Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has condemned the alleged abduction of National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro by security personnel.
Addressing journalists on Monday, Ssenyonyi described the incident as yet another example of impunity, urging authorities to respect due process.
“We continue to witness the use of force instead of lawful procedures. If someone has a case to answer, summon them and allow them to appear before court. Abductions only fuel fear and undermine the rule of law,” Ssenyonyi said.
He also expressed concern over the heavy deployment of security officers around court premises, noting that the presence of armed personnel was creating unnecessary tension and inconveniencing ordinary citizens seeking access to judicial services.
Meanwhile, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya criticized the alleged blocking of the party’s candidates during the ongoing nomination exercise for Local Council elections.
According to Rubongoya, several party-endorsed LC5 aspirants from different districts were unfairly denied nomination despite meeting the required guidelines.
“We have seen instances where our duly endorsed candidates present all necessary documents, but electoral officials find excuses to lock them out. This is unacceptable and an attack on multiparty democracy,” Rubongoya said at the NUP headquarters in Makerere-Kavule. Seven of the affected candidates attended the briefing, publicly raising their grievances against the process.
In a related development, the court handling the case of NUP principal Robert Kyagulanyi’s bodyguards has amended the charge sheet. Initially facing charges of unlawful drilling, Kyagulanyi’s aides Edward Ssebuufu, also known as Eddie Mutwe, and Achileo Kivumbi will now be joined by five additional accused persons.
The expanded charge sheet means all the suspects are formally charged with unlawful drilling, a colonial-era offense that has been a point of contention between NUP and the state. Party leaders maintain that the charges are politically motivated, aimed at weakening their structures and intimidating supporters.
NUP officials have vowed to challenge what they describe as a pattern of state harassment, insisting that their members will not be deterred from participating in the democratic process.