Military chief of Uganda Muhoozi Kainerugaba has denied allegations that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, the wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid at their home.
Wine is in hiding and reportedly claims that his wife was held at gunpoint on Saturday by military officers who assaulted her, stripping her home of its documents and electronic items.
Wine claimed the house continued to be surrounded by the military.
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Barbara Kyagulanyi has also opened up on the incident from the hospital, revealing that soldiers had demanded to know Wine’s whereabouts and had assaulted her when she refused.
All this stems from the recent election win of long-serving leader, and Kainerugaba’s father, President Yoweri Museveni. To Wine, the results did not reflect the will of the people.
On Monday, Kainerugaba took to social media in an X post, saying “my soldiers did not beat up Barbie [Bobi Wine’s] wife”.
“First of all, we do not beat up women. They are not worth our time. We are looking for her cowardly husband, not her,” he said.
Since his father was declared the winner of the recent Uganda election, the army chief has demanded the surrender of Wine while issuing death threats against him.
On Monday, Wine said Kainerugaba was still looking for him, ” issuing threats to harm me” and thanked the people for continuing to keep him safe.
“My wife is still recovering from the trauma of an overnight raid and assault… My home is still surrounded by the military,” he added in a post on X.
From her hospital bed, Barbara Kyagulanyi said dozens of men, some in military uniform, broke into her home and assaulted her.
She said one officer struck her face, tearing her lip, while another lifted her by the waistband of her trousers as she was choked. She said her blouse was pulled off, leaving her partially naked, before being returned. Kyagulanyi said she lost consciousness and was hospitalized with physical and psychological trauma, according to her husband, opposition leader Bobi Wine.
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Since the election, the opposition has accused security forces of targeting supporters. Uganda has never seen a peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence.
