In a dramatic twist that caps two days of intense domestic and international outrage, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, announced he will release veteran opposition politician and lawyer Erias Lukwago.
Writing on the social media platform X, Gen Muhoozi stated: “Today, I will release this IDIOT (Erias Lukwago) to police. I have run out of diapers. Never test me again! My beloved wife Charlotte has convinced me to release the criminal Lukwago. I will release him because of my love for her….I am a descendant of the Great Bachwezi! They will ALWAYS rule Uganda!”
The condescending announcement follows hours of mounting pressure from civil society activists, lawyers, and political organisations demanding to know the whereabouts of the former Kampala Lord Mayor. Lukwago, who serves as the leader of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) and lead counsel for four-time presidential candidate Dr Kizza Besigye, was abducted from his home by armed men in military uniform on Monday morning.
Prior to Gen Muhoozi’s social media post, the military chief had fueled public anger by sharing photographs of a blindfolded and distressed Lukwago at an undisclosed location. The abduction came just days after Lukwago successfully secured a court order requiring Gen Muhoozi to defend himself against allegations that he threatened to kill Dr Besigye.
A pattern of “drone” abductions
Lukwago’s high-profile disappearance has cast a harsh spotlight on what critics call a systematic machinery of state-sponsored kidnappings. The legal fraternity and opposition figures warn that Uganda is slipping back into the dark eras of past regimes.
Just last month, Amuria District Woman MP Margaret Etilu was whisked away by security operatives, only to be released after Parliament pressured the Executive. Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi recently questioned the government’s disregard for due process, noting that another party member, Christopher Gody, was taken by the military in April and remains missing.
Similarly, National Unity Platform (NUP) activist Agatha Nazziwa was held for over a month in a military facility where she was reportedly tortured. NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya stated that upon her release from the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS) headquarters in Mbuya, she was warned never to associate with the opposition again. NUP continues to demand answers for supporters like John Bosco Kibalama and John Ddamulira, who vanished in 2019 and 2020.
Echoes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote
For many Ugandans, these modern-day “drone” van abductions carry a chilling sense of déjà vu. Former Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj Gen (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, recently remarked that the current spate of disappearances mirrors the tyrannical rule of Idi Amin.
Historically, such state overreach has targeted the legal mind. In September 1972, Amin’s state research personnel abducted Chief Justice Ben Kiwanuka from the High Court after he angered him by releasing a British detainee for lack of evidence. Kiwanuka was never seen again.
Similarly, under Milton Obote’s regime in the 1980s, state machinery extended beyond Ugandan borders. In 1982, rebel leader Balaki Kirya was kidnapped from his home in Nairobi, Kenya, with suspected local police complicity, and secretly flown back to Uganda to face treason charges.
Political backlash
Gen Muhoozi’s erratic behavior and the military’s involvement in civilian arrests have drawn fierce condemnation. Responding to the CDF’s social media posts, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, launched a scathing attack on X, accusing Gen Muhoozi of disgracing the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
“You’re a wannabe badman, masquerading as a fierce military General, but deep inside you’re weak, insecure, and desperate for attention,” Kyagulanyi wrote. “Your actions are such an embarrassment… History will remember you and your father with shame.”
While Lukwago’s impending transfer to the police offers brief relief to his family and legal team-who were previously blocked from filing a missing person’s report at Nateete Police Station-the episode leaves a profound stain on the country’s human rights record. By treating a constitutional crisis as a personal favor to his wife, Gen Muhoozi has intensified fears that Uganda’s security apparatus operates entirely outside the law.