'From bad to worse': Ugandan opposition figure describes struggle ahead of next year's vote

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Opposition figure Bobi Wine said the political climate in Uganda has “gone from bad to worse” ahead of presidential polls set for early next year, citing threats to himself and other activists mobilizing against the longtime president.

Wine, a singer-turned-lawmaker whose real name is Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, said the threats he faces as President Yoweri Museveni’s main opponent “come in no unclear terms.”

Fears for Wine's safety have grown in recent months, fueled by regular attacks on X from Museveni’s son and presumptive heir, army chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba. In January, Kainerugaba wrote he “would cut off” Wine’s head if the president allowed it, and he drew widespread criticism in May for saying he was holding Wine’s missing bodyguard “in my basement.” The bodyguard later appeared unable to walk without support when presented in court, the apparent victim of torture.

“It’s a constant reminder that the threat is real, because this is no ordinary person,” Wine said, speaking of Gen. Kainerugaba. “This is a person that is not only the son of the person in charge of the country but is also the person in charge of all the organs of violence. He heads the military, the police, the prisons, you know. He is above the law, and he has acted as such.”

Wine, 43, spoke to The Associated Press in an exclusive interview at the headquarters of his National Unity Platform party in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, a site briefly occupied by security forces in a raid last month.

Museveni, 80, who has ruled Uganda since 1986, dismisses Wine as an agent of foreign interests and has even questioned his patriotism. But Wine, who denies the allegations, has a large following among working-class people in urban areas, and his party has the most seats of any opposition party in Parliament.

In the 2021 election, Wine secured 35% of the vote, while Museveni, with 58%, posted his worst-ever result, establishing Wine as the president's most potent challenger in decades. Wine alleged his victory was stolen through widespread ballot stuffing and other malpractices. Electoral authorities disputed the allegations.

Wine’s party claims dozens of its followers have been jailed or disappeared since 2021. For Wine, the attacks are meant to “send fear down the nerves of all those that work with me and all those that stand for what I stand for.”

Wine and Museveni are set to face each other again in presidential polls scheduled for January 2026.

Museveni has been campaigning in recent days in Kampala as he tries to bolster his chances among people likely to support Wine, urban dwellers often without a reliable source of income and who hope a change of government will benefit them.

Wine often describes himself as a “ghetto president,” citing his early days in a poor neighborhood in Kampala. He has maintained a high profile in this East African nation since the early 2000s, when he rose to fame as a singer whose dancehall music captivated audiences. Wine’s compositions later grew critical of the government, earning him a reputation as a prominent contrarian while his musical peers were sometimes seen to be supportive of the government.

His election to a parliamentary seat in 2017 marked his formal entry into national politics.

Wine told the AP he is mobilizing his supporters to show up in what he calls a “protest vote” against everything he believes is wrong with the government. But his attempts to hold rallies across the country are often thwarted by security forces who cite a need to protect public order.

Kainerugaba, the army chief, recently said that government-provided guards will protect all presidential candidates, a warning to Wine and others against making private security arrangements. Kainerugaba's stated presidential ambitions have exacerbated fears of family rule in a country that has never witnessed a peaceful transfer of power since independence in 1962.

“It speaks of state capture. It speaks of impunity. It speaks of family rule,” Wine said about the threats from Kainerugaba.

Yet, he said, his resistance has only increased in the face of pressure.

“Our resolve has become firmer," he said.

Ugandan singer, politician, and opposition figure Bobi Wine poses for a photo at his political party office (National Unity Platform) in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Ugandan singer, politician, and opposition figure Bobi Wine walks out of his political party office (National Unity Platform) in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Ugandan singer, politician, and opposition figure Bobi Wine speaks to The Associated Press at his political party office (National Unity Platform) in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Ugandan singer, politician, and opposition figure Bobi Wine speaks to The Associated Press at his political party office (National Unity Platform) in Kampala, Uganda, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thursday was the final day to select an Affordable Care Act health insurance plan across much of the country, as the expiration of federal subsidies drives up health costs and lawmakers remain locked in a debate over how to address the issue.

That's when the open enrollment window ends in most states for plans that start in February. About 10 states that run their own marketplaces have later deadlines, or have extended them to the end of the month to give their residents more time.

The date is a crucial one for millions of small business owners, gig workers, farmers, ranchers and others who don't get their health insurance from a job and therefore rely on marketplace plans. A record 24 million Americans purchased Affordable Care Act health plans last year.

But this year, their decisions over health coverage have been more difficult than usual as clarity over how much it will cost is hard to come by. And so far, enrollment is lagging behind last year's numbers — with about 22.8 million Americans having signed up so far, according to federal data.

Last year, for months, it was unclear whether Congress would allow for the end-of-year expiration of COVID-era expanded subsidies that had offset costs for more than 90% of enrollees. Democrats forced a record-long government shutdown over the issue, but still couldn't get a deal done. So the subsidies expired Jan. 1, leaving the average subsidized enrollee with more than double the monthly premium costs for 2026, according to an analysis from the health care nonprofit KFF.

Still, the question of whether Congress would resurrect the tax credits loomed over Washington. Several enrollees told The Associated Press they have either delayed signing up for coverage or signed up with a plan to cancel as they anxiously watch what's happening on Capitol Hill.

Last week, the House passed a three-year extension of the subsidies after 17 Republicans joined with Democrats against the wishes of Republican leaders. But the Senate rejected a similar bill last year.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has been leading a bipartisan group of 12 senators trying to devise a compromise and said this week that he expects to have a proposal by the end of the month. The contours of the senators’ bipartisan plan involves a two-year deal that would extend the enhanced subsidies while adding new limits on who can receive them. The proposal would also create the option, in the second year, of a new health savings account that President Donald Trump and Republicans prefer.

Under the deal being discussed, the ACA open enrollment period would be extended to March 1 of this year to allow people more time to figure out their coverage plans after the disruption.

Still, Republicans and Democrats say they have not completed the plan, and the two sides have yet to agree if there should be new limits on whether states can use separate funds for abortion coverage.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced outlines of a plan he wants Congress to consider that would. It would, among other things, redirect ACA subsidies into health savings accounts that go directly to consumers. Democrats have largely rebuffed this idea as inadequate for offsetting health costs for most people.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro contributed from Washington.

FILE - Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York, Aug. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)