FALSE: No Verified Evidence That Bobi Wine Planned to Kidnap Himself or Mobilise Youth to Cause Violence

Background
A post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by a user named “Mr Jordan” (@MrJordanposts) claims that Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, is “planning to kidnap himself” and has “promised mobilised young people to cause chaos so that they loot property and kill millions of Ugandans.”

After failing to bury the Photoshop shame, IPOD saga, here comes a weed smoker called Bobi Wine Kyagulanyi planning to KIDNAP himself as he has promised the mobilized young people to cause chaos so that they loot property, kill millions of Ugandans!

Stay alert Uganda!!!! pic.twitter.com/vYchZ1oSpe

— 𝐌𝐑. 𝐉𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐍 (@MrJordanposts) October 21, 2025

The post features three images:

1. Bobi Wine appears to smoke.

2. Bobi Wine is sitting near a swimming pool, lighting a cigar.

3. A group of young men dressed in red berets and uniforms, associated with the People Power movement.

As of this publication, the tweet has garnered 27.6 thousand views, 126 comments, 116 reposts, and 150 likes, indicating significant traction across Ugandan social media despite the lack of verification.

Claim
Bobi Wine is planning to kidnap himself and has mobilised young people to loot property and kill Ugandans.

Verification

1. Image Analysis: Are the images used related to the context of the claims?

Smoking and Cigar Photos:
A reverse image search and manual trace confirm that the photo of Bobi Wine lighting a cigar was originally posted on his official Facebook page on April 30th, 2015, under a post written in Luganda titled “Obulamu bwa kiseera kati nze atanywa mwenge kanywemu taaba nga bajjajjange…” The caption refers to traditional leisure habits and cultural reflections — it does not refer to self-kidnapping, violence, or political mobilisation.

This confirms that the image was real but repurposed out of context to push a false political narrative.

Another reverse image search shows that the photo of Bobi Wine holding a cigar, which appears in the viral tweet, is not new. The image was first used roughly 13 years ago as the cover photo for a SoundCloud upload of Bobi Wine’s song “Jennife (X-Mix Planet DJ’s)”. 

This confirms that the viral tweet reused an old photo, not a recent image connected to any political mobilisation or violent activity.

Group Photo of NUP Supporters
A reverse image search of the photo showing Bobi Wine addressing uniformed supporters leads to a verified X post dated September 27, 2024, by user @lawrenceKato2

The accompanying video shows Bobi Wine speaking to his supporters peacefully, with no mention or indication of violence, looting, or self-kidnapping. This verifies that the image in the viral tweet was taken from a legitimate event, a stopover in Mbarara after a burial, but is being misrepresented to suggest a violent agenda.

2. Claim Context and Source Check

The “self-kidnap” allegation originated from Ugandan police in January 2021, who claimed Bobi Wine intended to stage his own abduction after the presidential election, as reported by the media. However, Bobi Wine denied this claim publicly, calling it “ridiculous” and part of a wider smear campaign.

No credible reporting from Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda, The Observer, or other mainstream outlets confirms any current or renewed plot of this nature.

Additionally, there are no public statements, press releases, or verified social media posts from Bobi Wine or the National Unity Platform (NUP) supporting or refuting the claim that he has encouraged violence or the killing of Ugandans.

Contextual Review

Bobi Wine remains one of Uganda’s main opposition figures and has faced repeated smear campaigns, especially during politically sensitive periods.
Images of him smoking or performing in casual settings are often re-captioned and reused online to paint him in a negative light as unworthy of the presidency based on his background and past choices.

The claim in this tweet fits a pattern of misinformation targeting opposition figures through exaggerated or fabricated allegations of violence.

Methodology:

• Reverse image search of all images in the viral post.

• Tracing the original Facebook source of the cigar photo.

• Keyword and phrase searches for “Bobi Wine kidnaps himself” and “Bobi Wine mobilised youth chaos” across major Ugandan news outlets.

• Review of Bobi Wine’s verified Facebook, X/Twitter, and NUP pages.

Verdict: False. The viral tweet’s claim that Bobi Wine is planning to kidnap himself and mobilise youth to loot property or kill Ugandans is unsupported by any credible evidence.
While one of the images used originates from Bobi Wine’s verified Facebook page, it is taken out of context. There are no verified reports, statements, or investigations confirming the alleged plan. The post constitutes politically motivated misinformation aimed at discrediting Bobi Wine and his supporters.