Ugandan Soldiers Finally Obey Court Order, Leave Bobi Wine’s House

On Monday a Ugandan court ordered the military and police to leave his house.

But, as reported by the BBC in an earlier post, soldiers did not leave his house straight away after the court order.

He had not left his house on the outskirts of the capital —Kampala since voting in the presidential election earlier this month, in which he was declared runner-up to President Yoweri Museveni.

Bobi Wine has now left his house to address the media, reports Uganda’s Daily Monitor. 

But the soldiers did not leave house immediately after the court order. 
Journalists working for the Daily Monitor newspaper on Monday said the military andpolice deployments had been reinforced on the road leading to Wine’s residence and checkpoints increased.

Two cars carrying journalists heading to his home on Monday evening were stopped and ordered to go back.

An Ugandan court on Monday ordered security forces to cease surrounding the home of opposition leader, Bobi Wine, whose house arrest since a mid-month presidential election has drawn international pressure, his lawyer said on Monday.

Troops have blocked the 38-year-old pop star-turned-politician from leaving his house in a suburb of the capital Kampala since he voted in the January 14 election where he ran against long-serving incumbent President Museveni.

“The judge ordered that the state and its agencies should immediately vacate his property and his right to personal liberty should immediately be reinstated,” lawyer George Musisi told Reuters.

Museveni, 76, who has been in power since 1986, was declared winner of the poll with 59% of votes versus 35% for Wine, who had for years denounced corruption and nepotism in his songs. He rejected the result, alleging fraud which the government denies.

Musisi said the judge also ruled that if there were any serious allegations against Wine, he should be brought before a court or police.

Police spokesman Patrick Onyango said he had no immediate comment as the ruling had not been received.

There was no immediate reaction from the government or confirmation from the court.

U.S. ambassador Natalie E. Brown had tried to visit Wine at his home, drawing an accusation of meddling and subversion from the Ugandan government.