National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, widely known as Bobi Wine, has sounded the alarm over what he calls a calculated scheme by the government to exploit vulnerable ghetto youths as tools of political repression in the run-up to the 2026 general elections.
Addressing journalists and supporters at the party’s headquarters in Makerere Kavule on Wednesday, an impassioned Kyagulanyi condemned the use of informal militias and vigilante-style groups to intimidate opposition voices. He claimed this was part of a long-running state strategy to stifle dissent using the very people it has historically marginalised.
His remarks come in the wake of disturbing footage from President Museveni’s recent nomination rally, where a group of youths clad in NRM-branded yellow T-shirts were seen engaging in acts of robbery along Kampala’s streets—an incident that sparked public outrage.
“What you saw was not an accident. This is part of a familiar pattern,” Kyagulanyi said. “Museveni has always relied on shadowy groups to terrorise citizens ahead of elections—from the Kalangala Action Plan in 2001 to Crime Preventers in 2016, and now this new wave targeting ghetto youth.”
He accused security operatives, particularly AIGP Christopher Ddamulira, of masterminding efforts to fabricate “ghetto” support for the regime by setting up pseudo-structures designed to mislead and divide urban communities.
“These fake ghetto groups are meant to dilute the real voice of the ghetto,” he said. “They know where I come from. They know the power we hold.”
Kyagulanyi was particularly critical of the exploitation of impoverished youth, saying many are being enticed with small handouts to serve as pawns in the government’s political games.
“Some of our brothers and sisters are handed yellow T-shirts and paid as little as 10,000 shillings to cheer Museveni’s events,” he lamented. “But when things go wrong, they are the first to be arrested. The regime uses them, then throws them away.”
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He referenced viral social media videos showing young people being arrested shortly after appearing in regime-sponsored rallies, calling the approach a classic case of “use and discard.”
“This regime doesn’t value you—they fear you,” Kyagulanyi declared. “They fear your potential, your unity, and your voice. That’s why they buy you off to do their dirty work, only to betray you later.”
Issuing a stern warning to those still aligning with the ruling government, Kyagulanyi said, “To those ghetto youths who continue to be used—when this regime falls, you will fall with it. You can’t say you weren’t warned.”
He urged his supporters to stay alert and disciplined as political tensions rise, insisting that the growing desperation of the regime is proof that change is within reach.
“They know the ghetto is awake,” he said. “So they’ll try to confuse and divide us. But we must remain focused. We are the future, and history is on our side.”
