FABRICATED: Viral TikTok Falsely Claims Museveni Endorsed Bobi Wine and Blamed Security Forces
A video circulating on TikTok claims to show President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni making extraordinary remarks in support of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine. In the clip, Museveni is portrayed as admitting fear, accusing police and the army of targeting Bobi Wine, blaming his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba for giving orders to security forces, and urging Ugandans, particularly Banyankole to vote for Bobi Wine in the 2026 elections.
@mkbmedia1 #tiktokuganda🇺🇬🇺🇬🇺🇬 #capcut #fyp ♬ original sound – MKB
The video has been widely shared with captions presenting it as evidence of a dramatic political reversal and internal conflict within Uganda’s ruling establishment.
However, the claim is false. The video uses authentic visuals of President Museveni but overlays fabricated, AI-generated dialogue that does not correspond to his actual speech.
BACKGROUND
Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) is the president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the leading opposition figure in Uganda ahead of the 2026 general elections. His political messaging has consistently criticised President Museveni, the security forces, and the conduct of past elections.
President Yoweri Museveni is the long-serving leader of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and its presidential candidate for the 2026 elections. His campaign speeches typically emphasise stability, development, and continuity, and he has repeatedly criticised opposition leaders, including Bobi Wine.
During election cycles in Uganda, fact-checkers have repeatedly documented cases where AI-generated audio, manipulated subtitles, or altered videos are used to falsely attribute statements to public figures in order to mislead voters. This pattern has been identified and assessed using verification frameworks such as the Debunk Media Initiative’s InfoVerifier tool, which supports source tracing, context analysis, and detection of manipulated audiovisual content.
The viral TikTok video presents footage of President Museveni at a campaign event and attributes the following statements to him:
- That Bobi Wine reported him to international media outlets such as the BBC and CNN
- That he supports Bobi Wine to “take the chair in peace”
- That the police and army are not following his orders and instead take orders from his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba
- That the Electoral Commission should ensure free and fair elections
- That security forces unfairly target Bobi Wine and his supporters
The video presents these remarks as having been said during a public campaign address.
VIDEO VERIFICATION AND CONTEXT
Our verification traced the original footage used in the viral clip to a video published by UBC Media on youtube titled “2026 Presidential Campaigns: NRM Candidate Yoweri Museveni Campaigns in Kalangala District”, after screenshots from the viral video were taken and subjected to Google Reverse Image Search to identify the earliest and original source of the footage.
A review of the full‑length UBC broadcast shows President Museveni addressing supporters on campaign themes and development issues. None of the statements attributed to him in the TikTok video appear in the original recording.
A comparison between the UBC footage and the viral TikTok clip shows that while the visuals match, the audio in the viral version does not align with Museveni’s actual speech. The voice in the TikTok video exhibits indicators of AI-generated or AI-manipulated speech, including unnatural phrasing, inconsistent tone, and a mismatch between lip movements and spoken words.
No complete or unedited recording from any credible source shows Museveni making the alleged remarks.
INDICATORS OF MANIPULATION:
Several elements indicate deliberate fabrication:
Mismatch Between Audio and Visuals
The spoken words in the TikTok clip do not correspond with Museveni’s lip movements or the rhythm of his original speech in the UBC footage.
AI‑Generated Speech Characteristics
The audio contains unnatural pauses, inconsistent emphasis, and phrasing inconsistent with Museveni’s known speaking style in live addresses.
Absence of Corroborating Sources
There is no record of such remarks on official State House platforms, NRM channels, or in coverage by reputable Ugandan or international media.
Contradiction With Public Record
The alleged statements directly contradict Museveni’s long‑standing public positions toward Bobi Wine, the Electoral Commission, and the security forces.
TOOLS OF VERIFICATION:
To assess the claim, we used the following verification methods:
- Debunk Media Initiative’s InfoVerifier tool to guide source tracing, context verification, and assessment of potential audiovisual manipulation
- Google Reverse Image Search, using screenshots extracted from the viral TikTok video, to trace the footage to its original publication by UBC Media
- Primary source review of the full-length UBC campaign video on YouTube
- Audio-visual comparison between the authentic broadcast footage and the viral clip to assess lip-sync accuracy and speech consistency
- Contextual analysis comparing the alleged remarks with President Museveni’s documented public statements
- Cross-media checks across reputable Ugandan and international media to confirm whether any credible outlet reported such remarks
VERDICT: FABRICATED
The TikTok video falsely claims that President Museveni endorsed Bobi Wine, blamed security forces, and admitted loss of control over the police and army. While the visuals are authentic, the dialogue is AI‑generated and fabricated, creating a political statement that was never made.
The claim relies on manipulated audiovisual content and should not be treated as a factual account of events.
This fact‑check/story was produced by Masai Joel with support from Debunk Media Initiative and BBC Media Action.