Bobi Wine’s new song rocks Ugandan politics

"Ogenda" is a Luganda word that is loosely translated as "You're Going" to remind the president that his days are numbered. 

"My new song #Ogenda sent directly to Museveni," Bobi Wine said.

In the song “Ogenda”, Bobi Wine takes aim at the President who he accuses of turning his back on the country after ascending to the presidency in January 1986. 

Museveni, Bobi Wine sings, has presided over a catalogue of human rights abuses which make his predecessors’ sins pale in comparison.

Bobi Wine, who contested for president in the 2021 general election, says many of his friends and associates have died at the hands of state security agents working under orders from president Museveni.

“Ogenda”, released with a video, appears in split screen placing Museveni promising a fundamental change in 1986 alongside scenes of UPDF soldiers violating the rights of Ugandans they are supposed to protect. 

Bobi Wine sings about leaders like Idi Amin Dada (1971-1978), who ignored warnings from singers and other voices about his crimes against humanity.

By ignoring these warnings, Amin was swallowed up by the forces of resistance to his misrule. 

He added that it is his turn to warn President Museveni that the latter’s human rights abuses will lead to his own day of reckoning. 

These warnings prefaced the climax of Bobi Wine’s message in which he sings that all these human rights violations are a sign that Museveni at his weakest, thus he is "leaving" anytime soon.

Bobi Wine released the song yesterday on his personal YouTube page as well as the National Unity Platform channel. The song has already racked in nearly 200,000 views in under 24 hours.

The song has also gone viral on other platforms like Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.

Music continues to punctuate the running narratives of Ugandan politics, this is why in October 2015, a group of Uganda’s artistes launched “Tubonga Nawe” to boost Museveni’s 2016 presidential bid. 

Museveni himself has two song credits to his name, ‘You want another rap,’ in 2006, and ‘Kwezi,’ released towards the close of 2015.

Museveni’s erstwhile foremost political opponent, Col. Dr. Kiiza Besigye, had a song titled ‘Toka kwa bara bara’ sung for him by a little-known artist known as Adam Mulwana. 

Source: Daily Monitor