Following the sudden departure of Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, president of the National Unity Platform, seasoned lawyer and Bukoto East MP Medard Sseggona has called for clarity and courage from the opposition leader.
Kyagulanyi, who had been in hiding for two months after the contested January 2026 general elections, announced his exile via social media, citing “official duties” and planned engagements with international democratic allies.
However, Sseggona, a former NUP member with longstanding ties in opposition politics, said the circumstances surrounding the departure should be clearly defined.
“If Honourable Kyagulanyi believed that his life was under threat, he shouldn't experiment with his life,” Sseggona said. “If he is going into exile, he should declare that he is going into exile. You can never expect that a man will never fall. It’s how you rise up that matters.”
He drew parallels with his own past experiences during periods of state tension, including the Kayunga unrest, noting that while fleeing may appear an option, confronting the legal system can sometimes offer a more stable path.
“During the Kayunga crisis, a senior military officer advised me to flee the country and assured me that he would provide safe passage. I didn’t take that route. I instead decided to drive to CID and report myself,” Sseggona said. “I advised my brother Honourable Kyagulanyi to walk into police to report the robbers who broke into his house and brutalized his wife. It would give the police a chance to declare if he was a wanted man.”
Kyagulanyi’s departure comes at a delicate moment for the NUP. While the party’s national treasurer, Benjamin Katana, has insisted there is no leadership vacuum, day-to-day operations have been handed over to Lina Zedriga, the party’s Deputy President for Northern Uganda.
Sseggona expressed skepticism about the cohesion and direction of the wider opposition, suggesting the movement risks fragmentation.
“The entire Opposition seems to be leaderless. Now that there is an acting president for the leading opposition party, let’s see what she does,” he said.
“Honourable Kyagulanyi is not the first opposition leader to leave the country. Kizza Besigye in the past also fled. The difference is that Dr Besigye’s group remained united behind him. The fact is the opposition has been in disarray. Honourable Kyagulanyi’s exit from Uganda won’t change anything.”
Meanwhile, the state has downplayed the significance of Kyagulanyi’s departure. Acting Defence Public Information Officer Chris Magezi said authorities have no intention of arresting the NUP leader.
“The state is not interested in arresting the NUP president,” Col Magezi said, adding that the visible security deployment and roadblocks across the country are part of a joint security operation expected to continue until the swearing-in ceremony.
“We could arrest or probe anybody,” he added.
As Kyagulanyi begins his engagements abroad, attention now turns to whether the NUP can sustain its political momentum domestically or whether concerns about opposition disarray will shape the post-election political landscape.
