Uganda bans red beret worn by Bobi Wine and his supporters

Bobi Wine has called his signature red beret a ‘symbol of resistance’ [File: James Akena/ Reuters]

The Uganda government has designated
the red beret as official military
clothing that could land members of
the public who wear them in jail, a
move that essentially bans the uniform
of leading opposition leader Bobi Wine
and his supporters.
Bobi Wine, a pop star turned politician
who has announced he is running for
president against longtime leader
Yoweri Museveni in 2021, has made the
red beret his signature, calling it a
“symbol of resistance”.
However the beret, also worn by some
soldiers, was included in Uganda’s first-
ever gazette of all military clothing,
which states that any member of the
public found in possession of the items
“is liable on conviction to imprisonment
for life”, under section 160 of the 2005
UPDF Act.,

Bobi Wine’s distinctive red berets worn by his
People Power Movement party members has
been assigned to the Uganda People’s Defence
Force (UPDF), thus making it illegal to be worn
by civilians or sold on the streets.
On September 1, 2019 Ugandan Member of
Parliament Robert Kyagulanyi popularly know as
Bobi Wine launched the red beret movement as
part of the People Power Movement’s brand
identity. Bobi Wine has grown in popularity to
become a major challenger for the seat of the
presidency against Uganda’s President Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni.
On September 30, the Ugandan government
gazetted the red beret as part of Uganda
People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) head gears.
Brig Richard Karemire, the UPDF spokesperson
said “The dress code for the UPDF (Uganda
People’s Defence Force) has been gazetted.
The action was endorsed by the top organs of
the army which also commended the dress
committee for concluding the task assigned to
it years back”.

“This beret ban is a sham. It is a blatant
attempt to suffocate a successful threat to the
autocratic status quo. But People Power is
more than a red beret, we are bigger than our
symbol. We are a booming political movement
fighting for the future of Uganda and we will
continue our struggle for democracy,” Bobi
Wine told The Observer.
Bobi Wine has amassed a large support base
comprised mostly of youths. He has been
intimidated, beaten and his driver was
assassinated following a parliamentary by-
election campaign. Bobi Wine’s music has also
been banned from being aired by radio stations
in Uganda.
Bobi Wine’s interest to contest for the 2021
presidential elections will be the biggest
challenge Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni will face. The ban on the beret will
take effect immediately and red beret will no
longer be sold on the streets of Uganda or
worn by individuals who are not part of the
UPDF.
President Museveni has been in power since
1986. In April 2019, Uganda’s Supreme Court
upheld a 2018 Constitutional Court ruling which
allowed President Museveni to contest for life.
The initial age limit for contesting elections in
Uganda was 75 before the constituion was
changed to fit President Museveni’s age.

‘Symbol of resistance’
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert
Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, has not yet
commented on the new rules.
He formally declared his presidential
bid in July at an event in the capital,
Kampala.
Wearing a red tie and red beret, a look
copied by dozens of his supporters at
the event, he said: “On behalf of the
people of Uganda, I am challenging you
(Museveni) to a free and fair election in
2021.”
Reacting to the new rules, a leading
figure in his “People Power” movement
– which he has yet to register as a
political party – said they would not
stop wearing it.
“We shall continue to wear the
revolutionary red berets,” said youth
leader Ivan Boowe.