KAMPALA — Former Aruu County MP Samuel Odonga Otto broke down in tears during a live Saturday morning broadcast on Next Radio, delivering an emotional and fiery demand for answers regarding the whereabouts of missing veteran politician and women’s rights activist, Dr. Miria Matembe.
Matembe, a key architect of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution and former Ethics and Integrity Minister, was reportedly taken by unidentified security forces earlier this week.
“Even Her Advanced Age!” — An Emotional Outcry
During the Next Big Talk show, an visibly shaken Otto slammed the security forces’ treatment of the elderly statesman, questioning the humanity behind the raid.
“Where is Matembe? What kind of life is that?” Otto demanded, wiping away tears. “For me, Odonga Otto, if you send me to arrest Miria Matembe, I have to spend two hours thinking which part of her body to hold—she is old! You hold the hands, it may remain in your hands! … It was from Lukwago… to Matembe! Even her advanced age! You can’t treat people like that. We are citizens! We are not slaves!”
The Raid: Taken While Jogging?
According to family members, the veteran politician has been completely untraceable since a security raid at her Luzira residence.
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The Disappearance: Media personality JK Kazoora, a relative, revealed that security operatives raided the home while Matembe was out for a morning jog. The family strongly suspects she was intercepted and picked up mid-run.
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The “Drone” Raid: Her husband, Nehemiah Matembe, reported that a mix of uniformed soldiers and plain-clothed operatives arrived in a “drone” vehicle. They guarded the compound and searched the house without providing identification or a legal reason. Her phones have since been switched off.
Activists Targeted
The fallout from the raid has quickly widened, drawing fierce condemnation from civil society:
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Dr. Sarah Bireete: The prominent human rights activist reported that security personnel subsequently raided her own home, allegedly searching for Matembe. Bireete accused the operatives of digging up a hole in her son’s bedroom and stealing money from her bag, demanding that authorities use proper legal police summons instead of forceful raids.
A History of Defiance
Dr. Miria Matembe has long been a powerhouse in Ugandan politics. Though she served as a minister under the NRM, her relationship with the state fractured in 2003 when she fiercely opposed the removal of presidential term limits. In recent years, she has remained an uncompromising critic of government rights abuses, forced disappearances, and the militarization of Ugandan politics.
