The other day Daily Express Uganda published my article ‘Is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine evolving into a 21^st century idea in Uganda?’ It was widely circulated in and outside Uganda. However, I have yet to get a glimpse of debates based on the article. The only serious responses I got were from South African-based Dr Anthony Isabirye and Karamoja-based Dr Ayub Mukisa.

They both seemed to agree that Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has changed the dynamics of Ugandan police, and is no doubt a phenomenon, but has yet to evolve and manifest into an idea.

In this article, my thesis statement is ‘Bobi Wine represents a new political phenomenon in Uganda symbolising a shift in the country’s politics and youth engagement’ I hope you will not only enjoy it but take a critical view of it and even become curious enough to give an alternative analysis.

Introduction

I do not know much about Bobi Wine’s background before 1991 when I came back to the country to settle and work after being away for almost 20 years. However, I now know that Bobi Wine is 43 years old, born on February 12, 1982, in Nkozi Hospital, Uganda. He’s a multifaceted personality – a politician, singer, businessman and actor – who has made a significant impact in Ugandan politics and music.

I have twins (man and woman) who were born in November 1980 and a man born in March 1983 in my family. Therefore, Bobi Wine would fit in very well. And just as I am encouraging his contemporaries in my family to do best what they love most and just come to me only when they think, believe and are convinced my advice to them would add value, I would not discourage Bobi Wine from pursuing the political path he has chosen if he believes his contribution will add value to the quality and effectiveness of politics, leadership, governance and engagement of our youthful population in Uganda.

So, far he has done so well to expose the arrogance, failures and false assumptions of my generation; make a docile, fearful population more active and ready to collectively chart a new path to the future, and provide new answers to old and new question social, economic and political growth and development

The making of a populist icon

There is no doubt now, taking a cue from the current presidential campaigns in Uganda, that Bobi Wine is a populist leader par excellence. Admittedly, I have not seen all my 76 years anyone else in Uganda who has taken advantage of the expectations of a downtrodden, conquered and occupied people to make himself so popular in every part of Uganda that he is almost rapidly manifesting as a populist icon among a highly youthful population.

Bobi Wine’s early life in a ghetto in Kampala. Music career played a critical role in shaping him into in an influencer for change in a country that had become politically stale and stagnant under the iron-fisted rule of President Tibuhaburwa Museveni, who very early in his hold onto power preferred single party to multiparty politics, banned political education in schools and presided over intellectual death in universities and society.

Most detestable is the decay and collapse of social space of public intellectuals. His populist appeal is seen in his capacity to easily connect with the youth in all parts of Uganda, leveraging social media, and tapping into localisd grievances.

Bobi Wine’s rise as a populist leader in the 21st century has, of course, been catalysed by his viral political, effective social media presence and crowd dynamics, heavily driven by young people. Most of these are in their 20s and 30s, who have grown under and seen only President Tibuhaburwa Museveni. They now want to experience change in the political space of Uganda and are eager to engage themselves effectively in determining the destiny of their country.

They have been bombarded with well-crafted narratives that all the problems of Uganda were caused by past leaders but have seen the country sinking further and further down the abyss of poverty, environmental decay and debt, hopelessness and haplessness as the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider and wider, with the rich increasingly becoming either foreigners or members of one small ethnic group in power or those connected to it.

Disrupting the status quo

Bobi Wine’s challenge to the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) dominance of socio-political space and President Tibuhaburwa Museveni’s four-decades of rule have helped to bring the thinking and reasoning of some old and elderly people and the majority of the young people about Uganda to be congruent. His message of change, anti-corruption stance human rights abuse and youth empowerment is resonating well in all the regions of Uganda and across all social strata.

His clarion call: ‘People Power and glorification of the Uganda National Flag’ has glued the young and old together in thinking that Uganda can be a nation again and tick beyond the minute fragments of meaningless, unproductive and heavily consumptive, wasteful and future-dampening districts. Many now compare NRM regime to the defunct South African apartheid political practice that distributed people of African descent in ecologically unproductive homelands.

They see clearly that land in indigenous communities is being trapped by people of exogenous origin while the ingenious people are being forced to move and congregate in towns as a floating population, without identity and belonging.

