Lukwago’s Wife Likens Muhoozi Rule to Idi Amin Reign of Terror

KAMPALA, Uganda — As armed soldiers escorted opposition leader Erias Lukwago away from his home on Monday morning, his wife stood amid the confusion, anger and disbelief of a family suddenly thrust into the center of Uganda’s latest political storm.

For Nalongo Zawedde Lubwama, the arrest of her husband was not merely another confrontation between the state and one of its most persistent critics. It was, she said, a disturbing sign of a country drifting toward a political culture many Ugandans believed had long been left behind.

After soldiers stormed the family’s residence in Wakaliga and took away the former Kampala Lord Mayor and president of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Zawedde delivered a stinging rebuke of both the operation and the political environment she believes made it possible.

Irked by the manner of the operation, the twin mother said Lukwago would have responded to any lawful request by authorities.

“He is a respected figure and a lawyer in Uganda and he would have heeded to summons if at all they needed him. Nothing justifies scaling our walls to kidnap him,” Zawedde argued, noting that the incident reminded her of Uganda’s darker political periods.

Her criticism soon broadened beyond the events of Monday morning.

“We are now witnessing Amin-like days that we’ve only been reading about in history. The Amin era is being regenerated by Gen Muhoozi. It is really bad. If Gen Muhoozi thinks he will rule us like this after his father Museveni, we’re already saying no,” she remarked.

The comments were among the strongest public criticisms yet directed at Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s military chief and the son of President Yoweri Museveni, whose growing political profile has fueled years of speculation about a possible future transition of power.

Coming from the wife of one of Uganda’s most recognizable opposition figures, the remarks immediately resonated across political circles already unsettled by the circumstances of Lukwago’s arrest.

The operation itself unfolded in dramatic fashion.

According to Zawedde’s earlier account, soldiers believed to be members of the Special Forces Command gained entry into the family compound shortly after breakfast. She said security operatives cut through part of the perimeter fence before entering the premises.

The soldiers, she recounted, eventually reached the couple’s bedroom after knocking on the door in a manner that initially caused them to believe it was one of their children. Once inside, the armed men allegedly ordered Lukwago to surrender his phone before taking him away.

By close of Monday, neither security agencies nor government officials had publicly provided a detailed explanation for the operation. No formal charges had been announced, and Lukwago’s exact whereabouts remained unclear.

That uncertainty only intensified concern among supporters, lawyers and opposition activists.

For many Ugandans, the arrest evoked memories of previous confrontations involving Lukwago, a politician whose career has become closely intertwined with legal battles, state pressure and resistance politics.

Over the past two decades, Lukwago has emerged as one of the most resilient figures in Uganda’s opposition movement. A lawyer by profession, he rose to national prominence through Parliament before becoming Kampala’s Lord Mayor, a position he held through years of fierce disputes with the central government.

His tenure was marked by repeated clashes with state institutions, impeachment attempts, prolonged court battles and numerous confrontations with security agencies.

Even after leaving City Hall, Lukwago remained a prominent voice in opposition politics and legal activism.

More recently, he assumed leadership of the People’s Front for Freedom, a political organization associated with veteran opposition figure Dr. Kizza Besigye and other government critics.

The arrest comes at a particularly sensitive political moment.

Uganda’s opposition parties have increasingly accused security agencies of relying on arbitrary arrests, prolonged detentions and intimidation to suppress dissent ahead of future electoral contests.

Government officials, meanwhile, have consistently maintained that security agencies operate within the law and that political affiliation does not exempt individuals from investigation where legitimate concerns arise.

Yet Monday’s events appeared to deepen existing suspicions.

Witnesses quoted by local media described seeing armed personnel surrounding Lukwago’s residence in the early hours before entering the compound. Neighbors reported heightened security activity in the area, while opposition supporters quickly gathered information through social media and political networks.

The operation gained even greater attention after Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba appeared to reference the arrest on his X account.

In a post that rapidly circulated online, the military chief wrote that he had “captured a FOOL and taken him to the basement.”

More photos of Lukwago lying down appeared on Muhoozi’s X account.

The statement drew criticism from opposition politicians and human rights advocates who argued that such language was inappropriate in relation to an individual whose legal status had not been publicly clarified.

For Zawedde, however, the broader political implications were inseparable from the personal trauma experienced by her family.

Her comments reflected a growing anxiety among some opposition supporters regarding Uganda’s political future and the increasingly visible role of Muhoozi in national affairs.

For years, discussion about succession in Uganda has centered on the relationship between President Museveni, who has ruled since 1986, and his son, whose military career and political engagements have frequently attracted national attention.

Muhoozi’s supporters portray him as a capable leader with extensive military experience and a strong following among younger Ugandans.

Critics, however, have expressed concern about what they see as the militarization of political life and the possibility of dynastic succession.

Those competing narratives collided sharply on Monday.

As questions mounted about why Lukwago had been detained and where he was being held, Zawedde’s remarks transformed what might otherwise have been viewed as a routine security operation into a broader debate about Uganda’s democratic trajectory.

Lawyers close to the PFF leadership insisted that authorities disclose where he was being held and explain the basis for his detention. Human rights advocates similarly called for adherence to constitutional safeguards governing arrest and detention.

As Uganda awaits further information about Lukwago’s fate, one image continues to dominate the public imagination: a family home interrupted by armed soldiers and a wife standing in the aftermath, warning that her country is approaching a dangerous crossroads.

Whether her fears prove justified remains a matter of fierce political debate.

But her words ensured that Monday’s arrest would be remembered not only as a security operation involving a prominent opposition leader, but also as a moment that reignited difficult questions about power, succession and the future direction of Uganda’s politics.

Meanwhile Ibrahim Ssemujju has responded fearlessly to Muhoozi’s threats, telling him he can kill him if he wants but he will find him in heaven, and reminding him of Elly Tumwine’s similar threats. (See Details Here and There).

Muhoozi has bragged about humiliating Lukwago in the basement, and responded to calls to forgive the opposition leader over his ‘worrying’ health condition.

Read Next Article