KAMPALA – The National Unity Platform (NUP) has accused Ugandan security forces of abducting one of its key members, Doreen Kaija, in what the party describes as a targeted campaign of intimidation against opposition figures.
According to NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, Kaija was allegedly taken from her residence by unidentified armed operatives traveling in two “drones” the term commonly used in Uganda for unmarked vans allegedly used in covert security operations. Rubongoya shared the news on social media platform X, saying Kaija’s whereabouts remain unknown.
“She is the latest victim of the ongoing string of abductions of NUP leaders and supporters,” Rubongoya stated, claiming the party had received multiple reports of similar disappearances in recent weeks.
Kaija’s alleged abduction comes on the heels of renewed legal action against several high-profile NUP members. Among them are the party’s deputy spokesperson and lawyer, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, and mobilizer Saudah Madaada, who were charged last week with unlawful drilling and donning military attire during a February function at NUP’s Makerere-Kavule offices.
NUP has refuted the charges, calling them “trumped-up” and politically motivated. Party leaders maintain that the event in question was a routine internal gathering and insist that Waiswa was not present at the time.
Rubongoya said these incidents reflect a broader state strategy to undermine opposition efforts ahead of the 2026 general elections.
“This is a systematic campaign to intimidate, criminalize, and silence those who challenge the regime,” he said, calling on civil society, the media, and the international community to take notice.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), however, has rejected accusations of extrajudicial detentions or abductions.
“There are no abductions carried out by the State; the State arrests, it does not abduct,” UPDF spokesperson Maj. Gen. Felix Kulayigye said during a press briefing earlier this week.
Kulayigye maintained that all recent arrests have followed legal procedures and dismissed NUP’s narrative as “political theatrics aimed at inciting public fear.”
Despite the UPDF's assurances, human rights groups have continued to document a pattern of unexplained disappearances and alleged torture involving opposition supporters, particularly since the 2021 general elections.
As political temperatures rise in the lead-up to 2026, calls for transparency, judicial oversight, and respect for civil liberties are likely to intensify.
Neither the police nor the military had officially confirmed Kaija’s custody by press time, and her family continues to demand her immediate release or disclosure of her location.