Ugandan police on Wednesday forcibly shut down a Boxing Day concert organized by musician-turned-politician Robert Kyagulanyi, better known as Bobi Wine.
The disruption came just a day after Uganda Police Force spokesperson Emilian Kayima told The Daily Monitor that the event had not been approved.
“We shall be at Busabala Beach to disperse revelers because we are protecting them,” Kayima said. “As far as I’m concerned, this concert wasn’t cleared because the required procedures were not followed.”
According to posts shared by Bobi Wine on X (formerly Twitter), police blocked all roads leading to the concert venue — One Love Beach in Busabala — and dispersed crowds using tear gas and water cannons.
The artist, who is also the Member of Parliament for Kyaddondo East, said the security forces had earlier disrupted two Christmas Day events where he had been scheduled to perform.
Bobi Wine dismissed Kayima’s claims, insisting that the organizers had notified authorities and fulfilled all legal requirements for the show.
“As they’ve done recently, the police never responded to our letters until last night, when they showed up to disrupt the event,” he wrote. “This was after we had already invested heavily in advertising and other preparations.”
He added that the officers on the ground refused to be filmed, claiming they were only following ‘orders from above.’
In a direct message to President Yoweri Museveni, the opposition leader accused the government of using intimidation to silence him:
“Through these actions, you are revealing who you truly are — a brutal, cold, and cowardly despot,” he wrote. “You think you’re hurting me and my associates by blocking our sources of income, but the world is watching.”
Bobi Wine later described the atmosphere at the venue as “tense”, saying that police had turned the beach into a war zone.
“As if last night’s raid wasn’t enough, this morning they blocked the roads leading to the beach and announced that our Boxing Day show is off,” he said in a post shared with photos from the scene.
Oh no, not another concert shutdown! Why does this keep happening to Bobi Wine? 🤔
Is it true that Bobi Wine actually had all the necessary permits? This seems so unfair!
The police say it’s for protection, but aren’t they just causing more chaos? 🤨
Thanks for the update! I hope Bobi Wine stays safe during all this turmoil. 🙏
Typical government tactics to suppress opposition voices. When will this end?
Did Bobi Wine really call the president a “cowardly despot”? That’s bold! 😲
Does anyone else think shutting down a concert with tear gas is overkill?
Why do they always wait until the last minute to shut these things down?