Crackdown on Opposition Politicians in Uganda Intensifies

By Our Reporter

Ugandan security agencies have intensified efforts to locate individuals associated with opposition political parties following the conclusion of the contested January presidential election ahead of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for May this year.

The situation in the country—particularly for opposition politicians— is shrouded with fear. Reports indicate that several individuals have been arrested, others are missing without any official account from the police and security forces, while others have arrest warrants issued against them for trumped charges and hundreds of others are rotting in prisons across the country pending formal charges or court proceedings.

Some of the recently abducted NUP members include Fauzia Natabi aka Maama Kyeyune, wife of Najja Sherif, the personal assistant of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, who was abducted by armed men and held incommunicado for 35 days before being dumped at the Chief Magistrates Court in Kanyanya, where she was charged with using a phone to threaten a stranger, just a few hours after regime officials filed affidavits swearing that they neither had her in their custody nor knew where she was.

At around 11:30 p.m. on January 14, soldiers detained Jolly Jackline Tukamushaba, the opposition party’s deputy president for Western Uganda, at a hotel in Muhanga. Tukamushaba was running for a position in parliament. At the time of her detention, she, her daughter, and two other supporters were working in a hotel room to finalize documents needed for her participation in the elections the next day.

On January 15, in a post on X, the National Unity Platform party’s secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya said that a group of armed men had taken the party’s deputy president for Northern Uganda, Lina Zedriga Waru, from her home on the outskirts of Kampala.

According to Bobi Wine, these cases are among many more other cases that show a consistent pattern of abductions and denials of NUP members that are intended to silence the regime’s opponents.

As a result of this political persecution, many opposition members have since fled into hiding fearing for their lives after learning that they are being targeted by security forces, while others languish in prisons across the country.

Among those reportedly being sought by security operatives is Douglas Mwanya, formerly a member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), who later joined the National Unity Platform (NUP).

Sources familiar with his background state that Mwanya, a former resident of Seeta Ward in Goma Division, Mukono District, began his political and human rights activism as a member of the FDC in 2016. He was subsequently appointed as an FDC party coordinator for Bajjo, Seeta, Mukono District, with responsibilities that included mobilizing community members to participate in civic activities and coordinating party-related programs.

According to available information, Mwanya was arrested together with other party members in 2016 shortly after the presidential election in which retired Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye (currently being held in prison) contested against President Museveni. He was detained at Seeta Police Station and later released on police bond. It is reported that he missed a scheduled court appearance due to health concerns, after which an arrest warrant was issued by the Chief Magistrate’s Court of Makindye.

Sources further indicate that he departed the country later in 2016, citing concerns about his personal safety after various threats to his life and various security officers visiting his former residence in Seeta on multiple occasions, threatening his family members demanding to know his whereabouts amid what was described as increased scrutiny of opposition party members. In 2020, while in the diaspora, Mwanya reportedly joined the National Unity Platform (NUP) and became involved in activities related to civic engagement and governance, including participation in online party events, social media advocacy, and financial support for party initiatives. He continued these activities up to the most recent 2026 presidential election, which sources believe may have contributed to renewed interest in his whereabouts by security authorities.

It should however be noted that during the aftermath of the January 15th Presidential Election, Ugandan security operatives have been pursuing, abducting, arresting and disappearing various opposition party members at all levels, especially those aligned with the NUP.

Let among the affected NUP members is party president by Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine, who is currently in exile following the besieging of his residence in Magere, Wakiso District by the army and police on January 16, just a day after the just concluded 2026 election, citing threats to his life.

Relatedly, political analysts both within the country and abroad contend that Ugandan authorities have expanded the persecution to include Ugandans in the diaspora and that this move is backed by the infamous ‘Protection of Sovereignty Bill’ that is being pushed by the Parliament of Uganda to be enacted into law.