Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (born 12 February 1982), popularly known by his stage name Bobi Wine, is an Ugandan activist, politician, singer, lawyer[1] and actor. He is a former Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency in Wakiso District, in Uganda's Central Region.[2] He also leads the National Unity Platform political party.[3] In June 2019, he announced his candidacy for the 2021 Ugandan presidential election. He participated in the 2021 election, in which, according to official results, he lost to incumbent Yoweri Museveni, although he claims this result was fraudulent.[4]
On 14 December 2021, he was placed under house arrest by the Government of Uganda. He has continued to protest his arrest.[5][6] He was eventually allowed to go abroad where he publicized through a documentary the corruption involved in the 2021 election. Upon his return to Uganda on 5 October 2023, he was arrested once again.[7] The Peabody Award-winning documentary film Bobi Wine: The People's President chronicled his treacherous journey during the 2021 election.[8]
Early life and education
Kyagulanyi was born in Nkozi Hospital, where his mother worked as a midwife.[9] He grew up in the Kamwokya slum in the northeastern part of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.[10]
Kyagulanyi and Mugisha Fadhalmul Toto started there career in the early 2000s, and adopted the stage name BobiRob and pr Toto, akin to his Christian given name, Robert, taking inspiration from Bob Marley who was also named Robert. He later adapted the stage name Bobi Wine. His first singles "Akagoma", "Funtula", and "Sunda" (featuring Ziggy D) brought him success in the Ugandan music scene.[11] His music has been characterized as kidandali, reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat, often with a socially conscious message. He was the leader of the group Fire Base Crew[13] until its disbandment, after which he started a new group known as Ghetto Republic of Uganja.[14] He has released more than 70 songs over 15 years.[11]
In 2016, his song "Kiwani" was featured on the soundtrack for the Disney movie Queen of Katwe.[15]
Bobi Wine's major music genre has always been Afrobeat music. Bobi Wine's music was being sold and promoted by the late Kasiwukira. He acknowledged receiving receipts of 60M from his music sales in just one month from Kasiwukira. He has a fully Monetized YouTube channel with tens of millions of views. He has held various concerts and performances in addition to brand endorsements all that bring income to him. He owns a commercial production studio in Kamwokya known as FireBase records.
The Bobi Wine Edutainment
Bobi wine
Wine developed a humanitarian and politically focused musical genre in 2006, one which entertains while also conveying educational messages, particularly to the underprivileged residents of Kampala's suburbs, including the Ghetto. Some notable works include "Ghetto" (featuring Nubian Li), "Obuyonjo," "Obululu Tebutwawula," "Time Bomb," and others.
The messages contained in these music projects were typically aimed at politicians, urging them to take greater care of the underprivileged, as well as encouraging ordinary citizens to be more responsible in their communities. Topics covered include hygiene, maternal health, child pregnancies, child marriages, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS.
Wine's music resonated strongly with the public, earning him the nickname "Ghetto President" and helping him establish a prominent position in Ugandan politics later in his career.[16][17][18]
Film career
Kyagulanyi is also a film actor, mainly starring in local Ugandan movies.[11] In 2010, he was cast in Cleopatra Koheirwe's drama film Yogera. In 2015, he was cast in a lead role in the Twaweza-supported film Situka with Hellen Lukoma.[19] He has also worked on a number of other films, including Divizionz.[20]
Bobi Wine had his own reality TV show named The Ghetto President[21]
He appears in the 2023 documentary Bobi Wine: The People's President directed by Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp. It was shot over five years and follows Wine and his wife on the campaign trail leading to the 2021 Presidential election.[22] The documentary won a Peabody Award at the 84th ceremony in 2024[23] and was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 Oscars.
Political career
In April 2017, Kyagulanyi announced his candidacy for parliament in a by-election for Kyadondo County East constituency. His door-to-door walking campaign attracted attention both in Uganda and abroad.[14][24] He won the contest by a wide margin, beating two seasoned candidates: Sitenda Sebalu of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and Apollo Kantinti of the main opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).[2][25][26]
In 2018, Kyagulanyi gained increasing fame, championing the victories in most of the by-elections by the candidates he campaigned for, thus beating out NRM and FDC candidates.
