National Unity Platform (NUP) activist Saudah Madaada has been released from prison after spending one year and nine days in custody over charges arising from an alleged military-style drill at the party’s offices in Kampala.
Madaada was arrested on September 9, 2025, at the Uganda-Kenya border in Busia as she travelled to Kenya. She was subsequently charged alongside other NUP supporters with unlawful drilling and conspiracy to commit a felony.
She was released on Saturday, September 19, 2026, according to Ugandan media reports, and was received at the NUP offices in Makerere-Kavule by party Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya.
Rubongoya welcomed her return but criticised the prolonged detention of Madaada and other NUP supporters.
“Very pleased to welcome back our sister and comrade Saudah Madaada who has spent one full year and nine days in detention,” Rubongoya said, according to 360NewsUG.
He also claimed that Madaada had never been at the NUP headquarters on the day of the alleged drill and said she pleaded guilty after repeated unsuccessful attempts to secure bail and the failure to commence a full trial.
The charges against Madaada stem from an alleged military-style parade at the NUP headquarters in Makerere-Kavule on February 12, 2025. Prosecutors alleged that the accused participated in military-style exercises without permission from the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Madaada and other accused persons initially denied the charges. A Kawempe court denied their bail application in October 2025, with the court citing concerns including possible interference with witnesses and ongoing investigations.
Her detention was also marked by health problems. On November 18, 2025, proceedings at Kawempe Magistrates Court were halted after prison officers reported that Madaada was vomiting blood, had a urinary catheter and was unable to walk. The court ordered that she be taken to hospital for treatment.
In December 2025, the court again declined mandatory bail for 10 NUP supporters, including Madaada. The defence argued that the accused had spent more than the statutory 60 days on remand without trial, while the prosecution maintained that reaching the 60-day threshold did not automatically require release.
After her release, Madaada said she was happy to be free and thanked people who had supported and visited her during her imprisonment.
“Prison conditions aren’t easy,” she said, according to 360NewsUG, adding that she appreciated those who continued to visit detainees at Luzira Women’s Prison.
Madaada’s release comes two days after the release of Anthony Agaba, popularly known as Bobi Young, a civilian bodyguard of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine.
Agaba was released on September 17, 2026, after more than two years in custody. Radio Simba reported that he was received by Rubongoya after his release.
New Vision reported that Agaba had been in custody since June 24, 2024, over an allegation of unlawful possession of defence stores.
Bobi Wine on Saturday welcomed both Madaada and Young back home, saying they had spent prolonged periods in jail on what he described as politically motivated charges. His characterisation of the cases is a political claim rather than a court finding.
The release of Madaada follows a year-long court process that had attracted attention because of the length of her detention, repeated bail applications and her health problems while in custody.
