KAMPALA, Uganda — Former Kampala Lord Mayor and President of the opposition People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Erias Lukwago, was arrested from his residence in Wakaliga, Kampala, on Monday morning in an operation that opposition leaders described as an abduction by state security operatives.
According to witnesses and reports from media outlets, a group of armed security personnel arrived at Lukwago’s home before dawn and reportedly entered the premises after scaling the perimeter wall. The operatives then took the veteran opposition politician and lawyer to an unknown destination. By midday, neither the Uganda Police Force nor other security agencies had issued an official statement explaining the circumstances of the arrest or any charges against him.
The People’s Front for Freedom said security personnel had surrounded Lukwago’s residence before taking him away.
“The cost of fighting for freedom. We wish to inform the general public and all freedom-loving Ugandans that our executive chairman Counsel Erias Lukwago has been abducted by state operatives and taken to an unknown destination. Our teams are on ground to follow up on this development. We shall never surrender,” the party said in a statement posted on its official social media platforms.
Images and videos shared online by party supporters showed a heavy security presence around the residence shortly before the arrest.
Witnesses in Wakaliga told journalists that security operatives, some dressed in military uniforms and others in civilian clothes, arrived in vehicles early in the morning and entered the premises before taking Lukwago away.
A journalist who was reportedly inside the residence at the time said operatives demanded to know Lukwago’s whereabouts before seizing him and temporarily confiscating communication devices belonging to people at the home.
The arrest comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding the ongoing treason case against veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye. Lukwago has been one of the lead lawyers on Besigye’s defence team and has been actively involved in recent campaigns by the PFF challenging aspects of the judicial process in the case.
In an apparent reference to the operation, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, posted on social media that he had “captured a fool and taken him to the basement.” However, he did not identify the individual he was referring to, and authorities have not officially linked the statement to Lukwago’s arrest.
Lukwago, a prominent opposition figure and senior advocate, recently returned to full-time legal practice after leaving City Hall following the January 2026 elections. He currently serves as president of the PFF, a political party associated with Dr. Besigye and other opposition leaders.
By press time, Lukwago’s whereabouts remained unknown, while opposition leaders and human rights activists continued demanding information regarding his detention and legal status. No official charges had been announced.