Arua by-election incident
On 14 August 2018, supporters of the independent candidate for parliament Kassiano Wadri allegedly obstructed and attacked President Museveni's convoy in the northern town of Arua, near Gulu. Museveni's motorcade was allegedly pelted with stones, leading to clashes between security forces and protesters.[27] Later, Kyagulanyi, an outspoken critic of Museveni, revealed through a social media post that police had intentionally shot at his vehicle, killing his driver. Kyagulanyi had endorsed Wadri's candidacy against the official pro-Museveni candidate in Arua.[28] Museveni publicly blamed Kyagulanyi for the incident.
Kyagulanyi was arrested on 15 August 2018 for possible charges of unlawful possession of firearms and incitement to violence,[29] after which he was brought in front of a military court and charged with the former the following day. It was reported that Kyagulanyi appeared to have been beaten before appearing in court.[30] Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, a lawyer who has represented detained MPs, said that Kyagulanyi was in a worrying state of health and needed urgent medical attention.[31] The government has repeatedly denied allegations of torture. Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye called a press conference, where he demanded the MP's immediate release.[32]
With popular protests growing in Uganda demanding Kyagulanyi's release, and heated discussions in the Ugandan Parliament, the Ugandan State prosecution withdrew the charges filed during Kyagulanyi's second appearance in front of the General Court Martial in Gulu on 23 August 2018. The prosecution indicated it would further pursue possible charges in a civilian court for a possible trial of the MP.[33] Upon release, Kyagulanyi was rearrested and charged with treason in a civilian court.[34] In September 2018, Kyagulanyi was released on bail and travelled to the United States for medical treatment for injuries he allegedly received in custody.[35] The Ugandan government banned his supporters from gathering on the day of his release, and on the day of his return from the United States.[35][36] He eventually addressed his supporters in a gathering outside his home upon his return to Uganda on 20 September 2018.[37]
In August 2019, Kyagulanyi was charged with "intent to alarm, annoy or ridicule" President Museveni for his role in the Arua incident the previous year. The charges came a day after the death of Ziggy Wine, a fellow Ugandan musician and staunch critic of Museveni, who was kidnapped and tortured by unknown assailants.[38][39]
Anti-social media tax protest
On 22 April 2019, Kyagulanyi was detained while attempting to make his way to a planned concert at his private club in southern Kampala, which was cancelled by police.[40] He was accused of leading a protest in the city the previous year without prior police authorization; the protest was held against the "social media tax" which took effect in July 2018.[41][42] On 29 April 2019, on his way to the offices of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to honour a summons and provide a statement on the cancelled concert, Kyagulanyi was again arrested and taken to Buganda Road Court, where he was charged with disobedience of statutory duty and remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until his bail hearing on 2 May.[43] In a statement the following day, Amnesty International demanded his immediate release and urged the Ugandan government to "stop misusing the law in a shameless attempt to silence him for criticizing the government."[44] On the day of the hearing, which was conducted via video conferencing (the first time in the history of Uganda's justice system), Kyagulanyi was granted bail and released from prison, with the court also barring him from holding unlawful demonstrations.[45]
On 24 July 2019, Kyagulanyi formally announced his bid to run for president in the 2021 general election.[46] On 22 July 2020, he announced that he had joined the National Unity Platform party, becoming elected its president and presidential flag-bearer in the upcoming February 2021 general election.[47] Kyagulanyi was formally nominated to run for the highest office of presidency on 3 Nov 2020. Shortly after his nomination, Kyagulanyi was arrested by the Ugandan military.[48]
On 6 November 2020, he launched his campaign manifesto in Mbarara (western Uganda) after state operatives cordoned off his NUP party offices preventing him from launching the manifesto from there as planned.[49]
