Bobi Wine and wife stuck with an 18month old baby (relative) at his Kampala home, which has been surrounded by military and police personnel. The baby’s father is being prevented from picking her up| Credit | Courtesy

The #FreeBobiWine is trending in Kenya amid reported house arrest of the Ugandan young politician.

Two days after Uganda’s electoral commission announced that President Yoweri Museveni had decisively won last week’s ballot, Wine and his wife, Barbara, remained under house arrest at their home in Magere, just north of the capital, Kampala.

Bobi Wine, also known as Robert Kyagulanyi, then appealed to “fellow citizens of the world” to help him as he remained under house arrest with riot police and troops stationed outside his home.

On Monday, his lawyers tried to get access to the politician. But they were unsuccessful as police detail their presence at his residence.

Some Twitter users took to the social medium to echo his call to release him, with some encouraging the musician-turned politician to stay strong.

“They may have stolen your Victory! But they have not stolen your spirit, Keep on fighting! Never give U,” tweeted Katoi James.

Maintaining your calm even in the face of a storm is a superpower, it is an underrated one though✌️.#FreeBobiWine #depression

— Ogbeni Que-D? (@qudusyusuf15) January 20, 2021

Others called upon the African Union to intervene.

Even after using security agents to rig #UgandaDecides the tyrant Museveni has continued to place @HEBobiwine who won the elections in house arrest and African Union is silent. The world is silent #FreeBobiWine

— Lastborn GOA (@Agbadua) January 20, 2021

Wine, 38, of National Unity Platform, was among the 10 candidates challenging President Yoweri Museveni in the Thursday’s presidential election in which Museveni was declared a winner with 58.6 per cent of the votes while wine scooped 34.8 per cent.

Yusuf Serunkuma, a social researcher at Makerere University, thinks Museveni is worried about Wine’s ability to mobilize the street, reported CBC.

The 2018 protests in the Sudan, which led to the ousting of president Omar al-Bashir after 30 years in power, offer a fresh reminder of what public demonstrations can do.

He says it is clear Museveni is trying to prevent him from speaking to his supporters.

“[The government is] worried I will make a statement that will make the people go active. We’ve been telling the people of Uganda and we continue to tell them that they must be non-violent, but that they must be assertive.”

Bobi Wine has a right like all of us to access anything that he would wish for. If all went right during voting time , why do you hold him under house arrest #FreeBobiWine to prove your innocence and transparency

— July ?Queen❤️ (@Sheebah933) January 20, 2021