National Unity Platform (NUP) President, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine has declared that his campaign for the 2026 presidency marks the beginning of a protest vote.
Speaking to journalists shortly after being nominated, Bobi Wine elaborated on the concept and strategy behind the protest vote, emphasizing that it is a peaceful, legal, and constitutional response to decades of oppression, injustice, and failed leadership in Uganda.
“We are protesting, and the protest begins now,” he told the crowd in a fiery speech.
“This election is not usual. It is a protest against 40 years of oppression, injustice, and dictatorship. We are protesting constitutionally. We are protesting legally. And we are protesting peacefully.”
Bobi’s bid for presidence marks his second official attempt to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
He recalled the brutality faced during the 2021 election: hundreds of supporters jailed, tortured, and killed. Yet, standing again on the nomination podium in 2025, Wine affirmed that surrender is not an option.
“If we give up now,” he said, “we shall have no moral authority to complain about what happens next. If we surrender now, we betray those in prison, those in exile, those who were killed, and those still missing.”
Bobi Wine called out the Museveni regime for turning Uganda into “a country ruled at gunpoint” by “a small group of friends and relatives.”
“They have turned every government institution into a tool of oppression. They have reduced citizens into beggars, into slaves on their own land. Yet our country is not poor, our problem is not lack of resources, it’s lack of leadership.”
He insisted Uganda has all it needs to thrive: fertile land, natural wealth, a young and energetic population, and creative minds. What it lacks, he argued, is a government that serves rather than exploits its people.
Speaking directly to Ugandans in the diaspora many of whom fund families back home but fear to return due to state surveillance and abductions Wine called for solidarity.
“We are fighting so you can return to your home with roses, not handcuffs. We fight so your children can have the opportunities you never had. You are the biggest investors in this country, and you deserve dignity.”
Turning his attention to President Museveni, Bobi Wine issued a direct but composed appeal.
“Uganda was here before you, and it will be here long after you. Please do not burn it down on your way out. The best guarantee for your legacy and your security is to allow a peaceful, orderly, democratic transition of power.”
He cautioned against further militarization of the election, referencing threats by top military figures, including the president’s son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who recently boasted of guaranteeing 80% of the vote.
“You are already aware that this election is not fair,” he said. “But even in the valley of the shadow of death, we shall walk — and we shall not fear. Because the Lord is with us.”
Amid the warnings and reflection, Kyagulanyi painted a hopeful image of the Uganda he believes is possible: A Uganda where teachers, doctors, soldiers, and farmers are paid fairly, a Uganda where security forces protect rather than terrorize, a Uganda where jobs are earned, not inherited through connections, and aUganda where leaders serve the people — not the other way around.
He pledged to soon unveil the National Unity Platform (NUP) manifesto, promising bold policy plans built on justice, equity, and accountability.
Bobi Wine also sent an emotional tribute to his group that offer security to him “foot soldiers” who have stood with him through tear gas, prison cells, bullets, and funerals.
“You are my children. You are my courage. You are my strength. We are going into a war that we did not choose. A war we are not trained for. But a war that has been imposed on us, a war for our dignity.”
He reminded them that the goal is not to protect him but to protect each other and the dream of a better Uganda. With a voice of conviction, he said:
“We will never give up. We will never retire. We will fight until we are free. And I guarantee you in the end, we shall be free.”
