‘This too shall pass’ – Lucky Mbabazi pens heartwarming message to Barbie Itungo

Media personality and Capital FM presenter Lucky Mbabazi took to social media to send a heartfelt message of support to Barbara “Barbie” Kyagulanyi Itungo, wife of Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, amid a tense and troubling period for the family. 

In his message he wrote: “Dear Barbie, I know you already know this but I just wanted to remind you that you are a strong, loving, intelligent woman.”

She added, “I know certain things happen in our lives that make us doubt our worth, but I am here to remind you that you are loved, appreciated and you are enough. Sending you love and healing energies. This too shall pass.” 

The post which had 100,000 views was widely shared on X.

The message came hours after Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni, posted a photograph of Barbie taken by soldiers during a military raid on the family’s home in Magere, Wakiso District near Kampala. 

The image showed Barbie crouching on the floor in her nightdress and without shoes, while a tall Uganda People’s Defence Force officer brandished a machine gun above her. 

Gen Kainerugaba claimed that soldiers had “captured and then released Kabobi’s wife Barbie” and boasted that she had been “helpful in helping us find her husband.”

The military incursion on 23 January 2026 was part of a broader operation targeting Bobi Wine, who has rejected the official results of the disputed 15 January presidential election and is currently in hiding. 

According to Mr Wine’s account, hundreds of soldiers broke down doors, smashed windows, and ransacked the residence while searching for him. He alleges that Barbie was held at gunpoint, assaulted and pressured to reveal his whereabouts before being taken to hospital with bruises and psychological trauma. 

The raid, he said, also saw soldiers seize phones, laptops and other electronic equipment. Barbie has since been receiving treatment for her injuries and emotional distress at a Kampala hospital.

Barbie’s plight has drawn condemnation from rights groups and legal bodies who argue that such actions contravene constitutional protections and basic human rights.

The Uganda Law Society described the invasion and subsequent restrictions on the family’s movements as arbitrary and degrading, while international observers have raised alarm over reports of violence against opposition figures following the contested election.