Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the opposition leader better known by his stage name Bobi Wine, has officially entered the 2026 presidential race. Uganda’s Electoral Commission on Wednesday confirmed him as the sixth candidate in next year’s election, setting up another direct contest with incumbent president Yoweri Museveni.
The announcement came at the commission’s offices in Lweza, outside Kampala, where Kyagulanyi arrived flanked by his wife, Barbie Itungo, and senior members of his National Unity Platform (NUP) party. Among them were David Lewis Rubongoya, the party’s secretary general, and Joel Ssenyonyi, the current leader of the opposition in Parliament.
“I, Justice Simon Byabakama, being the returning officer for the Presidential nominations, declare Kyagulanyi Robert a duly nominated candidate for the 2026 elections, having fulfilled the requirements for nominations,” said the commission’s chair, Justice Byabakama. “You’re now a candidate. Congratulations.”
Kyagulanyi was granted permission to address supporters at a rally scheduled for Nateete, a suburb on the southwestern edge of Kampala. Campaigns are set to begin formally on Sept. 29.
In a speech delivered shortly after his nomination, Kyagulanyi used the moment to challenge President Museveni directly. “We know you don’t like listening to young people,” he said. “But listen to your bushwar comrade, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire. Uganda was here before you, and it will be here long after you’re gone. So, please don’t burn it down on your way out.”
He added: “The safest guarantee for what you and a small group of family members you surround yourself with is to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition of power.”
Museveni, 81, has ruled Uganda since 1986 and is seeking another term in office. Kyagulanyi’s nomination pits him once again against the president, five years after their first head-to-head contest. In the 2021 election, Museveni secured 58 percent of the vote while Kyagulanyi finished second with 35 percent, a result the opposition leader rejected as fraudulent.
Alongside Kyagulanyi and Museveni, four other candidates are also in the running: Gen. Mugisha Muntu of the Alliance for National Transformation, Elton John Mabirizi of the Conservative Party, Nathan Nandala Mafabi of the Forum for Democratic Change, and Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party.
The nominations mark the start of what is expected to be another high-stakes election season in Uganda, where questions over political transition and the future of Museveni’s nearly four-decade rule loom large.
