Museveni Declares Bobi Wine “Enemy of The People”

Bobi Wine's Red Beret

Uganda’s pop star and opposition leader Bobi Wine has been declared an Enemy of his country’s prosperity by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in an interview with BBC.

In a country where Museveni has been ruling with an iron fist for the last 33 years, Bobi Wine ditched his music career to become the voice of the country’s opposition and has garnered massive support from the Youths, a move that has always put him at loggerheads with the president.

The two political figures have not been in good terms and not once has, Bobi Wine, who is the leader of The People Power movement, accused the president of overseeing a system of oppression. But Museveni has been defensive saying that his government is not repressive but dealing with popstar as an enemy.

“Bobi Wine went to America and said that people should not come to invest in Uganda. That means he is an enemy of progress in Uganda. When you go and tell foreigners that they should not come and invest in our country, you are waging war on our prosperity. So why then do you want to come and take advantage of that prosperity? That may be one of the reasons [for cancellation of Bobi Wine’s concerts] I suspect, I have not talked to the police in detail,” President Museveni said.

Museveni added that he is down to business as Uganda and Africa have bigger issues to deal and if the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, feels that his service is no longer required, they will gladly walk away.

“My home is waiting for me, but we have issues as Uganda to deal with. It is those issues that make us do what we decide to do politically along with our colleagues. If the fraternity of NRM thinks that they no longer require the contribution of the elders then we will happily go and do other things. We are not here for a show, we are not theatre-goers, we are people who are here to deal with very big issues of Uganda and Africa,” he added.

At the beginning of October, Bobi Wine’s continued symbolic use of the red beret got Uganda military officials to designate the red beret and tunic as official military clothing on Monday in Uganda’s first ever gazette of all military clothing. The Military officials went ahead to announce that any member of the public found in possession of all military clothing will be convicted and imprisoned for a term not exceeding five years.