Cover Story — Miria Matembe. Timothy Kalyegira. Erias Lukwago. Kizza Besigye. Obeid Lutale. Eddie Mutwe. Muwanga Kivumbi. Waiswa Mufumbiro. Achileo Kivumbi. Olivia Lutaaya. Bobi Giant. Bobi Young. The list keeps growing.
Who will be arrested next, and on what charge? In Uganda, these questions have become increasingly common as allegations of abductions, detentions and state brutality intensify in 2026. Images of 72-year-old activist and former minister Miria Matembe being brought to court, unable to walk unaided, have circulated widely and added to public concern.
Matembe, a long-time activist and former minister of ethics and integrity, was allegedly abducted by security agents after appearing in a video in which she criticised Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Forces and son of President Yoweri Museveni. Gen. Muhoozi also chairs the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a political movement that has been expanding its presence within government structures and is widely viewed as a key player in the country's succession politics.
Matembe was charged with sectarianism at the Luzira Magistrates Grade One Court. She spent a night at Luzira Prison after being denied bail.
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Following public pressure, she was released on bail the following day. The presiding magistrate, Gloria Sheila Atim, faced criticism, with observers pointing to Matembe's reported medical condition.
"... advanced age and sickness used to be a ground for grant of bail! Advocates would even make oral applications in court and magistrates would deliver a ruling there and then. Well that was long ago before judiciary died ..." Lawyer Peter Magela Gwayaka posted on X.
Timothy Kalyegira, a veteran journalist who had been reported missing, was also later confirmed to be in detention. He was charged with operating a media outlet, Uganda Records, without a licence and remanded to Luzira Prison.
Analysts say his arrest followed a series of social media posts critical of Gen. Muhoozi and the First Family. He appeared before Kira Magistrates Court for a bail application. The state objected to bail, arguing that his large social media following could intimidate witnesses. Prosecutors also argued that he lacked proof of a fixed place of residence, including a land title. He was later granted cash bail of Shs650, 000.
Media shutdown
Kalyegira was in jail at the time his former employers, Daily Monitor and NTV Uganda were shut down. The military siege of the two leading media houses marked another dark episode in media freedom in Uganda.
Following the shutdown, the majority owner of Nation Media Group, Tanzanian tycoon Rostam Azizi, flew to Uganda and met Gen. Muhoozi at his offices in Entebbe. Also in the meeting were Andrew Mwenda, the spokesperson of PLU; Chris Magezi, the UPDF spokesperson.
Azizi is a billionaire businessman who through his investment vehicle, Taarifa Ltd, acquired a 54.08% controlling stake previously held by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), effectively taking control of East Africa's largest independent media house.
According to Mwenda, Muhoozi tabled files going five years back and complained about biased and negative reporting about the government. "They have been reporting stories which are untrue and inaccurate, and many of which are unfair and unbalanced."
The CDF said the reporting by NMG outlets was sympathetic to the opposition.
In a press conference, Kasule Lumumba, the minister for ICT and Communications, said that President Yoweri Museveni had ordered the shutdown of the media outlets based on an investigation the government was conducting.
It is not clear when Daily Monitor and NTV will reopen but critics fear that they could reopen under heavy restrictions that bar them from critical coverage of the First Family, government corruption and other accountability issues.
A week before the media shutdown, Agora Discourse, a human rights and accountability organisation, was summoned by the Criminal Investigations Directorate over allegations of fraud and money laundering.
In a statement, Agora said the investigation was aimed at "silencing a civil society organisation whose work has focused on exposing corruption, advancing accountability, and promoting human rights."
Winnie Byanyima, activist and Executive Director of UNAIDS, described Agora as the "loudest voice and strongest defender of political prisoners. We must all rise and defend Agora." Byanyima is the wife of Dr Besigye. She has been a tireless advocate of her husband's freedom.
Byanyima added, "The judiciary must stop being used to silence human rights activists and opposition leaders. Let the police move fast on the mabati thieves, the former speaker and deputy speaker and abductor and torturer @mkainerugaba. Enough!"
The convergence of targeted abductions and draconian media shutdowns has created a perfect storm, rapidly constricting Uganda's political space. Critics say the most insidious shift lies within the judiciary, which has increasingly been weaponized as an instrument of state rule.
Rather than acting as guardians for constitutional rights, the courts are systematically deployed to neutralize opposition voices--a pattern vividly illustrated by the recent bail hearing of Matembe and the ongoing trials of Dr. Besigye and hundreds of political prisoners.
Dr Besigye's ordeal
Addressing the High Court on June 30, an emotional but firm Dr Besigye said the respondent in his case [Muhoozi] had not yet been served. "My Lord, you have heard that our lawyers are on the run. You are now advising us to assemble others who will not run because the person terrorising them is the accused."
Besigye's lawyer, Lukwago, was abducted by soldiers under Muhoozi's command as he planned to serve summons to the CDF. Besigye's other lawyer, Kenyan activist and advocate, Martha Karua, was deported from Entebbe Airport and is barred from entering the country.
Dr Besigye told Justice Emmanuel Baguma that the issue of how he and Lutale are represented should be addressed before the court. The four-time presidential candidate followed up his plea with a letter to Justice Baguma complaining about the nature of his trial.
Besigye said he put it in writing to establish a clear record for posterity. Justice Baguma is known for storming off in the midst of Besigye's trial as matters get heated. Besigye's detention and trial have highlighted the state's use of the courts as a tool to rein in political opponents like him. Besigye has been charged with treason several times.
On July 3, Eddie Mutwe, Achielo Kivumbi, Bobi Giant, Sauda Madaada, Doreen Kaija, Wasswa Mufumbiro, Olivia Lutaaya, Yasin Nyanzi, Tony Kaweesi, Shafik Lukenge, Edwin Serunkuma appeared before Kanyanya Magistrates Court for a bail application. Kira Municipality MP George Musisi appeared at court as their lawyer.
They are all members of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and are charged with "unlawful drilling", a relatively new term in Uganda's legal and political discourse. The magistrate rejected the bail application, stating possible witness interference. The matter was adjourned to July 10.
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Thousands of NUP supporters remain in detention without trial. In the last six years, police and the army have carried out sweeps of party supporters who are held in dungeons across the country.
"Today, we visited Jinja Main and Jinja Remand Prisons, where we checked on our three comrades who have been detained there since last year when they were arrested on the campaign trail in Bwizibwera, Mbarara, David Rubongoya, NUP Secretary General posted on X on June 29.
Rubongoya has shouldered the responsibility of looking after political prisoners as the highest-ranking NUP official in the absence of Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine who fled into exile following threats on his life by Muhoozi.
"This abuse of the criminal justice processes to persecute our people must be of greatest concern to every citizen," Rubongoya said.
Six months after the 2026 general elections, concern is mounting over what political observers describe as a growing climate of fear in Uganda.
Opposition leaders in exile, political opponents continue to face detention, independent media outlets have been suspended or shut down, and government critics are confronting an array of criminal charges that rights groups and opposition figures say have narrowed the space for dissent.
Political analysts warn that the developments carry troubling implications for a country that has yet to experience a peaceful transfer of presidential power since gaining independence in 1962. With President Yoweri Museveni's government now entering its fifth decade in office, they argue that the shrinking civic and political space has deepened anxieties about Uganda's democratic trajectory and the prospects for an orderly and peaceful political transition.
