Muhoozi Kainerugaba has said.
He said the hunt for Wine was temporarily halted for 24 hours on the instructions of President Yoweri Museveni but later resumed following fresh orders issued to the military.
“Our troops had stopped the search for 24 hours,” Muhoozi said in a post on X.
“Apparently, according to some sources, he wanted to surrender peacefully. He hasn’t surrendered anywhere. Now our troops have orders to bring him in dead or alive!”
The controversial statement triggered an immediate backlash from opposition figures and human rights advocates, who warned that the remarks amounted to a direct threat to the life of a political opponent.
Muhoozi also dismissed claims that soldiers had assaulted Wine’s wife during a raid on their home, using language that further inflamed public outrage.
“First of all, we do not beat up women. They are not worth our time. We are looking for her cowardly husband, not her,” he wrote.
Wine, responding to Muhoozi’s remarks, said the general was openly threatening his life and accused security forces of widespread abuses against opposition supporters and his family.
“Thankfully, our people are still keeping me safe,” Wine said. “My wife is still recovering from the trauma of an overnight raid and assault. Thousands of our people have been violently arrested and detained. My home is still surrounded by the military. Several of our supporters have been murdered in cold blood.”
The opposition leader linked the crackdown to the disputed January 15 presidential election, in which President Museveni, 81, was declared the winner and secured a seventh term in office.
Despite the threats, Wine struck a defiant tone, vowing to continue resisting what he described as authoritarian rule.
“We remain committed to freeing our nation from these savage criminals. We remain hopeful that the people of Uganda will have the last laugh,” he said.
“Deep in my heart, I do believe, we shall overcome someday.”
Earlier, Muhoozi had issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding that Wine surrender to the police, warning that failure to do so would result in him being treated “as an outlaw or rebel.”
Wine responded hours later, accusing the general of ordering a violent raid on his home.
“You ordered the raid on my house to harm me,” Wine wrote, claiming he had “escaped” an attempt to capture him.
Wine went into hiding after the election, which he denounced as “blatant theft.”
Official results showed Museveni won the election with 71.65 per cent of the vote against Wine’s 24.72 per cent.
