‘I have thought of quitting many times’ - Bobi Wine

NUP leader Bobi Wine has admitted to contemplating abandoning his role as Uganda’s leading opposition figure. 

Speaking in the inaugural episode of the new National Unity Platform (NUP) Podcast, the politician confessed that on multiple occasions since launching into politics in 2017, he has thought of throwing in the towel.

His motivation, he said, is not "bravery," but rather a desperate sense of irreversible commitment and a profound duty to his followers.

“Yes. I have thought of quitting very many times,” Bobi Wine revealed. 

“At times I am like, how the hell did I get myself here because honestly I did not set out to get involved in all this.” 

Bobi Wine, a renowned musician and social activist once known as the 'Ghetto President', first entered mainstream politics in 2017 when he won the Kyadondo East parliamentary by-election as an independent candidate. 

He reflected on this initial foray, noting, “It was one thing that led to another, there was anger, and I sat down with Nubian and other friends and we said, let us challenge these people and take the ghetto to parliament.”

Upon reaching the parliamentary stage, he says he realised the systemic issues ran deeper. 

“Then we got to parliament and found it messed up and we said the problem is at the top, let's take the top.” 

Bobi Wine’s political ascent accelerated when he transformed his People Power movement into the National Unity Platform (NUP) party in 2020, cementing his position as the main challenger to President Yoweri Museveni. 

He described his current position using a nautical analogy: “in the end, it is like a boat, once it leaves the harbour, you turn around and there is no going back.”

 “I keep moving out of desperation. Not bravery, but lack of options. Giving up is even a worse option. Because I know the guy I am dealing with.”

Ultimately, Bobi Wine says what keeps him committed to the political struggle is the dedication of his support base. 

He stated that the young people around him, who have invested everything in his leadership, are the true source of his resolve.

“The people around me are braver than me. There are people around me that have nothing but hope in my leadership and they have given everything. They are younger than me. All these make me take a decision that this is not a hope to let down and we have to keep going,” he concluded,