The power of social media and celebrity politics

Clearly Bobi Wine’s strategic use of social media to mobilise support and bypass traditional media has helped him to reach out to a wider audience and publicize the excesses of the NRM regime during his campaigns and also to display his popularity far and wide. His role of celebrity status in amplifying his message and attracting a diverse following cannot be doubted by any right thinking person. Indeed some government leaders have reasoned that the people have come to his rallies, not because he has anything to tell them or because they want to listen to him but just to see a music icon and celebrity.

However, anyone who has cared to assess Bobi Wines rallies will certainly detect that his interaction with the people is beyond his celebrity status and signifies a rising new generation leader eager to put his messages of change to the whole country.

Polarisation and controversy

Bobi Wine has emerged as highly politically polarising figure, whereupon he is seen as a hero by his supporters. On the flipside, he is clearly now seen as a threat by the quasi-NRM government. This is the reason why it has ensured that many of his so-called foot soldiers are captured from that campaign trail and thrown behind bars, probably to create fear in Bobi Wine and his supporters, as well as in the general public.

Unexpectedly, of all the presidential candidates, it is Bobi Wines campaigns that have been heavily guarded by the military and police. This has frequently forced Bobi Wine to walk on foot often through paths to reach his audiences. No amount of provocation by the military and police has forced Bobi Wine and his supporters to adopt violence as a means of expressing dissatisfaction with the way his party’s campaigns are over-policed and over-militarised.

Implications for Uganda’s politics

• Bobi Wine’s impact on Uganda’s political landscape: energizing the youth, shifting allegiances and challenging the NRM
• Potential for sustained mobilisation, coalition-building and institutional reform
• Examples: People Power movement’s growth, opposition alliances and civil society engagement

Conclusion

• Recap Bobi Wine’s significance as a new political phenomenon in Uganda
• Argue that his rise reflects deeper structural changes in Uganda’s society and politics
• Call for nuanced analysis and engagement with the complexities of Ugandan politics.

Some points to advance:

• Bobi Wine’s populist appeal and social media savvy have tapped into Uganda’s youthful demographic and frustrations with the status quo.
• His challenge to the NRM’s dominance has exposed vulnerabilities and created new opportunities for opposition politics.
• The government’s response to Bobi Wine reflects fears about the power of populism and social media in Uganda.
• Bobi Wine’s sustainability as a political force depends on his ability to build coalitions, articulate a clear vision and navigate the complexities of Ugandan politics.

To make it captivating, consider:

• Using engaging storytelling and anecdotes to illustrate Bobi Wine’s rise and impact
• Incorporating quotes from supporters, critics, and analysts to add depth and nuance
• Highlighting the human side of Bobi Wine: his music, personal story, and leadership style
• Using visuals: images, videos, or infographics to convey the energy and emotion of his rallies and social media presence
• Ending with a thought-provoking question or reflection on the future of Ugandan politics

For God and my country.

• A Tell report / By Oweyegha-Afunaduula / Environmental Historian and Conservationist Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis (CCTAA), Seeta, Mukono, Uganda.

About the Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis (CCTAA)

The CCTAA was innovated by Hyuha Mukwanason, Oweyegha-Afunaduula and Mahir Balunywa in 2019 to the rising decline in the capacity of graduates in Uganda and beyond to engage in critical thinking and reason coherently besides excellence in academics and academic production. The three scholars were convinced that after academic achievement the world outside the ivory tower needed graduates that can think critically and reason coherently towards making society and the environment better for human gratification. They reasoned between themselves and reached the conclusion that disciplinary education did not only narrow the thinking and reasoning of those exposed to it but restricted the opportunity to excel in critical thinking and reasoning, which are the ultimate aim of education. They were dismayed by the truism that the products of disciplinary education find it difficult to tick outside the boundaries of their disciplines; that when they provide solutions to problems that do not recognise the artificial boundaries between knowledges, their solutions become the new problems. They decided that the answer was a new and different medium of learning and innovating, which they characterised as “The Centre for Critical Thinking and Alternative Analysis” (CCTAA).