Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine ‘shot in leg’ in confrontation with police

Ugandan opposition figure Bobi Wine has been shot in the leg in a confrontation with police just outside the capital Kampala, his opposition group said.

Photos posted online showed Mr Wine surrounded by followers who shouted that he had been shot in the leg before some supported him into a waiting car.

His party, the National Unity Platform, holds the most seats of any opposition group in the national assembly.

The party said on X that Ugandan security operatives “have made an attempt on the life of” Mr Wine, whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.

“He was shot in the leg and seriously injured in Bulindo, Wakiso District,” it said, referring to a town on the outskirts of the Ugandan capital.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr Wine was targeted with a live bullet or a tear gas projectile.

Images shared by his close associates showed a bleeding wound below the left knee.

Ugandan police said in a statement that Mr Wine was advised against holding a street procession when he left a private event in Bulindo.

According to the statement, Mr Wine “insisted on proceeding and closing the road, leading to police intervention to prevent the procession”.

The opposition figure was injured in “the ensuing altercation”, it said, adding that the alleged shooting will be investigated.

Street confrontations between Mr Wine and the police have frequently descended into violence, but this is the first time he has been wounded in such a way.

Mr Wine ran for president in 2021, losing to President Yoweri Museveni in an election he claimed was rigged against him.

The opposition figure was a famous entertainer in the East African country before he won a seat in the national assembly in 2017.

He is especially popular among young Ugandans in urban areas.

Mr Museveni, a US ally on regional security for many years, has held power since 1986 and had the constitution amended to remove the age limit for presidents.

Now 79 years old, he has resisted calls to announce when he will retire.

Uganda has not had a peaceful transfer of power since independence from the British in 1962.