‘My soul died’ - Barbie Itungo says Magere house raid changed her for good

Barbie Itungo Kyagulanyi, the wife of National Unity Platform president Robert Kyagulanyi, has spoken out once again on how the January security raid on her home left her permanently changed.

Barbie said the violent incident shattered everything she had built and forced her into what she described as a painful personal transformation.

“I still vividly remember the moment everything I had built over the years collapsed. The day every part of my life fell apart simultaneously,” she wrote.

“My life got formatted and everything that I had carefully crafted just crumbled before my own eyes. A fundamental reconstruction, a total overhaul of everything I knew happened in the blink of an eye. In that moment, everything I had built my identity on melted through my fingers. My soul died!”

She shared the message alongside a cropped screenshot of a controversial old post by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had posted a picture of a subdued Barbie on the floor with armed security men towering over her.

In the post, Muhoozi wrote : “This is when our soldiers captured and then released Kabobi’s wife Barbie. She was very helpful in helping us find her husband.”

The incident happened on the night of January 23, 2026, at the Kyagulanyi family home in Magere, Wakiso District, during heightened political tension following the disputed January general election.

Bobi Wine and NUP leaders said the armed men in military gear broke into the home, assaulted family members, broke doors, ransacked rooms and confiscated gadgets. Joel Ssenyonyi later said security operatives isolated Barbie inside the house while Bobi Wine remained in hiding. 

Barbie later recounted that some of the men tried to force her to unlock her phone. When she resisted, she said she was physically assaulted, dragged by the hair, pinned down and later taken to Nsambya Hospital for treatment of bruises and anxiety. 

In her latest post, Barbie said the last three months have been filled with emotional chaos, reflection and healing.

“For three months, I have been facing the chaos of transformation. This has not happened in isolation. I have experienced unconditional love, and unreserved support,” she wrote.

“Sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and can’t seem to know who I am anymore! The bitter/sweet part of all this is that I will never be the same again.”

She added that the painful experience also taught her the meaning of sisterhood and support from those around her.

The raid happened as Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba made repeated public remarks targeting Bobi Wine and NUP supporters after the election, with opposition leaders accusing the state of intimidation and persecution.

Muhoozi later denied claims that soldiers assaulted Barbie, but the incident sparked outrage locally and internationally, with rights groups and opposition supporters demanding accountability.