Kampala, Uganda – Uganda’s leading opposition figure Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine has once again struck a bold chord in the nation’s conscience, this time not in defense of opposition supporter but for a missing police officer, Twine Charles who was reportedly abducted by Special Forces Command (SFC) operatives.
In a powerful statement released via his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Bobi Wine urged Ugandans to rise above political divisions and call for accountability, due process and lawful treatment for all citizens even those who once upheld the very system accused of repression.
Twine Charles, a senior police officer with the Uganda Police Force, was allegedly picked up from the Police Headquarters last Wednesday, May 14 by unidentified operatives from the elite Special Forces Command (SFC).
Since then, according to reports from several media outlets and insiders, his whereabouts have remained unknown triggering alarm from both his family and now surprisingly from the heart of the opposition.
No formal charges have been brought forward and neither the Uganda Police Force nor the SFC has issued an official statement confirming his detention a development that further fuels the speculation and growing public anxiety.
In his post, Bobi Wine did not hold back, pointing out the irony that Twine once a vocal defender of the regime’s crackdowns has now fallen victim to the very system he once protected.
“Although he often justified repression and spoke with great insensitivity about the oppression and suffering of the people of Uganda, I implore us to demand for the fair treatment of Twine Charles,” Bobi Wine wrote.
With a sense of poetic justice and grim urgency, the opposition leader added:
“No one is safe in a sinking boat. Assuredly, everyone will taste the effects of military rule, one way or another…”
His words have since sparked debate, sympathy, criticism and renewed questions about the unchecked power of Uganda’s security forces, particularly the SFC an elite unit tasked with safeguarding top political and national assets but one that has repeatedly been accused of extrajudicial actions, torture and illegal detentions.
Twine Charles’ disappearance comes just before State House Uganda acknowledged another case of alleged SFC abuse, involving Ugandan citizen Mark Agaba and announced an internal investigation.
This pattern of disappearances, silence and denial has left many Ugandans anxious. For Bobi Wine and other rights advocates, this is not about party lines anymore, it’s about basic humanity and the rule of law.
In a country where political loyalty often trumps justice, Bobi Wine’s call to defend a regime affiliated police officer may represent a rare moment of unity rallying cry to reassess national values.
By asking Ugandans to protect even those who may have persecuted them, Bobi Wine seeks to emphasize a principle larger than politics, that no Ugandan should be subjected to arbitrary detention, torture or disappearance regardless of affiliation.
“His family deserves to know where he is and to have reasonable access to him,” Bobi Wine wrote, reminding the nation that constitutional rights are not optional they’re owed.
Also Read: State House Orders Internal Probe After Allegations of Abuse by Special Forces Officers
