Kampala, Uganda – July 2025
As the 2026 general election cycle nears, tensions in Uganda are rising once again — not on the streets, but in the banks and budgets of opposition figures.
Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine, says his National Unity Platform (NUP) is facing a new wave of state repression — this time via financial sabotage.
Over the past six months, Ugandan authorities have reportedly frozen bank accounts linked to the NUP, blocked donor transfers, and harassed businesses believed to be affiliated with opposition supporters.
“They want to strangle us economically so that we can’t organize, can’t print posters, can’t even pay lawyers,” said Bobi Wine in a press briefing in Kampala. “This is a financial war.”
Observers say the Ugandan government is using non-violent but deeply coercive tools to undermine dissent: – Tax audits on opposition-linked NGOs – Banking restrictions on campaign-related transactions – State pressure on telecoms to limit mobile money transfers to activist circles
Analysts describe this as a textbook case of "financial authoritarianism" — a tactic increasingly used across Africa to weaken opposition movements without drawing the global scrutiny that arrests or disappearances might provoke.
“It’s repression by spreadsheet,” said constitutional lawyer Sarah Amony. “It’s harder to document and easier to deny—but just as effective.”
Bobi Wine, a pop-star-turned-politician, emerged as the most potent challenger to President Yoweri Museveni, who has ruled Uganda since 1986. After a tense and violence-marred 2021 election, in which Wine was placed under house arrest, the NUP has struggled to maintain momentum under constant state pressure.
The Ugandan government denies political interference in banking operations. Officials claim the measures are aimed at curbing money laundering and foreign interference.
However, human rights groups say the pattern mirrors similar crackdowns in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Egypt, where ruling parties have weaponized the financial system against their critics.
Despite the obstacles, Bobi Wine vows to press forward with voter mobilization, diaspora outreach, and digital campaigns.
“They may block our wallets, but they can’t block the will of the people,” he said defiantly.
With international donors closely watching Uganda's political climate, some have called for targeted sanctions against officials found to be abusing financial institutions for political ends.