High Court Orders IGP to Clarify Whereabouts of Missing NUP Leader

The directive was issued by Justice Joyce Kavuma on Friday while hearing an application filed by Tukamushaba’s lawyers, who want the court to compel authorities to produce her or explain her whereabouts.

The High Court in Kampala has ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to clarify whether the police are holding National Unity Platform (NUP) Vice President for Western Region, Jolly Tukamushaba.

The directive was issued by Justice Joyce Kavuma on Friday while hearing an application filed by Tukamushaba’s lawyers, who want the court to compel authorities to produce her or explain her whereabouts.

The court heard that although four respondents were accused of detaining Tukamushaba, only three had filed responses through an affidavit sworn by Lt. Col. Edgar Musasizi, Director of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs headquarters in Mbuya.

In the affidavit, the respondents, the Attorney General, the Chief of Defence Forces, and the Commander of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, denied any knowledge of Tukamushaba’s whereabouts and said she was not in their custody. However, the court noted that the Inspector General of Police, also listed as a respondent, had not filed any response.

Government lawyers argued that the applicants themselves alleged Tukamushaba was being held in military detention, but the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had confirmed she was not in any gazetted military facility and that no record of her arrest exists.

Justice Kavuma ruled that the police must also account for her before the court can determine the application. She ordered the IGP to file a response by February 3, 2026. The case will return to court on February 6, when a ruling is expected.

According to the application, Tukamushaba, a senior NUP leader and Deputy President for Western Uganda, went missing on the eve of the 2026 general elections. Her lawyers from Kiiza and Mugisha Company Advocates say that on January 13, 2026, she left her home for Concord Hotel in Muhanga Town after receiving intelligence about a planned arrest ahead of polling day.

They allege that the following day, armed operatives dressed in UPDF uniform abducted her from the hotel room in Muhanga, Rukiga District. She was reportedly forced into a Toyota Hiace, commonly known as a “drone,” and driven to an unknown location.

In an affidavit, Tukamushaba’s personal lawyer and NUP Secretary for Legal Affairs, Elotu Jonathan, said armed officers broke into her hotel room, pointed guns at her and her colleagues, confiscated party materials, including appointment letters for election agents and funds, and forcibly removed her. The application further states that she has since been held incommunicado without access to family, lawyers, or court.

In a supplementary affidavit, her daughter, Patricia Ashaba, told the court she was at the hotel during the arrest and later received information from a confidential UPDF source that her mother was being detained in Mbuya.

Efforts by family members and party officials to trace her through security agencies were unsuccessful, leading them to file a disappearance report at Kamwezi Police Station.

In response, Lt. Col. Musasizi denied all allegations against the UPDF, stating that Tukamushaba was never arrested by military personnel and that no operation involving her had been conducted. He added that checks across all gazetted military detention facilities confirmed she had never been in UPDF custody.

Musasizi also dismissed the claims as hearsay, arguing they lacked evidence and were intended to damage the reputation of the respondents.

Tukamushaba is one of the three NUP deputy presidents who have been reportedly arrested before and after the January 15, 2026, general elections. The others are Dr Lina Zedriga, the party’s Deputy President for Northern Uganda, whose whereabouts remain unknown and Butambala County MP Muwanga Kivumbi, the Vice President for Central Region, who is facing terrorism charges.

Lawyer Kato Tumusiime noted that detaining Tukamushaba and other party leaders beyond 48 hours violates their constitutional rights, including liberty, access to counsel, and a fair hearing.