Bobi Wine: Dictators in Africa are funded by the West

Uganda’s opposition party National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, now claims that Western nations have largely contributed to dictatorship in the  East African nation and the continent, at large.

While citing his country Uganda, which he referred to as a dictatorship, Wine alleged that the country’s President Yoweri Museveni has been able to stay in power for so long due to continued support from foreign nations.

“Dictators in Africa are largely funded by the West. General Idi Amin was funded by the West until they were tired of him. General Museveni receives a lot of money up to a billion dollars annually,” he said in an interview with Citizen TV on Thursday night.

Wine went on to say that the West should have a role in Uganda’s politics by cutting their funding to the country’s government, which he equated to promoting impunity.

According to the musician-turned-politician, Uganda under President Museveni is slowly turning into a monarchy and thus the West should chip in and sanction the long-serving leader who is in his 36-year-reign just like it has other leaders in the continent.

“When Mugabe did to people of Zimbabwe what Museveni is doing, he was sanctioned…when all other dictators around the world have been sanctioned, why is Museveni not sanctioned?” He posed.

“We are tempted to believe he is agent of neo-colonialism in Uganda, today we are being colonized by the black people.”

Consequently, Wine dismissed claims that he is a Western puppet, further pointing an accusing finger towards Museveni.

He argued that despite Museveni allegedly violating the Constitution on more than one occasion, the West has continued to fund him and protect his reign.

“General Museveni has reduced Uganda to his personal property... this is the kind of person who goes on national television and says my oil,” he remarked.

 “General Museveni is the puppet of the West...the West does not pay me, it pays and protects General Museveni, it turns a blind eye on illegalities of Museveni."