Harriet Chemutai, chair of the National Unity Platform’s Election Management Committee, has been released after being abducted from her home in Kapchorwa late on February 4, 2026, the party says.
NUP reported that Chemutai was taken around 11 p.m. by a group of more than 50 armed men who accused her of hiding opposition leader Bobi Wine, who remains in hiding following Uganda’s disputed January 15 presidential election.
According to the party, the men searched Chemutai’s properties in both Kapchorwa and Mbale, seized her mobile phones, and questioned her at length before eventually releasing her in the early hours of Thursday. NUP officials say she was let go after receiving threats.
The abduction comes amid a reported clampdown on members of the National Unity Platform, as authorities continue to detain or pursue senior party figures and supporters in the tense post-election environment.
Bobi Wine, the most prominent opposition leader in Uganda, rejected the official election results and has been in hiding after nationwide protests and security operations escalated following the polls.
There has been no immediate official comment from security agencies on Chemutai’s abduction and release at the time of publication.
