BREAKING: Bobi Wine begins meetings with U.S. lawmakers after leaving Uganda [PHOTO]

Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has said he has begun international engagements in the United States after secretly leaving Uganda.

In a message posted on X on March 18, 2026, Kyagulanyi said he had already held meetings on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, a key centre of political power in the United States.

“Started my international engagements today with meetings on Capitol Hill, in Washington DC,” Kyagulanyi wrote.

Capitol Hill is the area in Washington where the United States Congress sits. It houses the Senate and the House of Representatives. The two chambers make laws and shape American foreign policy. Leaders and activists from around the world often visit Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers or seek international support.

Before leaving Uganda, Kyagulanyi released a message thanking supporters who helped hide him during weeks of security searches.

“By the time you see this video, I will have left the country for some critical engagements outside Uganda. And at the right time, I will come back and continue with the cause,” he said.

Kyagulanyi said many Ugandans protected him when security forces were searching for him. He thanked citizens who offered him shelter, food and clothing. He also praised some members of the security forces whom he said refused to follow what he described as illegal orders.

“I thank the men and women in uniform who defied the illegal orders and instead of arresting me, gave me the information that I needed to keep safe,” he said.

The National Unity Platform leader also alleged that security forces spent weeks searching for him across the country. He said the operations included roadblocks and raids on homes of his associates.

Kyagulanyi repeated his claim that he won the 2026 presidential election but that the results were rigged by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

“We won the 2026 presidential election. Museveni rigged it,” he said.

He said his trip abroad aims to push for international action against the Ugandan government. According to him, one of the goals is to lobby foreign governments to impose targeted sanctions against officials he accuses of human rights violations.

Kyagulanyi said that while he is away, his deputy, Lina Zedriga, will act as president of the National Unity Platform.

He said he plans to return to Uganda after completing the international engagements.

“After doing my work on the international platform, I will return back to my country,” he said.