Singer and politician Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has opened up about the driving force behind his joining active politics to the point of contesting for the highest political office in the country.
Appearing in a sit-down interview, the former presidential candidate recounted during his active music career, an armed soldier confronted him at one of the hangout spots in Kampala.
The soldier severally knocked loudly on his Escalade car, and upon lowering the car window, he was given multiple slaps.
Bobi Wine immediately got out of the car questioning the reason behind the soldier’s decision and as he asked for an explanation, the soldier pointed a gun at his face, continuing to slap him, seeking to know why he was showing off in a country that allegedly has its owners.
The club security team luckily intervened to restore peace, as they pleaded with the soldier to let Bobi go and apologized on his behalf.
They told me never to show off again and commanded me to get back into my car and go. I got back into my car very sad. Nubian Li always talks a lot but that day, he was very quiet when he got out in Kamwokya to pick his car at the studio, Bobi Wine revealed.
Bobi Wine says the assault triggered a lot of thoughts and while he was driving home, he had to think about all the injustices that the common Ugandan went through every day at the hands of the authorities, but he was compelled to shut up about it because he had not used his influence to address the unfairness before it finally happened to him.
But it changed my thinking a lot and I vowed never to be silent about injustices ever again. I started singing about it and they began questioning me; I got into a lot of problems. All these people like Gen. Salim Saleh, Muhoozi were my friends because they loved stars so much. They do not have talent and we are their connection to get to the people, Bobi Wine said.
In 2016, a group of artists including King Saha, Juliana, Jose Chameleone, Radio & Weasel, and Iryn Namubiru among others rallied to come together on ‘Tubonga Nawe’, a campaigning song for President Museveni.
Bobi Wine reveals that he was contacted but he turned down the offer reasoning he would not continue pretending before netizens that all was well yet a lot was going on.
It was at this point that he took the bold step to contest for the Member Of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency in Wakiso District, registering resounding success. In 2021, he contested for the presidency but was defeated by President Museveni.
Levels keep changing, you get to a point when you realize that nothing has changed even after singing about it and now you have to take part. This was when I got the confidence to contest for the Member Of Parliament position. I have never looked back, he said.
