Ugandan pop star Bobi Wine formally declares presidential bid to run against President Yoweri Museveni in 2021

Controversial Ugandan singer and politician, Bobi Wine has officially announced that he will run for president in the country’s 2021 national elections.

The 37-year-old whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, will challenge President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for 33 years.

“On behalf of the people of Uganda, I am challenging you (Museveni) to a free and fair election in 2021,” the singer said on Wednesday at an event in the capital, Kampala.

“I know the danger I am going to face to challenge Museveni but I have been encouraged by Ugandans that I am the leader they want,” he later told AFP news agency.

“We came to the conclusion that we as a generation must challenge President Museveni,” Bobi Wine told Al Jazeera.

“We are not going to wait for anybody else, but we ourselves [will do this]. Right now, as we speak, we are resolved to challenge president Museveni, and my team believes that I can best represent our generation in this cause,” he added. 

The singer, who has been an MP for two years calls himself the “ghetto president”, and is a fierce critic of Mr. Museveni. Bobi Wine portrays himself as a champion of the poor and sings about social justice and democracy.

Bobi Wine first came to prominence in 2017 when, as an independent candidate, he won an election to represent a constituency near Kampala.

He has faced repeated arrests. The controversial singer was most recently arrested in April for allegedly staging an illegal protest last year, but was released from jail after a few days.

Bobi is also facing treason charges after being arrested with 30 other opposition politicians in August last year for allegedly stoning Museveni’s convoy following a campaign rally. But the singer denied the charges and was freed on bail.