Uganda’s place in the Commonwealth is under fresh threat after opposition leader Bobi Wine filed a formal complaint accusing the state of violence, intimidation and grave breaches of democratic standards.
On February 2, 2026, international law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP submitted a detailed dossier to the Commonwealth Secretariat, asking for Uganda to be referred to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). The filing calls for Uganda’s indefinite suspension from the bloc.
The firm acts for Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, and says the situation leaves the Commonwealth with little room to delay.
“The Commonwealth must act now through CMAG engagement, a fact-finding mission and clear consequences such as the indefinite suspension of Uganda,” said Robert Amsterdam, the firm’s founder. “Anything less would signal tolerance of violence and impunity.”
The complaint follows Uganda’s January 15 general election, which handed President Yoweri Museveni a seventh term with 71.65 per cent of the vote. Museveni has now ruled for more than four decades.
Wine and his National Unity Platform finished second with about 24 per cent. They rejected the outcome, describing the election as deeply flawed and pointing to alleged ballot stuffing, arrests of supporters and widespread intimidation.
Human rights groups and election observers raised similar concerns. The United Nations human rights office criticised the pre-election internet shutdown and reports of voter harassment and excessive force during the campaign period.
The dossier also highlights the heavy security presence around Wine’s home after the vote. His lawyers say it amounted to retaliation rather than protection, and was meant to silence dissent.
Amsterdam & Partners argues that Uganda has breached both the Commonwealth Charter and the Harare Declaration, which commit member states to democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
“When senior commanders publicly threaten an opposition leader and the state fails to disown those threats, responsibility rests at the highest level,” the firm said in its submission.
A major focus of the filing is a series of social media posts by Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also President Museveni’s son. In the posts, he made violent remarks directed at opposition supporters and Bobi Wine.
The Ugandan government has not publicly condemned or distanced itself from those comments. Wine’s lawyers say that silence places his safety, and that of his family, at serious risk.
The firm is asking for three actions: an immediate CMAG referral, clear security guarantees for Wine and his family, and coordinated international sanctions against Uganda.
Uganda’s authorities have previously defended the election process, saying the vote reflected the will of the people and that security measures were necessary to maintain order. They have also argued that internet restrictions were meant to curb misinformation.
The Commonwealth has not yet responded publicly to the dossier. Whether it chooses to investigate or take punitive action now looms as a critical test of its commitment to its own democratic principles.