Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP), has issued an urgent moral appeal to influential leaders from the Ankole and Kigezi sub-regions, asking them to break their silence and speak out against what he describes as criminal acts being carried out in the name of their communities.
In a letter dated May 6, 2025, addressed to prominent figures including former ministers Hon. Matthew Rukikaire, Hon. Nuwe Amanya Mushega, and Archbishop Lambert Bainomugisha of Mbarara Archdiocese, Bobi Wine calls for a principled stance against sectarianism, torture, and political violence allegedly orchestrated by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The NUP leader frames his message not merely as a political plea but as a moral duty, warning that continued silence by elders from Ankole and Kigezi may be interpreted as complicity in what he calls “barbaric, reckless impunity.”
“It falls on you, as some of the elders of Ankole and Kigezi Sub-regions, to disassociate yourselves from this barbaric, reckless impunity and caution Gen. Tibuhaburwa Museveni and his brutal son to exercise restraint before these actions plunge our country into anarchy. Even if they do not listen to you, you will have gone on record and discharged your moral duty,” Bobi Wine wrote.
The letter follows the alleged abduction and torture of Kyagulanyi’s close aide and bodyguard, Edward Ssebuufu, also known as Eddie Mutwe.
Bobi Wine claims Mutwe was kidnapped on April 27, held incommunicado, and then paraded before court on May 4 with visible injuries.
He alleges that Gen. Muhoozi took to social media to post demeaning photos of Mutwe and claimed to be “teaching him Runyankore”—an act the NUP president says was meant to stoke tribal tensions.
“Muhoozi has committed various crimes against humanity, including violent abductions and torture as well as the mass killing of over 150 citizens, which he commandeered between November 18th and 19th, 2020,” Bobi Wine alleges in the letter.
The NUP leader further claims that other abductees have reported being tortured while being mocked along tribal lines. “Many, while being tortured, have been told to call the Kabaka to save them, and to sing Ekitibwa kya Buganda while replacing ‘Sabasajja Kabaka’ with ‘Ssabalwaanyi Museveni’!”
The letter paints a picture of an increasingly volatile Uganda, with Bobi Wine warning that the country risks descending into violence unless national leaders especially from regions perceived to benefit from the current regime take a stand.
“As history teaches us, the worst catastrophes in human history did not begin with gas chambers or citizens killing each other. They began with degrading words, dehumanizing actions, hateful rhetoric, intolerance, and the abuse of power by a few against the many,” he cautioned.
Bobi Wine questioned the lack of gratitude shown toward Buganda, the central region that he says hosted the ruling family during their rise to power.
“One would expect the Museveni family to appreciate the people of Uganda (and the people of Buganda in particular) for hosting them and treating them with so much kindness over the years, right from the Luwero bush-war days. Instead, they are now being provoked and asked, ‘What can you do?’”
Bobi Wine’s appeal is part of a broader message of unity, urging Ugandans to reject identity-based politics and stand for human rights and national dignity.
“The National Unity Platform assures you of its intentions to work for and create a free, united, and prosperous Uganda where every citizen will be treated with dignity. We also assure you of our readiness to engage with you all in a discussion aimed at furthering this objective,” he concluded.
