What we know about the abduction of former Mayor Erias Lukwago

15th June 2026

Editorial Team/Staff Writers

ABDUCTED: Mr Lukwago was picked up from his home by the SFC [CREDIT: CBS]

On Monday, Special Forces Command operatives laid siege to the home of former Kampala mayor Erias Lukwago and abducted him, said his wife, Nnalongo Zawedde Lubwama.

Ms Lubwama said the abduction happened at 10am after her husband had eaten breakfast and that there were reporters waiting for him to speak to them.

“After he spoke to them, we heard that soldiers had entered. They cut razor wire [atop the perimeter wall] and entered. They started looking for him. They found him in the bedroom,” she told reporters.

She added that she tried to stop the soldiers abducting her husband but that the soldier commanding the team grabbed her hand and twisted it before kicking her to the ground.

Then they entered the bedroom and took him out. His phone was seized, the wife said.

The incident is the latest in a spate of abductions that has been ongoing for years and has sparked criticism of the government’s human rights record.

Video and photos of the heavily armed soldiers from the elite unit of the UPDF surrounding Mr Lukwago’s home soon circulated on social media.

Before the abduction

Mr Lukwago raised an alarm on social media by posting the following message:

“Two drones have sealed off my home with security operatives hovering around.”

That message was posted on Facebook and Twitter.

Mr Lukwago went on to say: “I am under attack; they have jumped over the perimeter wall into my home.”

Former Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju, a senior member of the People’s Front for Freedom, like Mr Lukwago, posted on X to say: “@EriasLukwago’s home has this morning been surrounded by soldiers to stop him from serving Muhoozi Kainerugaba with court papers on the case we filed about the kidnapping of @kizzabesigye1 from Kenya.”

His post drew a response from the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who wrote: “Please serve the papers and I’ll arrest both you and whoever serves them!”

Please serve the papers and I'll arrest both you and whoever serves them! https://t.co/8qi2eIcXy5
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) June 15, 2026

After the abduction, Gen Kainerugaba posted five photos of Mr Lukwago on his X page. Mr Lukwago, clad in a white T-shirt, looked crestfallen, and three of the photos showed him blindfolded.

The first photo was accompanied by the following words: “Ongea Kiswahili, or ‘Speak Swahili’.”

Ongea Kiswahili. pic.twitter.com/6Kb81fvsBo
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) June 15, 2026

The fifth photo was accompanied by the words: “This fool will not sleep tonight. Kiboko mpaka…”

This fool will not sleep tonight. Kiboko mpaka… pic.twitter.com/qtrCNsqAF9
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) June 15, 2026

Dr Kizza Besigye’s case

Mr Lukwago is the co-lead lawyer for opposition leader Kizza Besigye, who is on remand in Luzira over allegations of treason. He had asked the court to summon Gen Kainerugaba in connection with the case, which reportedly infuriated the army chief and triggered the abduction.

Dr Besigye was abducted in Nairobi in November 2024 along with his aide, Obeid Lutale, and transferred to Uganda to be court-martialled.

The case ended up in the Supreme Court, which ruled that it was illegal to try Dr Besigye and his aide in a military court.

Weeks before he ordered Mr Lukwago’s abduction, Gen Kainerugaba had fired off a post calling Mr Lukwago an idiot.

We have been fighting many battles in this country my friends. Imagine fighting with an idiot like Lukwago for 25 years? That he is a 'Mayor' of Kampala? And he frustrates millions of citizens for decades. Those games are definitely over.
— Muhoozi Kainerugaba (@mkainerugaba) May 10, 2026

Many Ugandans abducted on the orders of Gen Kainerugaba have been held in illegal detention for months. It remains to be seen whether Mr Lukwago will be freed soon.