Posts shared here, here, and here on X (formerly Twitter) claim that Ugandan Opposition Leader Bobi Wine was arrested with heroin at Entebbe Airport. These posts were shared after his return to Uganda and subsequent arrest on October 5, 2023.
Background
Robert Kyagulanyi ‘Bobi Wine’ Ssentamu is a Ugandan musician turned politician who contested in the Ugandan general election in 2021 against President Yoweri Museveni. Wine has been at the forefront of protests against the government leading to his arrest and physical assaults several times.
Bobi claimed that he was arrested and tortured in 2018 for his supposed role in the stoning of Museveni’s vehicle during a campaign. He then lost the presidential election on a National Unity Platform ticket in 2021 after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Museveni, courts that rights groups and the opposition parties have called partisan.
Verification
Bobi Wine was grabbed by security operatives immediately after arriving at Entebbe Airport on the morning of October 5, 2023. The opposition leader was then driven to his home while in custody according to the Uganda Police Force. Police claimed on October 4, 2023, that Bobi’s “Procession was illegal and likely to distract traffic.” This was reportedly the reason for Bobi Wine’s arrest at Entebbe Airport.
“Such a procession has the potential to disrupt the normal flow of traffic, the movement of individuals, and the operations of businesses along the Entebbe – Gayaza highway. It may also attract criminal activities, posing risks to bystanders, motorists, passengers, and businesses through acts of theft or other criminal activities,” the police said in a statement dated October 4, 2023.
A reverse image search reveals that the first image showing Bobi Wine smoking was taken and used as far back as 2018 and posted on Facebook and blog sites.
The image on the bottom right shared alongside Bobi Wine was first used on May 05, 2016, in an article by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The report was about a man arrested for smuggling drugs into Canada through the Edmonton International Airport on April 30, 2016.
Finally, the image on the top right is a screengrab from the politician’s arrest video shared by the National Unity Platform on X. See the screen grab below.
Verdict
Claims that Bobi Wine was caught at Entebbe Airport with heroin are FALSE.
This fact-check was published by Piga Firimbi with technical support from Code for Africa’s PesaCheck newsdesk, through the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA).
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