Police probe Bobi Wine over alleged sectarian remarks

Police have opened up a general inquiry file against the leader of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, for allegedly making sectarian statements and hate speech.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they are currently gathering all the required evidence against the singer-turned politician in relation to the remarks he made in Luweero District at the weekend.

“CID is still gathering statements and trolling social media for some of that footage, so we are still at that stage. We believe that once the investigations are built, we shall seek the opinion of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and get back to the public,” Mr Enanga told journalists in Kampala yesterday during police’s weekly press briefing.

According to a video that has since gone viral, while addressing his supporters at Kasana playgrounds in Luweero Town Council on Friday, Bobi Wine called upon the Baganda to rise up against President Museveni, whom he accused of building his “dynasty” on their ancestors’ land.

“Fellow Baganda, who bewitched you? Museveni thinks he is going to build his dynasty on the land of our ancestors in Buganda. Over my dead body, that will not happen,” he charged.

In the video, Bobi Wine claimed that if President Museveni is not spending taxpayers money on his birthday celebrations, then he is spending it on the birthday celebrations of his son whom he described as a “kigwagwa”, loosely translated as a lumpen.

Section 41 of the Penal Code Act  states that a person who prints, publishes, makes or utters any statement or does any act which is likely to —(a)degrade, revile or expose to hatred or contempt;(b)create alienation or despondency of;(c)raise discontent or disaffection among; or(d)promote, in any other way, feelings of ill will or hostility among or against, any group or body of persons on account of religion, tribe or ethnic or regional origin commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

Officials from NUP were not available for a comment on the matter by press time as they were not answering their known phone numbers.