Uganda's military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba has denied claims that soldiers assaulted Barbara Kyagulanyi, the wife of opposition leader Bobi Wine, during a raid at their home.
Wine, who is in hiding, alleged on Saturday that his wife was held at gunpoint by military officers who assaulted her, taking away documents and electronic items. He said the house continued to be surrounded by the military.
Speaking from hospital, Barbara Kyagulanyi said the officers had demanded to know Wine's whereabouts and had assaulted her when she refused.
It comes after the recent landslide victory of long-serving leader, and Kainerugaba's father, President Yoweri Museveni. Wine rejected the results citing fraud.
On Monday, the general posted on X that my soldiers did not beat up Barbie [Bobi Wine's] wife. He added, First of all, we do not beat up women. They are not worth our time. We are looking for her cowardly husband not her, he said.
Since Museveni was announced the winner of the 15 January election, the military chief has demanded Wine's surrender and has issued death threats against him.
Wine said on Monday that Kainerugaba was still looking for him and issuing threats to harm me and thanked the people for continuing to keep him safe.
His wife continues to recover from the trauma of an overnight raid and assault.
Barbara Kyagulanyi described how dozens of men broke into her house, some in military uniform, harassing and assaulting her. She recounted how the officer had hit her on the face, leaving her with visible injuries, and stated she passed out following the incident.
According to Wine, she was taken to hospital with both physical and psychological trauma.
Since the election, the opposition has alleged that its supporters have been targeted by the security forces, with Kainerugaba stating that security officers had killed 30 supporters of the opposition National Unity Party (NUP) led by Wine and detained 2,000 others.
The Uganda Law Society condemned the ongoing wave of detentions, torture and enforced disappearance of opposition leaders and supporters, emphasizing that no one should face violence under the guise of national security.
At a glance, Uganda has seen no peaceful transfer of presidential power since independence, as Museveni marks nearly 37 years in power, with tensions over governance and treatment of political dissenters rising sharply in recent days.
