The Opposition political parties have closed ranks to demand the immediate release of Mr Erias Lukwago, one of the lead lawyers in Dr Kizza Besigye’s treason trial.
Mr Lukwago, also the immediate former Lord Mayor of Kampala Capital City, was abducted by men in military uniform from his home in Wakaliga, Kampala, on Monday morning. Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), later confirmed the abduction in a post on his X-handle, saying Mr Lukwago was in military detention.
The latest abduction fits a familiar pattern of Opposition figures who have faced a similar fate and has been roundly condemned by the majority of Opposition political parties this publication spoke to.
At the time of his abduction, Mr Lukwago was preparing to serve Gen Muhoozi with a court order issued by High Court judge Justice Emmanuel Baguma, directing him to file his defence in a case in which Dr Besigye sued him for human rights violations after his abduction from Nairobi, Kenya, and subsequent death threats allegedly issued by the CDF.
Over the years, Gen Muhoozi, also President Museveni’s son, has seemed to take delight in taking on those who cross swords with him or his father.
While the UPDF Act bars serving army officers from dabbling in partisan politics, Gen Muhoozi has thrown caution to the wind, forming a political pressure group directly aligned with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and openly declaring his ambition to succeed his father as President of Uganda. For the Opposition, it is a long, agonising road they must walk, with no light at the end of the tunnel.
Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, the principal of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, called Mr Lukwago’s abduction absurd and said this pattern mirrors what his bodyguard Wdward Ssebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, endured.
‘On Muhoozi’s orders, military men have raided and abducted Lukwago from his home in Wakaliga before whisking him away in a drone to an unknown destination. The abduction has been confirmed and closely followed by posts on Twitter [X] from Muhoozi, boasting that he has taken him to the ‘basement’ to torture him just like he did to comrade Eddie Mutwe in April 2025! I call upon all of us to reject and resist this brazen impunity,’ he said.
Equally, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya called out the CDF to set Mr Lukwago free and urged all Ugandans to condemn the abduction.
‘The abduction of [People’s Front for Freedom] PFF leader, Hon Erias Lukwago is absurd. The lawlessness must be condemned by all people of good conscience,’ he posted.
Mr Patrick Amuriat Oboi, the president of the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change, the party Mr Lukwago once belonged to before breaking ranks to form the PFF alongside Dr Besigye and others, yesterday said the abduction shows that the country has finally hit rock bottom in terms of the rule of law.
‘Well, I think that for a long time now, we have not enjoyed the rule of law and I think this is just reaching its climax,’ Mr Amuriat yesterday told this publication by phone.
He added: ‘What precipitated yesterday was certainly a statement to the nation that the rules don’t apply. And I think this is taking us back in the days when pandagari [board the track] was the order of the day, when disappearances were the order of the day. And I really want to believe that our institutions, the Attorney General, the advisory government and legal matters or Parliament need to rise up to the occasion.’
Mr Amuriat said what Gen Muhoozi is doing is instilling fear in Ugandans who disagree with him by wielding force and guns.
‘I think the bottom line is great fear and the statement being made is ‘dare me and you are going to be in hot soup’. So, what I see happening is loud silence happening among the political elite and resignation on the part of the population, which now feels subdued and that is not good for a country like ours and for a leader who has got his focus and eyes on the presidency of this country,’ he said.
Ms Alice Alaso, the Secretary General of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) party, said what happened to Mr Lukwago is akin to what used to happen in Europe before colonialism set in.
‘They came with the reign of terror. It is no longer something of the 1970s. It is something of the European history because abducting Erias Lukwago and I don’t want us to deal with Lukwago’s abduction as an isolated event,’ she said.
She added: ‘It is something that should be treated in light of the human rights and the increasing intolerance the regime has towards any form of criticism. Whether institutional, the way the Lukwagos are doing, through courts of law, or even individuals expressing different views. And so the regime has become totally scared.’
Ms Alaso wondered whether President Museveni is still at the helm or has relinquished most of his powers to his son.
‘And then, what the CDF has done, has he taken over because, yes, it is a shame to say that there has been a hijack of all institutional powers. And the CDF is now the law, so that should worry all of us. It should concern and worry all of us in this position. Whether you are in the army, or you are in the business sector, or you are in the media, anywhere, nobody is safe. The CDF is wielding a lot of power.
‘So, it looks like President Museveni has already handed over power because, since when does a military chief, who should be defending territorial sovereignty, the borders of the country, begin to have the power to just arrest the citizens and keep them basically without trial? So, it looks like President Museveni already handed over power and we are not in safe hands of Muhoozi. We are heading to very dark days for the country,’ she said.
Is the rule of law dead?
The abduction of Mr Lukwago is reminiscent of the 1970s, when armed military men would storm the homes of those deemed opposed to the government, abduct them, and torture some to death, while those who survived carried the scars of torture to the grave.
Gen Muhoozi has, for much of recent years, waded into controversy, including diplomatic issues that fall under the ambit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. One thing that stands out is that, over the years, he has walked the talk, especially in dealing with Opposition figures.
Since the abduction of Dr Besigye in November 2024, Gen Muhoozi has repeatedly warned that he would kill the man who treated his father during the five-year bush war that brought President Museveni to power.
It is these threats that earned him a court summon that Mr Lukwago was supposed to deliver before his abduction.
Mr Fred Ebil, the Secretary General of Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC) party, said the events taking place are a stark reminder of the 1970s, when dissenting voices were silenced by the barrel of the gun, and prayed that the country doesn’t slip back into the dark old days.
‘I don’t think we should go back to the same politics and security situation of the 1970s where people could be abducted in broad daylight and never to be seen again. So, I urge the government and especially the security personnel, most especially their leaders, to restrain from that kind of political situation that will drag us back to our past. We’ve come a long way and we are not ready to go back there,’ he said.
The Justice Forum (Jeema) party also condemned what it called the unlawful abduction of the former Kampala City Lord Mayor on the very day he was scheduled to serve a court summon on the CDF.
A statement issued by the party said: ‘This incident reflects a disturbing and growing trend in which certain individuals act with impunity, disregarding the laws of this country while presenting themselves as untouchable on account of historical contributions to nation-building.’
It added:’No one is above the law. Those who claim privilege today are not the first to contribute to this nation. The true fathers of our independence, who endured prison, exile, and sacrifice for Uganda’s freedom, never demanded an inch of its land or a share of its resources for personal gain.’
The party said it rejects the distortion imposed upon Ugandans that some people are more equal than others and can act with impunity. ‘Uganda is not a private estate. It belongs to all 45 million Ugandans, who are equal before the law and must equally observe it.
Jeema, therefore,demands the immediate and unconditional release of former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago within the next 24 hours; calls upon all State agencies to uphold the Constitution and protect citizens from arbitrary detention;urges millions of Ugandans to rise and defend the sanctity and dignity of our country by holding to account all persons who intend to violate the rule of law.
The sanctity of our nation rests on one principle: equal citizenship under the law. We shall not surrender it,’ the statement concluded. We were unable to get responses from the Democratic Party, whose president Norbert Mao is the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and the ruling NRM party.