Mr Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine)
Kampala- Kyadondo East Member of Parliament, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine’s brother has narrated how events preceding his arrest unfolded during a campaign rally in the Arua Municipality by-election up to his incarceration in Makindye Military Barracks.
Mr Eddy Yawe, an elder brother to Mr Kyagulanyi, during a press conference in Kampala yesterday said when they visited the legislator in Makindye barracks last Friday, they could hardly recognise him because his face was deformed.
“As they put him before us, he started to narrate after exchanging painful pleasantries with his wife. He told us that he is not well and you could easily see that,” Mr Yawe said.
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He was in the company of Ms Barbara Itungo, Mr Kyagulanyi’s wife, his young brother Michael Mukwaya also known as Mickie Wine, and other artistes.
His arrest
“Bobi Wine told us that after the successful rally that evening, they returned to their hotel room to rest. A few minutes after 8pm, Bobi Wine had gunshots outside. He descended from upstairs to see what was happening. Friends advised that he stays in his room since the gunshots had been fired at his driver [Yasiin Kawuma]. Despite his persistence, he was forcefully taken back to his room,” he said.
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“At 8.30pm, he heard rooms of the hotel being broken into. People wailed as they were taken out. The noise stopped at about 10.40pm. By around 3am, they came back and this time headed straight to his door in the hotel. Just before they could open the door wide, Bobi Wine put up his hands and told them that he did not have any problem. He had Shs3.7m, which he had put in his stockings together with his cellular phone. He was told to kneel by a group of about 15-17 uniformed men.
Bobi Wine and family. COURTESY PHOTO
One of soldiers said… you disturbed us in Jinja, you went to Bugiri and disturbed us and now you want to do the same here … The men hit him with an iron bar on the head, ransacking him and pulled his genitals until he lost his consciousness.”
“He gained his consciousness when the guards told him he was in Gulu. When he went to urinate, he was passing out more blood than urine. Bobi Wine was then carried to a room he says was like a meeting room but could hardly recognise the people there. After the meeting, he was airlifted to Makindye Military Barracks on Thursday night.”
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Yesterday President Museveni issued a statement saying Bobi Wine had no head and chest injuries and did not sustain any damages on the internal organs.
Mr Yawe said as Bobi Wine was narrating, one noticeable thing was that he struggled to catch his breath. “He said he was feeling a lot of pain in the chest and head. His head had a big cut and several other small ones. His ears were bruised too. He sat leaning backwards and he could not support himself on his buttocks. His left leg had a big black spot around the hip and the leg looked weaker. His face and lips were swollen with only one eye open,” he said.
Bobi Wine’s wife Barbara Itungo and members of his legal team at Gulu Military Barracks. PHOTO BY JULIUS OCUNGI
Adding “When Barbie went to see him yesterday [Saturday], she communicated that they could be using very strong drugs on him and the wounds had dried up already.
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The swollen face was shrinking and Bobi Wine was able to talk. We call upon those who can help to come and see that our brother is given back to us so that his personal doctors can work on him.”
Editor’s note:
The Monitor contacted Army Spokesman, Brig Richard Karemire, to grant our reporters access to Bobi Wine but he had not responded to our request by Monday.
editorial@ug.nationmedia.com