Inter-Religious Council of Uganda Visits Kyagulanyi’s Residence

KAMPALA; The Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), led by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, The Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, on Tuesday visited the home of former National Unity Platform (NUP) presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, to assess the welfare of his family amid heightened political tension following the recently concluded general elections which were held nationwide on Thursday, 15th January 2026.

Barbie Itungo met with members of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda at the family estate in Magere, where she described an atmosphere of fear and isolation following last Thursday’s presidential election. She told the clerics that Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, left the residence Saturday after receiving what she characterized as terrifying threats from military leadership.

He escaped to save his life, Itungo said. I chose to stay behind because of the people I have here.

The religious leaders, led by Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba, arrived to find a heavy security presence surrounding the home. Although some personnel withdrew shortly after the delegation was granted entry, Itungo said the family remains under constant surveillance. She alleged that drones hover over the house at night and that security forces have blocked relatives and journalists from visiting.

Kaziimba said the council visited to independently verify the situation amid conflicting reports and videos circulating online. The group expressed concern over the restrictions on the family and the broader wave of postelection arrests across the country.

Pastor Joseph Sserwadda, a member of the delegation, described the allegations of a siege as grave. He noted that the council intends to meet with the inspector general of police to seek clarity on the ongoing security operations at the residence.

Kyagulanyi, the National Unity Platform candidate, finished second in the polls and has since rejected the official results, calling the election a sham. The government has denied that the security presence constitutes an illegal siege, maintaining that the deployment is a necessary precaution to prevent civil unrest.