Opposition Under Siege: Three NUP Deputy Presidents Neutralized in Days

By: Ronald Kasirye / The Hoima Post

Uganda is entering one of its most dangerous political moments in recent years, as the leadership of the country’s main opposition party is systematically targeted through arrests, abductions, and intimidation.
In a statement published on his official Facebook account, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, leader of the National Unity Platform (NUP), said he is not free, that his home remains under siege, and that security forces are actively hunting him down. At the same time, he revealed that three out of his four Deputy Presidents are now either detained or missing.
These developments are not isolated incidents. They follow a clear, recorded pattern that has unfolded over the past two weeks.
A Timeline of the Crackdown
On 14th January, Hon. Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba, NUP’s Deputy President for Western Uganda, was abducted from Rukiga District. Since her disappearance, no official charge sheet has been presented, and authorities have not publicly disclosed where she is being held.
On 15th January, Dr. Lina Zedriga Waru, the party’s Deputy President for Northern Uganda, was abducted from her home. As of now, her whereabouts remain unknown. Family members and party officials say they have not received any formal communication from state agencies explaining her detention or location.
On the day of Kyagulanyi’s statement, Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi, the NUP Deputy President for the Central Region, was arrested and taken to Kira Division Police, where he is currently being held.
Within a matter of days, three of the four most senior deputies of Uganda’s leading opposition party have been neutralized through force.
At the same time, Kyagulanyi himself remains confined, with his residence surrounded and his movements restricted under heavy security presence.
Not Law Enforcement, But Political Neutralization
There has been no public presentation of arrest warrants, no transparent court process, and no clear charges communicated to the public in the cases of the two missing deputies. In Uganda, this pattern has become familiar: individuals are taken by armed operatives, held incommunicado, and only later, if at all, presented before court.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly documented the use of unmarked vehicles, plainclothes operatives, and prolonged incommunicado detention in politically sensitive cases.
What makes the current situation especially alarming is the level of the targets: this time, it is the top national leadership of the opposition.
The Muhoozi Context
These events are unfolding in the shadow of recent controversial social media statements made by Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Mr. Yoweri Museveni, in which he issued politically threatening remarks that later had to be deleted after causing widespread alarm.
Although the government attempted to downplay those statements, the actions now happening on the ground give them a far more serious and concrete meaning.
A Pattern, Not an Accident
Since the 2021 elections, members of the National Unity Platform have repeatedly reported:
Arrests without warrants
Detentions without charge
Military and security custody outside the court system
Abductions by armed men in civilian clothes
Raids on party offices and homes of leaders
However, the speed, coordination, and seniority of the current targets suggest a shift from harassment to a deliberate strategy to cripple the opposition leadership.
A Dangerous Signal to the Country
When a state begins to abduct senior political leaders instead of confronting them politically, it sends a clear message: power is no longer being contested through democratic means, but through fear and force.
If Deputy Presidents of a major political party can disappear from their homes without explanation, then no politician, activist, journalist, or ordinary citizen is truly safe.
Kyagulanyi’s Warning
In his statement, Kyagulanyi said that despite the persecution, he remains rooted in hope and faith that the Ugandan struggle will end in victory.
But the facts on the ground are stark:
A party leader under siege
Two senior opposition leaders missing after abductions
One senior opposition leader in police detention
A security apparatus being used to paralyze political competition
This is not stability. This is a state replacing politics with coercion.
History shows that when a government reaches the point of abducting opponents rather than debating them, it is not a sign of strength. It is a sign of fear, panic, and loss of legitimacy.
Uganda is now standing at a dangerous crossroads. And the world should be paying close attention