Mother of Bukanga NUP Candidate Tasks Security to Produce Her son

Fatinah Tibiita, the mother of Samilu Isabirye, the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate for Bukanga Sub-county LC III chairperson in Luuka District, is demanding answers over the whereabouts of her son, who has been missing for several days. Isabirye was reportedly picked up by armed plain-clothed men on January 29, 2026, from Namukubembe Village in Bukanga Sub-county, Luuka District.

According to the Luuka District NUP chairperson, Rodgers Kaitankofu, who witnessed the incident, the four men were traveling in a vehicle without number plates. Kaitankofu said he was riding Isabirye on a motorcycle after attending a closed-door meeting with their campaign agents when the men began trailing them. He explained that the suspects later intercepted them, ordered Isabirye into their vehicle at gunpoint, and drove off towards Iganga.

Tibiita, a resident of Buwologoma Village in Bukanga Sub-county, says she has since searched for her son at several police stations across the Busoga sub-region without success. She said Isabirye’s disappearance has deeply distressed her, noting that she raised him as a single mother after being widowed in her late twenties. Tibiita added that despite financial challenges, she supported him through university, where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration.

“I am a widow with six children, and I struggled to educate Isabirye up to university level. As a family, we supported his decision to join politics, but his arrest without trace has shattered me emotionally. I honestly need my son back,” Tibiita said. She appealed to security agencies to produce Isabirye before the court if he committed any offence, rather than holding him incommunicado.

Meanwhile, the Busoga North Regional Police Spokesperson, Samson Lubega, confirmed that police had received a report from NUP supporters in Luuka District about Isabirye’s arrest. However, Lubega said police inquiries conducted over the past four days indicate that Isabirye is not being held in any gazetted police detention facility in the region.

“Our teams have cross-checked all police stations, and there is no record of Isabirye’s detention,” Lubega said, adding, “I hope Isabirye is not engaging in political gymnastics by politicians fond of self-kidnapping to gain public sympathy.” Isabirye is among the candidates contesting for LC III sub-county chairperson positions across the country ahead of elections scheduled for Wednesday, February 4, 2026.