NUP alleges abduction of party official Harriet Chemutai in Kapchorwa

The National Unity Platform (NUP) has reported the disappearance of its Election Management Committee chairperson, Harriet Chemutai, after what the party describes as a violent nighttime operation at her home in Kapchorwa District on Tuesday.

In a message posted on social media, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said Chemutai was seized from her residence at about 11pm by a group of heavily armed men. He said the men ordered her to leave with them, triggering protests from residents who attempted to intervene.

“Ordinary people tried to put up resistance but gunshots were fired to subdue them,” Rubongoya wrote.

According to the party, Chemutai was then bundled into a vehicle and driven in the direction of Mbale. Her whereabouts were still unknown by press time, and NUP said it had not been formally notified of any arrest or detention.

Rubongoya warned that the incident reflects a troubling pattern, noting that several senior party leaders are either missing or currently in custody, a situation he said places opposition figures at increasing risk.

The reported incident has sparked renewed concern among opposition supporters and human rights advocates, who are calling for accountability, transparency, and adherence to due process in cases involving political actors.

By the time this report was filed, police and other security agencies had not released any official statement regarding Chemutai’s alleged abduction.

NUP has since demanded that government and security agencies disclose Chemutai’s whereabouts and either release her immediately or present her before a court of law if she is being lawfully held.

The party also pointed to other unresolved cases, including that of Deputy President for Northern Uganda, Lina Zedriga Waru, who has remained missing since she was reportedly taken from her home on January 15. Another deputy president, Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba of Western Uganda, was allegedly abducted in Rukiga District a day before polling.

Meanwhile, NUP’s Deputy President for Central Uganda, Mohammad Muwanga Kivumbi, is currently remanded at Kitara Prison, facing terrorism-related charges linked to violence during the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections.