Bobi Wine(Robert Kyagulanyi Ssetamu)

Bobi Wine(Robert Kyagulanyi Ssetamu)

Artist/Singer/vocalist/Politician.

Aboutlinks

BIOGRAPHY

SOCIALS

View Artist YouTube Channel

Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, known as Bobi Wine, is a Ugandan politician, singer, and actor. He previously served as a Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency in Wakiso District, Uganda’s Central Region. He also leads the National Unity Platform political party. In June 2019, he announced his candidacy for the 2021 Ugandan presidential election, participating in the election. According to official results, he lost to the incumbent Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, although he claims the result was fraudulent.

On December 14, 2021, the Government of Uganda placed him under house arrest, and he has continued to protest his arrest. He was eventually allowed to go abroad, where he documented the events of the Ugandan election 2021 through a documentary. However, upon his return to Uganda on October 5, 2023, he was immediately re-arrested.

Early Life and Education

Kyagulanyi was born in Nkozi Hospital, where his mother worked as a midwife. He grew up in the Kamwokya slum in the northeastern part of Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.

Kyagulanyi attended Kitante Hill School, obtaining his Uganda Certificate of Education in 1996, and Kololo Senior Secondary School, earning his Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education in 1998. He then attended Makerere University in Kampala, studying music, dance, and drama, and graduated with a diploma in 2003. In 2016, Kyagulanyi returned to university to study Bachelor of Laws at the International University of East Africa.

Entertainment Career

Music Career

Kyagulanyi began his music career in the early 2000s, adopting the stage name BobiRob, inspired by Bob Marley, who was also named Robert. He later changed to Bobi Wine. Early singles like “Akagoma,” “Funtula,” and “Sunda” (featuring Ziggy D) brought him success in the Ugandan music scene. His music spans kidandali, reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat, often carrying socially conscious messages. He led the group Fire Base Crew until its disbandment, after which he started a new group called Ghetto Republic of Uganja. Over 15 years, he has released more than 70 songs.

In 2016, his song “Kiwani” was featured on the soundtrack for the Disney movie Queen of Katwe.

Bobi Wine’s primary music genre is Afrobeat. His music was sold and promoted by the late Kasiwukira, and he acknowledged receiving receipts of 60M from his music sales in just one month from Kasiwukira. He has a fully monetized YouTube channel with tens of millions of views. Besides, he has held various concerts and performances and has brand endorsements, all contributing to his income. He owns a commercial production studio in Kamwokya known as FireBase records.

The Bobi Wine Edutainment

This musical entertainment genre, developed by Wine in 2006, aimed to entertain while conveying educational messages, particularly to the underprivileged residents of Kampala’s suburbs, including the Ghetto. Some notable music projects produced in this genre include “Ghetto” (featuring Nubian Li), “Obuyonjo,” “Obululu Tebutwala,” “Time Bomb,” and others.

The messages in these music projects typically targeted politicians, urging them to take greater care of the underprivileged, and encouraging ordinary citizens to be more responsible in their communities. Topics covered included hygiene, maternal health, child pregnancies, child marriages, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and more.

Wine’s music resonated strongly with the public, earning him the nickname “Ghetto President” and helping him establish a prominent position in Ugandan politics later in his career.

Film Career

Kyagulanyi is also a film actor, mainly starring in local Ugandan movies. In 2010, he was cast in Cleopatra Kyoheirwe’s drama film Yogera. In 2015, he played a lead role in the Twaweza-supported film Situka with Hellen Lukoma. He has also worked on other films, including Divizionz.

Bobi Wine had his reality TV show named The Ghetto President.

He appears in the 2023 documentary “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” directed by Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp. Shot over five years, it follows Wine and his wife on the campaign trail leading to the 2021 Presidential election.

Political Career

In April 2017, Kyagulanyi announced his candidacy for parliament in a by-election for Kyadondo County East constituency. His door-to-door walking campaign gained attention both in Uganda and abroad. He won the contest by a wide margin, defeating Sitenda Sebalu of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and Apollo Kantinti of the main opposition party Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

In 2018, Kyagulanyi gained increasing fame, celebrating victories in most of the by-elections by the candidates he campaigned for, outperforming NRM and FDC candidates.

Arua By-election Incident

On August 14, 2018, supporters of the independent candidate for parliament, Kassiano Wadri, allegedly obstructed and attacked President Museveni’s convoy in the northern town of Arua, near Gulu. Museveni’s motorcade was reportedly pelted with stones, leading to clashes between security forces and protesters. Kyagulanyi, an outspoken critic of Museveni, revealed through a social media post that police had intentionally shot at his vehicle, resulting in the death of his driver. Kyagulanyi had endorsed Wadri’s candidacy against the official pro-Museveni candidate in Arua.

Kyagulanyi was arrested on August 15, 2018, on possible charges of unlawful possession of firearms and incitement to violence. He was brought in front of a military court and charged with the former the following day. Reports indicated that Kyagulanyi appeared to have been beaten before appearing in court. Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, a lawyer who has represented detained MPs, expressed concern about Kyagulanyi’s health, stating that he needed urgent medical attention. The government denied allegations of torture. Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye called a press conference, demanding the MP’s immediate release.

As popular protests grew in Uganda demanding Kyagulanyi’s release, and discussions heated in the Ugandan Parliament, the Ugandan State prosecution withdrew the charges during Kyagulanyi’s second appearance in front of the General Court Martial in Gulu on August 23, 2018. The prosecution indicated it would pursue possible charges in a civilian court for a potential trial of the MP. Upon release, Kyagulanyi was rearrested and charged with treason in a civilian court. In September 2018, he was released on bail and traveled to the United States for medical treatment for injuries allegedly received in custody. The Ugandan government banned his supporters from gathering on the day of his release and on the day of his return from the United States. He eventually addressed his supporters in a gathering outside his home upon his return to Uganda on September 20, 2018.

In August 2019, Kyagulanyi was charged with “intent to alarm, annoy or ridicule” President Museveni for his role in the Arua incident the previous year. The charges came a day after the death of Ziggy Wine, a fellow Ugandan musician and staunch critic of Museveni, who was kidnapped and tortured by unknown assailants.

Anti-Social Media Tax Protest

On April 22, 2019, Kyagulanyi was detained while attempting to make his way to a planned concert at his private club in southern Kampala, which was canceled by police. He was accused of leading a protest in the city the previous year without prior police authorization; the protest was held against the “social media tax” that took effect in July 2018. On April 29, 2019, on his way to the offices of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) to honor a summons and provide a statement on the canceled concert, Kyagulanyi was again arrested and taken to Buganda Road Court. There, he was charged with disobedience of statutory duty and remanded to Luzira Maximum Security Prison until his bail hearing on May 2. Amnesty International demanded his immediate release, stating that the Ugandan government was “misusing the law in a shameless attempt to silence him for criticizing the government.” On the day of the hearing, conducted via video conferencing (the first time in the history of Uganda’s justice system), Kyagulanyi was granted bail and released from prison, with the court also barring him from holding unlawful demonstrations.

2021 Presidential Election

On July 24, 2019, Kyagulanyi formally announced his bid to run for president in the 2021 general election. On July 22, 2020, he announced that he had joined the National Unity Platform party, becoming elected its president and presidential flag-bearer in the upcoming February 2021 general election. Kyagulanyi was formally nominated to run for the highest office of presidency on November 3, 2020. Shortly after his nomination, Kyagulanyi was arrested by the Ugandan military. On November 6, 2020, he launched his campaign manifesto in Mbarara (western Uganda) after state operatives cordoned off his NUP party offices, preventing him from launching the manifesto from there as planned.

On November 18, 2020, Kyagulanyi was arrested in Luuka District (Eastern Uganda) and detained at Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja for 3 days. The police accused him of having more than 200 supporters recommended by the EC to contain further spread of Covid-19. His arrest led to widespread demonstrations around the country, with protests in parts of Kampala, Masaka, Jinja, Mukono, Mbale, and Wakiso. The Uganda police alleged that only 54 people were killed during the protests, while human rights activists put the figure to more than 100 murdered and several others injured. Over 2000 people were incarcerated during the subsequent protests.

Kyagulanyi’s bodyguard, Francis Senteza, was killed on December 27, 2020, after being run over by a truck belonging to the military police. He was attacked while helping to transport a journalist critically injured by tear gas during an earlier confrontation between the police and a group of Kyagulanyi’s supporters. Another journalist was also wounded in the incident.

On January 16, the electoral commission announced that Museveni won reelection with 58.6% of the vote. Kyagulanyi refused to accept the results, claiming that the election was the most fraudulent in Uganda’s history. He was placed under house arrest on January 15, shortly after casting his vote for the presidential election. The military surrounded his home and did not let anyone in or out for several days, despite Kyagulanyi claiming he had run out of food. The U.S. ambassador to Uganda, Natalie E. Brown, was not allowed to visit or leave food for him as the military blocked the convoy. Kyagulanyi was released on January 26 after the Ugandan High Court ordered security forces to end the house arrest. On February 1, Kyagulanyi challenged the 2021 elections in court but later ordered his lawyers to withdraw the case, citing bias from the judges after photos were seen of the chief justice with President Museveni, who was the correspondent party to the lawsuit.

Humanitarian Work

He initiated a campaign to promote regular cleaning in hospitals, sanitation, garbage management, and hand-washing to prevent disease. A YouTube video from September 2012 shows him joining Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in cleaning up Kamwookya, the slum neighborhood where Kyagulanyi grew up. In the same year, he donated funds to build pit latrines and construct a drainage channel in Kisenyi II, a Kampala slum described by the New Vision as “characterized by filth, crowded shanty structures, poor sanitation, and a lack of basic social facilities.” Kyagulanyi explained that he embarked on the project “because these are my people, and no matter where I go, this will always be home.”

He has also campaigned for malaria prevention, making donations to Nakasongola Health Centre, and addressing the disease in his songs.

In August 2013, Kyagulanyi visited the Bundibugyo Refugee Camp in Bundibugyo District, along with representatives from Save the Children, UNHCR, and the Red Cross, to deliver funds and supplies. The following month, he was named as a parenting ambassador by Twaweza, an NGO that focuses on education and citizen engagement in East Africa. His message in this partnership was to promote responsible parenting among his Ugandan fans. In an interview about the project, he stated that “education is what will ultimately change the course of our country, and as an artist and a father, I believe we can all make a difference in our children’s learning.”

In 2014, Kyagulanyi was named as an ambassador for Save the Children’s EVERY ONE campaign, joining a team of 14 Ugandan artists who recorded a special song and video about maternal and child health. Other leading artists in the video included Jose Chameleone, and Radio and Weasel, who made up the Goodlyfe Crew. Kyagulanyi and his wife Barbara traveled to hospitals throughout Uganda, including Nakaseke Hospital, meeting with midwives and health workers to popularize the campaign. Save the Children also took him to other regions for the campaign, including Nyumanzi Refugee Settlement in northwestern Uganda for South Sudanese people.

Currently, Bobi Wine is the Patron of a girls and teen mothers empowerment Non-Government Organization called Caring Hearts Uganda, founded by his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi. Caring Hearts Uganda focuses on menstrual health in Uganda. Bobi Wine’s show, which was scheduled to happen on October 8, 2022, was canceled by the United Arab Emirates government on unknown grounds. Prior to his arrival, he was detained at the Dubai airport for 10 hours. He was later released and spoke to his supporters. The show proceeds were meant to repatriate stranded Ugandans in the United Arab Emirates.

Controversies

Kyagulanyi is often outspoken about political and social issues in Uganda, generating some controversy. Until January 2019, he had a long-standing feud with fellow Ugandan musician Bebe Cool, who has sung in support of President Museveni and the NRM, while Kyagulanyi has supported opposition interests.

In July 2014, it was announced that Kyagulanyi was to perform in the United Kingdom at The Drum Arts Centre in Birmingham and the Troxy in London. This led to calls for a ban because of his lyrics expressing opinions against homosexuality. Both venues subsequently canceled Kyagulanyi’s appearances. In a May 2016 Twitter exchange with ULC Monastery LGBTI, an American Christian group that promotes tolerance toward the LGBT community, Kyagulanyi suggested that he had moved away from his previous homophobic comments but did not specifically state that his views on homosexuality had changed.

In 2015, Kyagulanyi publicly defended the Buganda kingdom’s fundraising efforts when it was harshly criticized by the outspoken Sheikh Muzaata, stirring up a war of words. Kyagulanyi has at times been known as Omubanda wa Kabaka (the king’s rogue) for his devotion to the Kabaka (King) of Buganda.

In April 2016, when Uganda’s only radiotherapy machine in Mulago broke down, Kyagulanyi took a leading position in widespread public anger at the slow official response and posted a critique of the government’s handling of public health care, challenging the country’s leaders to make better use of citizens’ taxes.

Throughout the 2015–16 election period, Kyagulanyi refocused his messages to call for tolerance of different views. Kyagulanyi’s public calls for calm activism during the 2016 election, with songs such as “Dembe,” provoked mixed reactions from different political interests in Uganda. During this period, the Uganda Communications Commission denied that it had banned “Dembe” from Ugandan radio. Three months after the election, the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda Deborah R. Malac invited Kyagulanyi to a formal embassy event and commented that he was a positive influence for local youth.

When the Ugandan government turned off social media during the 2016 election, Kyagulanyi used a virtual private network (VPN) to post on his defiance to the communications shutdown on his Facebook page while also pointing out that the government continued to use social media during the shutdown they initiated. Kyagulanyi was later chosen as a panelist to speak about freedom of expression on World Press Freedom Day in Kampala in May 2016. In March 2016, he defended the right of his artistic rivals to express views that Kyagulanyi himself does not support.

In August 2020, Kyagulanyi was dragged to court on charges of falsifying information, obtaining registration by false pretense, and uttering false documents.

On 3 November 2020, Kyagulanyi was arrested after his nomination to the election body for the upcoming general election was certified. A statement on his official Twitter account said he was violently arrested outside the nomination venue, temporarily blinded and brutalized by police and the military.

Personal Life

While studying at Makerere University, Kyagulanyi met his wife, Barbara Itungo, who at the time was an S6 student at Bweranyangi Girls’ Senior Secondary School. Their wedding took place in August 2011 after ten years of living together. They have four children. Kyagulanyi and his family reside in Magere Village, Wakiso District, where he ensures they “go together to dig and get food, whenever we can. I do that because I want them to learn to live an ordinary life, not as a celebrity’s children.”

On 10 February 2015, Kyagulanyi’s father died after a lengthy battle with diabetes. The vigil and burial attracted hundreds of mourners, including government officials and other celebrities. One month later, Kyagulanyi released the song “Paradiso,” which carries the message of valuing your parents while they are still alive.

Kyagulanyi was featured in a 2022 documentary film entitled “Bobi Wine: The People’s President.”

Accolades

Awards and Nominations

2005
Pearl of Africa Music Awards
- Song of the Year: “Mama Mbiire” (with Juliana Kanyomozi) – Won
2006
Pearl of Africa Music Awards
- Best Afro Beat Single: “Bada” – Won
- Artiste of the Year: Bobi Wine – Won
Tanzania Music Awards
- Best East African Album: Mama Mbiire – Nominated
2007
Pearl of Africa Music Awards
- Best Afro Beat Single: “Kiwani” – Won
- Best Afro Beat Artiste/Group: Bobi Wine – Won
Kisima Music Awards
- Best Song Uganda: “Bada” – Nominated
2008
Pearl of Africa Music Awards
- Best Afro Beat Artiste/Group: Bobi Wine – Won
2009
MTV Africa Music Awards
- Best Video: “Little Things You Do” (Wahu featuring Bobi Wine) – Nominated
2013
HiPipo Music Awards
- Artist of the Year: Bobi Wine – Nominated
- Best Male Artist: Bobi Wine – Nominated
- Best Ragga/Dancehall Song: “By Far” – Nominated
- Best Afrobeat Song: “Jennifer” – Won
2018
Zzina Awards
- Afro-Beat Song of the Year: “Kyarenga” – Nominated
- Male Artiste of the Year: Bobi Wine – Won
- Artiste of the Year: Bobi Wine – Nominated
- Song of the Year: “Kyarenga” – Won

Other Honours

2018 Africanews Personality of the Year
2019 Foreign Policy Global Thinkers
2019 Rainbow/PUSH International Humanitarian Award
2019 Friedrich Naumann Foundation Africa Freedom Prize
2021 Outstanding Entrepreneurial Artist by Janzi Awards
2022 Forty Under 40 Africa awards in Accra Ghana (with Producer Ronie Matovu, Humphrey Nabimanya, and Bryan Morel Publications)

Discography

Albums