Bobi Wine declares 2026 presidential bid, rallies ‘Protest Vote’ against Museveni regime

Kampala, Uganda: The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine, has formally declared his intention to run for the country’s presidency again in 2026, challenging the opposition to stand against President Yoweri Museveni’s long-standing rule.

Speaking at the NUP headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Wednesday, July 25, Kyagulanyi submitted his official expression of interest and unveiled a new mobilization slogan, #ProtestVote2026, urging Ugandans to rise up through the ballot against what he described as decades of “oppression, disappearances, and injustice.”

Flanked by his wife, Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi, and their son Shadrack Mbogo, the NUP leader declared his candidacy as a continuation of what he called an “unfinished mission” to dismantle dictatorship and restore dignity to Ugandans.

“In a special way, some family members of our detained or disappeared comrades also offered to come with me, to assert the fact that our mission is not yet complete,” he said, acknowledging the presence of mothers and wives of missing activists, including Eddie Mutwe, Yasin Ssekitoleko, Ddamulira John, and Johnbosco Kibalama.

Bobi described his return to the ballot as a reaffirmation of the people’s will and sacrifice, asserting that the 2026 race will be a battle between dictatorship and liberation.

All eyes on 2026 presidential race

Kyagulanyi’s announcement sets the stage for a high-stakes political rematch with President Museveni, who is expected to pick expression of interest forms this Saturday and get nominated as the ruling NRM party’s flagbearer during its July 2025 National Delegates Conference.

Museveni, 80, is seeking an eighth term and will campaign on the pillars of peace, stability, and completion of legacy projects such as oil production, industrialization, and infrastructure expansion. His generational and ideological contrast with the 42-year-old Bobi Wine is expected to dominate the electoral discourse.

Political analysts say the early declaration by both candidates points to an intensifying showdown between the status quo and the growing calls for systemic change, particularly from Uganda’s youth population, who form the majority of the electorate.

While Kyagulanyi’s 2021 bid was met with unprecedented support and state resistance, including house arrest and mass arrests of his campaign team, the opposition leader appears determined to consolidate momentum under a populist, anti-establishment message.

With civic space already shrinking, observers say the credibility of the 2026 elections will depend heavily on voter turnout, the independence of the Electoral Commission, and how security agencies handle opposition mobilization in the months ahead.