Uganda's Military Chief Refutes Assault Claims Against Bobi Wine's Wife

Tue Feb 03 2026 16:00:57 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a statement from a hospital bed, Barbara Kyagulanyi alleged military officers assaulted her during a raid. The military chief denied the allegations, saying they are seeking her husband.

Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the military chief of Uganda, has denied allegations that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid on their home. Wine claimed that soldiers detained and assaulted his wife for information on his whereabouts amid ongoing tensions following the recent election results. Barbara detailed her traumatic experience in the hospital, while Kainerugaba insisted his troops do not engage in violence against women.

Uganda's military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has denied claims that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, the wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid at their home.

Wine, who is in hiding, alleged on Saturday that his wife was held at gunpoint by military officers who assaulted her, taking away documents and electronic items. He said the house continued to be surrounded by the military.

Speaking from hospital, Barbara Kyagulanyi said the officers had demanded to know Wine's whereabouts and had assaulted her when she refused.

It comes after the recent landslide victory of long-serving leader, and Kainerugaba's father, President Yoweri Museveni. Wine rejected the results citing fraud.

On Monday, the general posted on X that my soldiers did not beat up Barbie [Bobi Wine's] wife. He further stated, First of all, we do not beat up women. They are not worth our time. We are looking for her cowardly husband not her, dismissing the claims.

Since Museveni was announced the winner of the 15 January election, the military chief has demanded Wine's surrender and has issued death threats against him.

Wine said on Monday that Kainerugaba was still looking for him and issuing threats to harm him.

My wife is still recovering from the trauma of an overnight raid and assault... My home is still surrounded by the military, he added in a post on X.

From her hospital bed, Barbara Kyagulanyi described how dozens of men broke into her house, some in military uniform, harassing and assaulting her.

She said one of the men hit me on the face and tore my lip and that the officer had lifted her from behind while another choked her. She passed out after the ordeal and was taken to the hospital suffering from both physical and psychological trauma.

Since the election, the opposition has alleged that its supporters have been targeted by the security forces. Kainerugaba noted that security officers had killed 30 supporters of the opposition National Unity Party (NUP) led by Wine and detained 2,000 others.

The Uganda Law Society has condemned the ongoing wave of detentions, torture and enforced disappearance of opposition leaders and supporters, asserting that no one should be subjected to violence under the pretext of national security.

Uganda has not experienced a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence. Museveni has served as president since 1986 and will have been in power for 45 years at the end of the next term in 2031.