Bobi Wine Reveals How a Stranger Woman Hid Him from Security Forces to Evade Arrest

The former presidential candidate and opposition leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, has revealed details of how he evaded arrest following the disputed 2026 general election.

Speaking from the United States, Bobi Wine recounted a dramatic escape from security forces in the days after the January 2026 presidential election. The incident involved a roadblock encounter, a hurried escape into a stranger’s home, and an unexpected act of kindness from a woman who sheltered him and later brought a Muslim cleric to pray for him.

Bobi Wine, who contested against incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, spent weeks in hiding within Uganda before eventually leaving for the United States. During that period, he released videos alleging that the election had been rigged and called on the international community to intervene.

Security forces were reportedly searching for him, with checkpoints mounted across major roads in the Kampala Metropolitan area, although authorities denied that the roadblocks specifically targeted him.

Recounting the incident, Bobi Wine described the tense moment:

“We ran into a roadblock, and I got out of the car and took off. They followed us, but during the chase, I entered a random house,” he said.

Inside the house, a woman initially reacted with alarm.

“When a woman started shouting, I removed my cap and said, ‘It’s me, Bobi,’” he recalled.

According to him, the woman immediately calmed down. Meanwhile, security personnel passed by the house without discovering his location.

“Police and military men who were chasing us passed by,” he said.

Even after the immediate danger subsided, he remained anxious.

“After over 10 minutes, I started worrying — what if the woman informed the police about my whereabouts?”

Moments later, the woman returned with another person, which heightened his fear.

“After about 20 to 30 minutes, she came back and I heard a man’s voice. When she opened the door, I saw a man with a huge beard. I thought she had brought her husband,” he said.

However, the situation turned out differently.

“She said, ‘Bobi Wine, this is a sheikh. I brought him to pray for you.’”

Bobi Wine described the gesture as a powerful act of compassion and solidarity from an ordinary citizen.

He has since continued to speak from the United States, calling for international attention to Uganda’s political situation while acknowledging collective responsibility.

“I have only done what I can. Uganda is not my country alone, but together, we can do enough to address the situation,” he said.

He is expected to return to Uganda to continue his political activities.