Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine is shot and wounded in confrontation with police

KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine was shot in the leg in a confrontation with police Tuesday just outside the capital, Kampala, his opposition group said.

Photos posted online showed Wine surrounded by followers who yelled that he had been shot in the leg before some supported him into a waiting car.

His party, the National Unity Platform, holds the most seats of any opposition group in the national assembly. The party said on X that Ugandan security operatives “have made an attempt on the life of” Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

“He was shot in the leg and seriously injured in Bulindo, Wakiso District,” it said, referring to a town on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Street confrontations between Wine and the police have frequently descended into violence, but this is the first time he has been wounded in such a way.

There was no immediate comment from the police and other authorities.

Wine ran for president in 2021, losing to President Yoweri Museveni in an election he claimed was rigged against him. Wine was a famous entertainer in this East African country before he won a seat in the national assembly in 2017. He is especially popular among young Ugandans in urban areas.

Museveni, a U.S. ally on regional security for many years, has held power since 1986 and had the constitution amended to remove the age limit for presidents. Now 79 years old, he has resisted calls to announce when he will retire.

Uganda hasn’t had a peaceful transfer of power since independence from the British in 1962.