Concern is mounting across the country following the reported abductions of a prominent Ugandan runner and a Catholic priest in two separate incidents, with police yet to issue an official statement on either case.
Sarah Nambogo, a member of the Fast & Furious Running Club, was reportedly abducted on Friday morning near the Kampala Club grounds. According to statements from her running club colleagues, Nambogo and her daughter were taken at about 10:30 a.m. by five individuals travelling in a silver Toyota Noah, registration number UBP 791G.
In a detailed account shared by the club, the suspects are said to have first parked near Kampala Club and approached Nambogo’s daughter, asking her to lead them to her mother under the pretext of coordinating a running event.
Moments later, the group allegedly seized Nambogo at the club’s southern gate and drove off. The club said one of the suspects was a woman and that the group was armed with AK-47 rifles. Video footage reportedly captured the vehicle and its registration number.
At the time of her abduction, Nambogo was reportedly preparing for the Team Matooke end-of-year event scheduled for December 13, 2025, at Kalanamo, Great Outdoors.
Senior cadres and leaders within the running community have publicly appealed to the police for clarity on her whereabouts. Snr. Cde. Robert Kabushenga, a leader in the Fast & Furious Running Club, directly addressed the Uganda Police Force in a public message.
“I would like to know why and where you are detaining Sarah Nambogo of Fast & Furious and Team Matooke and her daughter,” Kabushenga said. “She was picked up in broad daylight by armed men in a private vehicle. We want to extend our assistance and solidarity. Is there any legal process in motion?”
In a separate but equally troubling case, Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, the Youth Chaplain of Masaka Catholic Diocese, has been missing for nearly two weeks.
Reports indicate that the priest was abducted from Katwe Trading Centre in Masaka by armed men travelling in a Toyota Hiace van, possibly bearing registration number UBE 199F.
Family members and associates of Fr. Ssekabira say they have checked several police stations in the area but found no official record of his detention or transfer, deepening fears over his safety and whereabouts.
Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, linked the two incidents while condemning what he described as a growing pattern of lawlessness.
“Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a Youth Chaplain of Masaka Catholic Diocese, is apparently missing, having been abducted a few days back by armed men,” Bobi Wine said. “Today, one Sarah Nambogo was abducted from her workplace at Kampala Club by armed operatives travelling in a Toyota Noah. Her whereabouts remain unknown.”
He warned that the incidents point to a wider crisis. “Every Ugandan is duty-bound to fight against this growing lawlessness. First, they came for Muslim clerics, then opposition leaders and members, then some within academia and civil society, then some foreign nationals. Now, they’re coming for Catholic priests and professionals. Who is next?” he asked.
As of publication, the Uganda Police Force had not issued a formal statement on either abduction. Human rights advocates and members of the public say the silence is fuelling anxiety, especially given past unresolved cases of enforced disappearances.
Families, colleagues, and supporters of both Sarah Nambogo and Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira continue to appeal for information, urging authorities to account for their whereabouts and uphold the rule of law.
