Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (born 12 February 1982), also popularly known by his stage name Bobi Wine, is a Ugandan activist, politician, singer, lawyer[1] and actor.

[8] On friday 7 February 2025 the National Unity Platform held an open public debate for all the 10 contestants for the Kawempe North constituency, a first in the history of Uganda.

Wine developed a humanitarian and politically focused musical genre in 2006, one which entertains while also conveying educational messages, particularly to the underprivileged residents of Kampala's suburbs, including the Ghetto.

The messages contained in these music projects were typically aimed at politicians, urging them to take greater care of the underprivileged, as well as encouraging ordinary citizens to be more responsible in their communities.

Wine's music resonated strongly with the public, earning him the nickname "Ghetto President" and helping him establish a prominent position in Ugandan politics later in his career.

On 14 August 2018, supporters of the independent candidate for parliament Kassiano Wadri allegedly obstructed and attacked President Museveni's convoy in the northern town of Arua, near Gulu.

[27] Later, Kyagulanyi, an outspoken critic of Museveni, revealed through a social media post that police had intentionally shot at his vehicle, killing his driver.

[30] Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, a lawyer who has represented detained MPs, said that Kyagulanyi was in a worrying state of health and needed urgent medical attention.

[34] In September 2018, Kyagulanyi was released on bail and travelled to the United States for medical treatment for injuries he allegedly received in custody.

[37] In August 2019, Kyagulanyi was charged with "intent to alarm, annoy or ridicule" President Museveni for his role in the Arua incident the previous year.

The charges came a day after the death of Ziggy Wine, a fellow Ugandan musician and staunch critic of Museveni, who was kidnapped and tortured by unknown assailants.

[38][39] On 22 April 2019, Kyagulanyi was detained while attempting to make his way to a planned concert at his private club in southern Kampala, which was cancelled by police.

[41][42] On 29 April 2019, on his way to the offices of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to honour a summons and provide a statement on the cancelled concert, Kyagulanyi was again arrested and taken to Buganda Road Court, where he was charged with disobedience of statutory duty and remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until his bail hearing on 2 May.

"[44] On the day of the hearing, which was conducted via video conferencing (the first time in the history of Uganda's justice system), Kyagulanyi was granted bail and released from prison, with the court also barring him from holding unlawful demonstrations.

[49] On 18 November 2020, Kyagulanyi was arrested in Luuka District (Eastern Uganda) and detained at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja for 3 days.

He was attacked while helping to transport a journalist critically injured by tear gas during an earlier confrontation between the police and a group of Kyagulanyi's supporters.

[56] On 1 February, Kyagulanyi challenged the 2021 elections in court, but later ordered his lawyers to withdraw the case citing bias from the judges, after photos were seen of the chief justice with President Museveni, who was the correspondent party to the lawsuit.

On September 3, 2024, Bobi Wine was injured after being shot in his left leg with a tear gas canister by police during an altercation in Bulindo, Kira in Wakiso District.

[58] A YouTube video from September 2012 shows him joining Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in cleaning up Kamwookya, the slum neighborhood where Kyagulanyi grew up.

[58] The same year, he also donated funds to build pit latrines and construct a drainage channel in Kisenyi II, a Kampala slum that the New Vision described as being "characterized by filth, crowded shanty structures, poor sanitation and lack of basic social facilities."

"[61] In 2014, Kyagulanyi was named as an ambassador for Save the Children's EVERY ONE campaign, joining a team of 14 Ugandan artists who recorded a special song and video about maternal and child health.

[63] Currently, Bobi Wine is the Patron of a girls and teen mothers empowerment Non-Government Organization called Caring Hearts Uganda, founded by his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi.

However, the show was canceled by the United Arab Emirates government on unknown grounds and upon arrival in Dubai, Kyagulanyi was detained at the airport for ten hours.

[71][72] In a May 2016 Twitter exchange with ULC Monastery LGBTI, an American Christian group that promotes tolerance toward the LGBT community, Kyagulanyi suggested that he had moved away from his previous homophobic comments, but did not specifically state that his views on homosexuality had changed.

[74] In 2015, Kyagulanyi publicly defended the Buganda kingdom's fundraising efforts when it was harshly criticized by the outspoken Sheikh Muzaata, stirring up a war of words.

[79] Kyagulanyi's public calls for calm activism during the 2016 election, with songs such as "Dembe", provoked mixed reactions from different political interests in Uganda.

Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac invited Kyagulanyi to a formal embassy event and commented that he was a positive influence for local youth.

[88] While studying at Makerere University, Kyagulanyi met his wife, Barbara Itungo, who is also known as Barbie who at the time was an S6 student at Bweranyangi Girls' Senior Secondary School.