By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Uganda’s Information Minister Chris Baryomunsi has faulted the military raid on opposition leader Bobi Wine’s home, saying the popstar-turned-politician had not committed any crime.
Baryomunsi, who is also a spokesperson for the government said Wine is free to return home, assuring that authorities would investigate the last month’s invasion.
“We do not condone any acts of indiscipline on the side of the army and security forces,” he told Reuters news agency.
“So invading his (Wine’s) home, causing damage, assaulting his wife, or anybody, is wrong,” he added.
He declined to say if security personnel would face any penalties if they were found to have violated the law.
Wine has been in hiding for weeks after fleeing his home in the capital, Kampala, hours before he was announced to have lost the January 15 presidential election to the incumbent President Yoweri Museveni.
On January 24, Wine said his wife had been taken to hospital after soldiers invaded their residence, alleging that they partially undressed and choked her.
Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also Museveni’s son, denied soldiers assaulted Wine’s wife, but later said on X that they had “captured and then released” her.
Kainerugaba had announced on social media that the military is looking for Wine, who has rejected the outcome of the election which gave Museveni 7th term in office, alleging rigging.
The army chief had given Wine 48-hour ultimatum to surrender to authorities or be declared a rebel. He said 30 supporters of Wine’s National Unity Platform (NUP) had been killed, praying that Wine would be the next.
Rights groups and the opposition have long accused the government of Museveni, who has been in power for four decades, of using the military to suppress dissent.
The Minister also said that Uganda had no plans to withdraw its military contingent from an African Union mission to fight jihadists in Somalia, contradicting recent comments from Kainerugaba, who last week threatened in a post on X to pull troops out of Somalia over financing issues.
Kainerugaba has a history of controversial social media posts that he often later deletes.
He once threatened to behead Wine and later to castrate him.
Baryomunsi said the President son’s posts should be taken as “casual comments that do not reflect state policy and state decisions.”
