Bobi Wine Condemns Muhoozi’s ‘Trophy Photo’ of Captive Erias Lukwago

KAMPALA, Uganda – Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has issued a furious condemnation after a photograph emerged showing a blindfolded Erias Lukwago—the outgoing Lord Mayor of Kampala, former Member of Parliament, and senior advocate—in what appears to be military custody. The image was reportedly released by General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and Chief of Defence Forces.

In a post on social media early Wednesday, Bobi Wine revealed the shocking context behind Lukwago’s abduction on Monday morning: the veteran lawyer was not seized for any criminal offense, but rather for attempting to serve court summons on the General himself.

“Uganda in 2026!” Bobi Wine wrote. “Museveni’s son just released a picture of his captive, Advocate Erias Lukwago. Blind folded! His crime? Attempting to serve him court summons!”

The revelation, if accurate, fundamentally alters the nature of the abduction. What had been widely reported as the seizure of a defense lawyer in Dr. Kizza Besigye’s treason trial now appears to be a targeted act of reprisal against an officer of the court attempting to hold a senior military official legally accountable through judicial process.

‘If He Can Do This to a Lord Mayor…’

Bobi Wine did not limit his outrage to Lukwago’s individual suffering. Instead, he used the incident to highlight the far broader system of enforced disappearances that has plagued Uganda for years.

“If he can do this to an outgoing Lord Mayor of Uganda’s capital city, former MP, and senior lawyer, imagine what he does to our ordinary supporters who are abducted day in, day out,” he wrote.

The statement drew a direct line between the high-profile abduction of Lukwago and the invisible crisis of everyday Ugandans—NUP supporters, activists, traders, and ordinary citizens—who have been seized by security forces and never seen again. Among them is John Ddamulira, the Kisekka Market trader abducted in 2020, whose wife Sarah passed away just days ago without ever learning his fate.

The Hypocrisy of History

Perhaps the most biting part of Bobi Wine’s statement was his comparison of the current administration to the very dictator Museveni himself once condemned.

“And yet Museveni still has the audacity to say anything about Idi Amin!” Bobi Wine wrote.

The remark references President Museveni’s long-standing political identity as the man who helped overthrow Idi Amin’s brutal regime in 1979. Critics have long argued that the tactics of enforced disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial detention employed by the current government mirror the very atrocities Museveni once fought against.

‘The World Must Not Look On’

Bobi Wine concluded with a warning and a plea to the international community.

“The world must not look on. There will be accountability for these crimes against humanity. It’s only a matter of time.”

His words echo those of the Uganda Law Society, which has already issued a 24-hour ultimatum for Lukwago’s release and threatened legal action against the Chief of Defence Forces personally. That ultimatum is now hours away from expiring.

Legal observers note that serving court summons on a sitting army chief is a routine act in any functional democracy. That such an act would result in the abduction, blindfolding, and public humiliation of a senior lawyer and elected official underscores the complete breakdown of civilian authority over the military—a direct violation of Article 208(2) of Uganda’s Constitution.

As of this publication, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has not issued an official statement regarding the photograph or the circumstances of Lukwago’s detention. His family, including his wife Nalongo Zawedde, has not been granted access to him.

The image of a blindfolded Erias Lukwago—a man who has served Kampala as Lord Mayor, represented his constituents in Parliament, and defended the rights of the accused in court—has become a symbol of Uganda’s descent.

For Bobi Wine, the message is clear: if the son of the President can do this to a senior lawyer and elected official with impunity, no Ugandan is safe.

And for the world, the question remains: will it look on, or will it act?

The clock is ticking. The blindfold remains. And Uganda waits for an answer.