Bobi Wine, Uganda’s main opposition leader, injured in scuffle with police

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine has been injured in the leg in a clash with a uniformed policeman, his personal aide has told the BBC.

Najja Ssenyonjo said the pop star-turned-politician was believed to have been shot and is currently being treated at Nsambya Hospital in the capital Kampala.

The incident occurred as Bobi Wine was on his way to meet his lawyer in Bulindo, about 20km (12 miles) north of the city, he said.

A police statement said officers at the scene reported the opposition leader had stumbled while getting into his car.

The statement added that an investigation will be conducted to clarify the incident.

The X account of Bobi Wine, the leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was the first to break the news, saying: “@HEBobiwine was shot in the leg by police in Bulindo.”

The video has been shared on social media. by journalist Solomon Serwanjja, who was at the scene, showed the 42-year-old opposition leader being carried out of the building with a bleeding wound to his left shin.

“We only heard gunshots during the fight so the doctors have to confirm but for now we believe it was gunshots,” Mr Ssenyonjo told the BBC.

Police said Bobi Wine attended an event in Bulindo and then “he and his group got out of the car and started marching up the Bulindo town.

“However, the police advised against doing so. Despite their instructions, he continued to… block the road, forcing the police to intervene to stop the parade.

“In the ensuing scuffle, it is alleged that he was injured,” the statement said.

Bobi Wine was first elected to parliament in 2017 and is running against President Yoweri Museveni in the 2021 election, which has been marred by state repression.

He was very popular with young people and was arrested – and beaten – many times.

The country’s security forces have a long tradition of pursuing political opponents of President Museveni, who has been in power for nearly 40 years.

Additional reporting by the BBC’s Swaibu Ibrahim in Kampala.