On 18 November 2020, Kyagulanyi was arrested in Luuka District (Eastern Uganda) and detained at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja for 3 days. According to the Daily Monitor news paper, "Police accused Mr Kyagulanyi of having more than 200 supporters recommended by the EC to contain further spread of Covid-19."[50]
His arrest was met by widespread demonstration around the country mostly in parts of Kampala, Masaka, Jinja, Mukono, Mbale and Wakiso. Although the Uganda police alleged that only 54 people were killed, human right activists put the figure to more than 100 murdered and several others injured,
Over 2000 people were incarcerated during the subsequent protests.[51][52]
Kyagulanyi's bodyguard Francis Senteza was killed on 27 December 2020, after being run over by a truck belonging to the military police. He was attacked while helping to transport a journalist critically injured by tear gas during an earlier confrontation between the police and a group of Kyagulanyi's supporters. Another journalist was also wounded in the incident.[53]
On 16 January the electoral commission announced that Museveni won reelection with 58.6% of the vote. Kyagulanyi refused to accept the results, claiming that the election was the most fraudulent in Uganda's history.[54]
Kyagulanyi was placed under house arrest on 15 January, shortly after casting his vote for the presidential election. The military surrounded his home and did not let anyone in or out for several days, despite Kyagulanyi claiming he had run out of food. The U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Natalie E. Brown was not allowed to visit or leave food for him as the military blocked the convoy.[55] Kyagulanyi was released on 26 January after the Ugandan High Court ordered security forces to end the house arrest.[56] On 1 February, Kyagulanyi challenged the 2021 elections in court, but later ordered his lawyers to withdraw the case citing bias from the judges, after photos were seen of the chief justice with President Museveni, who was the correspondent party to the lawsuit.
Tear gas injury
On September 3, 2024, Bobi Wine was injured after being shot in his left leg with a tear gas canister by police during an altercation in Bulindo, Kira in Wakiso District.[57]
Humanitarian work
Kyagulanyi has supported several practical projects to improve conditions for the poor.[10] In 2012, he started a campaign to promote more regular cleaning in hospitals, sanitation, garbage management, and hand-washing to prevent disease.[58] A YouTube video from September 2012 shows him joining Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in cleaning up Kamwookya, the slum neighborhood where Kyagulanyi grew up.[58] The same year, he also donated funds to build pit latrines and construct a drainage channel in Kisenyi II, a Kampala slum that the New Vision described as being "characterized by filth, crowded shanty structures, poor sanitation and lack of basic social facilities." Kyagulanyi explained that he embarked on the project "because these are my people, and no matter where I go, this will always be home."[10]
He has also campaigned for malaria prevention, with donations to Nakasongola Health Centre, and references to the disease in his songs.[59]
In August 2013, Kyagulanyi visited the Bundibugyo Refugee Camp in Bundibugyo District, along with representatives from Save the Children, UNHCR, and the Red Cross, to deliver funds and supplies.[60] The following month, he was named as a parenting ambassador by Twaweza, an NGO that focuses on education and citizen engagement in East Africa; his message in this partnership was to promote responsible parenting among his Ugandan fans. In an interview about the project, he said that "education is what will ultimately change the course of our country and as an artiste and a father, I believe we can all make a difference in our children's learning."[61]
In 2014, Kyagulanyi was named as an ambassador for Save the Children's EVERY ONE campaign, joining a team of 14 Ugandan artists who recorded a special song and video about maternal and child health. Other leading artists in the video included Jose Chameleone, and Radio and Weasel, who made up the Goodlyfe Crew.[62] Kyagulanyi and his wife Barbara travelled to hospitals throughout Uganda, including Nakaseke Hospital, meeting with midwives and health workers to popularize the campaign.[59] Save the Children also took him to other regions for the campaign, including Nyumanzi Refugee Settlement in northwestern Uganda for South Sudanese people.[63] Currently, Bobi Wine is the Patron of a girls and teen mothers empowerment Non-Government Organization called Caring Hearts Uganda, founded by his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi. About Caring Hearts Uganda - NonProfit for menstrual health in Uganda.
