Two-time presidential candidate and the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP) Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, has said he will return to Uganda but will not negotiate for his safety or freedom.
Speaking from the United States in an interview with France 24 on Tuesday, Bobi Wine said he still feels unsafe even while abroad. He claimed he is being monitored and warned that, in the past, Ugandan dissidents have been tracked and harmed outside the country.
Bobi Wine left Uganda earlier this month, saying his life and that of his family were in danger. After the 15 January 2026 presidential election, in which Yoweri Museveni was declared winner, he says he went into hiding for weeks to avoid arrest. He also said security forces surrounded his home in Magere shortly after voting, forcing him to escape with help from supporters.
Now operating from abroad, Bobi Wine has begun international engagements, including meetings in Washington, D.C., where he says he is using the platform to speak freely about the situation in Uganda.
Speaking in an interview on France 24, Bobi Wine dismissed suggestions that US Ambassador William Popp could be mediating a deal with the government to guarantee his safe return or formally recognise NUP. According to him, his party is already legally recognised and does not need approval through negotiations.
While he says he is open to dialogue, Bobi Wine stressed that it must be based on principles, not personal deals. He insisted that freedom is a right, not something to bargain for.
Despite the risks he says he faces, Bobi Wine maintained that he will return home. However, he made it clear that he will only do so on his own terms—as a free Ugandan, not under any arrangement that requires him to seek permission or protection.
