The National Unity Platform (NUP) has demanded that authorities investigate the sudden death of Monica Nabukeera, the wife of John Bosco Kibalama, a party supporter who went missing more than five years ago.
Nabukeera's body was discovered on Monday morning by her eight-year-old child in the bathroom of her home in Seeta Kiwalimu, Magere. Neighbours who rushed to the scene confirmed she had died before help could arrive.
According to relatives, Nabukeera had been battling diabetes and high blood pressure but was on the path to recovery.
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Her mother, Mwekise Joyce Nalongo, described her daughter as a resilient woman who lived in constant hope of reuniting with her missing husband.
"She had recovered and seemed fine, but ever since her husband disappeared, she never found peace. She died still hoping that one day she would see him again," Nalongo said.
Friends who last saw Nabukeera said she appeared happy and was preparing to spend the day with her children.
However, they noted she had been under emotional strain due to ongoing family wrangles over Kibalama's property, which had deprived her of peace of mind.
NUP Secretary General Lewis Rubongoya said the party was deeply concerned about the circumstances surrounding her death.
He pledged the party's support to her family and called on authorities to conduct a transparent investigation.
"We want the authorities to thoroughly investigate what happened. As a party, we are standing with the family for burial arrangements. We have been supporting her and the children, and we shall continue to do so," Rubongoya said.
Kibalama, a key figure in the People Power movement that evolved into NUP, disappeared on June 3, 2019, as he prepared to contest for the Busiro North parliamentary seat. His whereabouts remain unknown.
In 2023, then Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga tabled a report in Parliament demanding government accountability for Kibalama and other missing NUP supporters.
Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja responded dismissively, saying she was not responsible for arrests, though she later claimed Kibalama was detained over criminal charges -- a statement never verified by his family.
Nabukeera's death has revived calls for justice for the families of missing opposition supporters. She will be laid to rest in her ancestral home in Mbarara District.
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