Opposition leader Bobi Wine has criticised the country’s expanding oil exploration agenda, warning that the anticipated petroleum revenues could entrench authoritarian rule rather than benefit citizens.
In an interview with Bloomberg while in self-imposed exile in the United States, Bobi Wine linked Uganda’s oil ambitions to what he described as a deteriorating political environment marked by repression and militarisation.
“Today the leaders that we have are ruling us at gunpoint, and when our oil starts flowing, that’s going to be a greater danger,” he said.
Uganda is preparing to launch a new oil licensing round in the 2026/27 financial year, targeting additional exploration blocks in the Albertine Graben, as well as frontier basins in Moroto-Kadam and Kyoga.
The Albertine Graben remains the country’s most significant petroleum basin, with an estimated 6.5 billion barrels of oil, though a large portion remains unexplored.
Authorities have consistently defended the expansion, arguing that oil development will drive economic growth, create jobs, and boost national revenues.
The government has also moved to accelerate exploration in previously underdeveloped regions in a bid to widen the country’s resource base.
However, Bobi Wine warned that without political reforms, the oil sector could deepen existing inequalities and strengthen state control.
He said he is engaging US senators to push for targeted sanctions against President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, over alleged human rights abuses.
The opposition leader also disclosed that he is seeking meetings with American companies to discourage investment in Uganda, citing concerns over a recently enacted law that critics argue could restrict foreign funding to opposition groups and civil society organisations.
Bobi Wine, who contested the January presidential election under tight security and later fled the country following a military raid on his home, said the international community has failed to respond adequately to the situation in Uganda.
“It’s the complacency of the international community that has brought Uganda to this level,” he said.
“If what is happening in Uganda was happening in any other country, especially in Europe, then it would not be tolerated.”