Ugandan opposition candidate Bobi Wine rallies in Kampala slum where he grew up

Ugandan opposition candidate Bobi Wine brought his presidential campaign to the Kampala slum where he grew up ahead of Thursday’s elections.

Wine is challenging incumbent Yoweri Museveni, for a second time. In 2021, he took 35 percent of the vote to Museveni’s 58 percent, establishing Wine as a serious contender for the power.

The 43-year-old singer turned politician has a strong following among working class people in urban areas. But his rallies have seen violent crackdowns by security forces using tear gas and beatings against his supporters.

Museveni has been in office since 1986. Term and age limits have been scrapped to allow him to run for a seventh time.

Wine, the most prominent of seven opposition candidates, has urged supporters to show courage before the security forces, although he has not called outright for protests. He said he wants his supporters to cast “protest votes” in large numbers against Museveni's party on election day.

The general elections on 15 January will elect the president and parliament.