The Hoima Post – Trustable News 24 -7
MBARARA, UGANDA — In a troubling development on election day, Hon. Bright Muhumuza, the National Unity Platform (NUP) parliamentary candidate for Mbarara City South, has not been seen since yesterday and did not show up to cast his vote at his designated polling station.
According to sources within the NUP secretariat, Muhumuza made a brief and distressed call yesterday stating that he had been arrested. However, his whereabouts remain unknown, as no security agency has formally acknowledged his detention or produced him before any court.
“We received a call from him saying he had been taken, but since then, all his known phone lines are switched off and we have no confirmation from any authorities,” said a senior NUP official who requested anonymity. “His failure to vote is not only a personal disenfranchisement but a blatant attempt to disrupt the electoral process in Mbarara South.”
Muhumuza, whose campaign slogan was “#PROTEST VOTE” with the Runyankole tagline “Eshaha Niyegyi Eyokwegwanahoo” (The hour has come to redeem ourselves), was considered a strong contender in the tightly contested race. His posters had been widely displayed across the constituency, mobilizing significant youth and opposition support.
Voters at his polling station expressed shock and anger at his absence. “If they can take a candidate like this, what hope do we, ordinary citizens, have?” said one voter who identified himself as Ashaba. “This is intimidation at the highest level.”
The Electoral Commission has yet to comment on the matter. Police in Mbarara, when contacted, said they were “not aware” of Muhumuza’s arrest and had “no record” of him in their custody.
Human rights organizations and election observers have raised alarm over the candidate’s disappearance, calling for his immediate and safe release. “This is a severe violation of electoral rights and civil liberties,” said a representative from the Uganda Human Rights Commission. “A candidate must be free to participate in the process, including voting for themselves.”
As voting concludes and counting begins in Mbarara City South, Muhumuza’s unexplained absence casts a long shadow over the credibility of the election in the constituency and adds to a growing list of election-day incidents involving opposition figures across Uganda.
