This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
On October 10, 2019, Ugandans celebrated 57 years of independence, but for Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, it was a day of drama and defiance.
Police had laid siege at his home in Magere, Kampala's outskirts, to stop him from holding a music concert at his beach in Busabala on Lake Victoria. However, Bobi Wine had other plans.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango, Bobi Wine insisted on going ahead with the concert, prompting police to deploy at his home.
But Bobi Wine had already slipped away, appearing in town at around 12pm on a boda boda with a massive crowd following him. Police were caught off guard, and the chase was on.
As Bobi Wine waved to chanting supporters, police tried to grab him from the motorcycle, but their efforts were in vain. Boda boda riders joined the chase, shouting and singing freedom chants.
The pursuit took police through busy streets, including Bombo Road, Arua Park, and Kisekka Market. Bobi Wine jumped off the motorcycle at one point, ran into the New Taxi Park, and exited at Park Nkadde Mall before jumping on another boda boda.
While the chase was on, business in the middle of town came to a standstill. People stood at the balconies of their shops, watching the drama unfold. Some blew vuvuzelas and punched the air ecstatically.
Police patrol cars raved and combed the town for the politician, but the downpour eventually derailed the chase, and Bobi Wine disappeared from sight.
He reappeared in Kamwokya suburb, triggering a fresh chase by police, the military, and other security personnel. However, they were unable to find him, and the search continued for almost two hours.
