By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda’s main opposition party the National Unity Platform (NUP) recently took legal action demanding the immediate release of the head of security for party president Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine. This followed NUPs’ legal team filing a Habeas Corpus challenging the abduction of Edward Rogers Ssebuufu, known as Eddie Mutwe, who was allegedly abducted over the weekend.
Legal action announcement
The announcement was made by NUP President Kyagulanyi while addressing journalists on 29th April 2025 at the party headquarters in Kampala. He said that the party’s legal team had petitioned the courts to compel the state to either release Eddie Mutwe or produce him before court. He also reiterated the immediate release of all party members who have been abducted and those still incarcerated in prison. “We have gone to court to demand the release of our brother Eddy Mutwe, who was abducted by security operatives,” Kyagulanyi said. “We want him brought to court if he has any case to answer, not held incommunicado.” NUP’s head of security was reportedly abducted from his home in Mukono on 27 April 2025 under unclear circumstances.
How Ugandan government is involved
According to Kyagulanyi, many of NUP party members who were abducted and later resurfaced had clearly identified their captors as state agents, despite persistent denials by the authorities. “These abductions are clearly targeted at me and my team,” Kyagulanyi added. “But let it be known; I will not be intimidated. I will not stop demanding justice for our supporters.” Kyagulanyi also accused security forces of disrupting the party’s internal mobilisation efforts, alleging that recent raids on NUP offices were meant to frustrate preparations for the 2026 general elections. He described the interference as unlawful and politically motivated. “Whatever they do, we shall not be deterred. Our mission is clear: to return power to the people,” Kyagulanyi said. Kyagulanyi recently declared his intention to challenge President Yoweri Kaguta for the second time in 2026 elections. Speaking to African-Press, the leader of opposition in Uganda’s parliament Joel Ssenyonyi who also belong to NUP said the continuous breakdown of the rule of law in Uganda should concern all right-thinking people.
NUP’s demand
The NUP leader reiterated calls for the unconditional release of all political detainees, saying the rule of law must take precedence over arbitrary arrests and detentions. Kyagulanyi’s chief civilian bodyguard’s disappearance marks the latest in a string of alleged abductions involving opposition figures and activists, many of whom have accused the state of using security operatives to silence dissent.
Opposition abduction
Enforced disappearances and violent arrest of opposition supporters in Uganda’ have happened on multiple times before, during and the 2021 general election. Many of the missing people resurfaced during their arraignment in the general court martial, white others were abandoned on the road side with torture marks. On 14th December 2022, the President Museveni while being interviewed by journalist Remmy Bahati on the sidelines of the United States (US)-Africa Leaders’ Summit that was convened by President Joe Biden in Washington D.C, he was asked about the issue of human rights abuses in his country. Museveni was asked whether he was aware of the alleged abductions and killing of civilians, and many languishing in detention courtesy of state security forces. He confessed but also defended these acts by explaining that there were arrests and that all of the people who were arrested were accounted for. “There were some mistakes of mishandling people while they were being arrested, but those mistakes were corrected.” He said.
In November 2025, the United Nations Committee on Human Rights against Torture released a report pinning the government of Uganda insisting that torture is widespread in Uganda. This followed the UN Committee Experts to summon the State’s human rights institutions and questioned them about unauthorized places of detention (safe houses) and inaction in prosecuting several torture cases. According to Abderrazak Rouwane, Country Co-Rapporteur for Uganda and Committee Expert there were several reports that accused the Ugandan government of detaining people in unauthorized places. The Committee Expert noted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions had reportedly taken no action to prosecute several cases of torture brought before it, including the alleged torture of an opposition member of Parliament. In 16th November 2024, the former president of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Dr Besigye and his colleague were abducted from Riverside Apartments in Nairobi, Kenya by Ugandan military personnel, allegedly with the complicity of Kenyan authorities and forcibly returned to Uganda. On 20th November 2024, Besigye appeared before the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) General Court Martial on four counts related to security and was remanded to prison until today.
Sanctions over human rights abuse
Last year the United States Department of State this week slapped sanctions on four members of the Uganda Police Force (UPF) over accusations of involvement in gross violations of human rights, including torture and cruel treatment. According to the sanctions these officers were behind the torture of opposition supporters in the areas they were heading during and after the 2021 presidential elections. The U.S.’s move was applauded by human rights advocates and opposition leaders, who have long condemned the culture of impunity within Uganda’s security forces. Also in 2021, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on some Ugandan government officials for what it called the undermining of the democratic process during the January 14th, 2021 elections.
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