Armed Security Operatives Seize Political Analyst Charles Rwomushana Mid-Broadcast at Radio Simba
Plainclothes armed operatives disrupted a live broadcast on Saturday morning, seizing prominent political analyst and former intelligence operative Charles Rwomushana from the Radio Simba studios.
The incident occurred roughly 30 minutes into the station’s flagship Saturday political talk show, Gasimbagane ne Bannamawulire (“Face Off with Journalists”), held at the network’s Bukoto premises. Station personnel reported that security personnel forced their way past reception at gunpoint before removing Rwomushana from the studio while the program was on air. Video footage recorded outside the building showed armed men bundling him into an awaiting vehicle as he clutched a notebook.
Rwomushana, a former head of political intelligence at the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), is a well-known and outspoken commentator on Ugandan politics and security. The exact grounds for his arrest remain unconfirmed, as neither the Uganda Police Force nor the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have issued an official statement regarding his detention or whereabouts.
The arrest follows recent media appearances by Rwomushana discussing high-level political rivalries within government circles, alongside ongoing references to his name in court documents tied to the treason trial of opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. Opposition figures and civil rights advocates have raised alarms online, characterizing the studio raid as a sharp escalation in political intimidation.