Kyagulanyi was scheduled to perform a show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on October 8, 2022, and the proceeds from the show were going to be used to repatriate Ugandans stranded in the United Arab Emirates. However, the show was canceled by the United Arab Emirates government on unknown grounds and upon arrival in Dubai, Kyagulanyi was detained at the airport for ten hours. He was later released and spoke to supporters.[64][65][66]
Controversies
Kyagulanyi is often outspoken about political and social issues in Uganda, generating some controversy. Until January 2019, he had a long-standing feud with fellow Ugandan musician Bebe Cool, who has sung in support of President Museveni and the NRM, while Kyagulanyi has supported opposition interests.[67][68]
In July 2014, it was announced that Kyagulanyi was to perform in the United Kingdom at The Drum Arts Centre in Birmingham and the Troxy in London.[69] This led to calls for a ban because of his lyrics expressing opinions against homosexuality.[70] Both venues subsequently cancelled Kyagulanyi's appearances.[71][72] In a May 2016 Twitter exchange with ULC Monastery LGBTI, an American Christian group that promotes tolerance toward the LGBT community, Kyagulanyi suggested that he had moved away from his previous homophobic comments, but did not specifically state that his views on homosexuality had changed.[73]
In 2015, Kyagulanyi publicly defended the Buganda kingdom's fundraising efforts when it was harshly criticized by the outspoken Sheikh Muzaata, stirring up a war of words.[74] Kyagulanyi has at times been known as Omubanda wa Kabaka (the king's rogue) for his devotion to the Kabaka (King) of Buganda.[75]
In April 2016, when Uganda's only radiotherapy machine in Mulago broke down, Kyagulanyi took a leading position in widespread public anger at the slow official response and posted a critique of the government's handling of public health care, challenging the country's leaders to make better use of citizens' taxes.[76][77]
Throughout the 2015–16 election period, Kyagulanyi refocused his messages to call for tolerance of different views.[78] Kyagulanyi's public calls for calm activism during the 2016 election, with songs such as "Dembe", provoked mixed reactions from different political interests in Uganda. During this period, the Uganda Communications Commission denied that it had banned "Dembe" from Ugandan radio.[79] Three months after the election, the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac invited Kyagulanyi to a formal embassy event and commented that he was a positive influence for local youth.[80]
When the Ugandan government turned off social media during the 2016 election, Kyagulanyi used a virtual private network (VPN) to post on his defiance to the communications shutdown on his Facebook page while also pointing out that the government continued to use social media during the shutdown they initiated.[81][82] Kyagulanyi was later chosen as a panelist to speak about freedom of expression on World Press Freedom Day in Kampala in May 2016.[83] In March 2016, he defended the right of his artistic rivals to express views that Kyagulanyi himself does not support.[84]
In August 2020, Kyagulanyi was dragged to court on charges of falsifying information, obtaining registration by false pretense and uttering false documents.[85][86]
On 3 November 2020, Kyagulanyi was arrested after his nomination to the election body for the upcoming general election was certified. A statement on his official Twitter account said he was violently arrested outside the nomination venue, temporarily blinded and brutalized by police and the military.[87]
Personal life
While studying at Makerere University, Kyagulanyi met his wife, Barbara Itungo, who is also known as Barbie who at the time was an S6 student at Bweranyangi Girls' Senior Secondary School. Their wedding took place in August 2011 after ten years of living together. They have four children.[88] Kyagulanyi and his family reside in Magere Village, Wakiso District, where he ensures they "go together to dig and get food, whenever we can. I do that because I want them to learn to live an ordinary life, not as a celebrity's children."[89]
On 10 February 2015, Kyagulanyi's father died after a lengthy battle with diabetes.[90] The vigil and burial attracted hundreds of mourners including government officials and other celebrities.[91] One month later, Kyagulanyi released the song "Paradiso", which carries the message of valuing your parents while they are still alive.[92]
2021 Bobi Wine was announced as the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Artist by Janzi Awards
2022 Together with Producer Ronie Matovu, Humphrey Nabimanya and Bryan Morel Publications, Bobi Wine was awarded at Forty Under 40 Africa awards in AccraGhana.
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