Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Ugandan opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has alleged that the country's military abducted two prominent civil society leaders and lawyers on Sunday, June 28, 2026, describing the incident as the latest in what he called an escalating campaign of political repression under President Yoweri Museveni's government.
In a statement shared on his X account, Bobi Wine identified the two women as Dr. Sarah Bireete, Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCGEA), and Eunice Musiime, Executive Director of the Alliance for Women's Advancement (AMWA Afrika). "Two leading civil society leaders and distinguished lawyers, Dr. Sarah Bireete E.D @ccgea1 and Eunice Musiime E.D @amwaafrika are the latest victims of the ongoing criminality. They have been abducted by the military and driven off to an unknown destination," Bobi Wine wrote. "These are definitely tough times, but the TOUGH PEOPLE OF UGANDA will outlive them. Uganda will be free!"
The opposition leader did not disclose where the two women were allegedly seized or provide details of the circumstances surrounding the reported abductions. Ugandan military authorities had not issued any statement on the allegations as of the time of filing this report, while the whereabouts of the two lawyers remained unknown.
Dr. Sarah Bireete serves as the Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance and has been involved in advocacy for constitutionalism and democratic governance in Uganda. In December 2025, Bireete was arrested after raising questions over Uganda's voter register ahead of the country's January elections. She later spent nearly a month in detention before being released on bail. Eunice Musiime is the Executive Director of Akina Mama wa Afrika, a pan-African feminist organisation that advocates for women's rights and leadership development across the continent.
The latest allegation comes amid growing concerns by opposition figures and human rights groups over what they describe as an increasing crackdown on dissent, civil society activists and government critics. The reported abductions follow a series of high-profile arrests and detentions involving opposition politicians and lawyers in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, SaharaReporters reported that Bobi Wine condemned the detention of former Kampala Lord Mayor and senior lawyer Erias Lukwago after Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Museveni's son, shared a photograph appearing to show the lawyer blindfolded and handcuffed while in military custody. According to Bobi Wine, Lukwago was abducted by military operatives from his residence in Wakaliga, Kampala, as he prepared to serve court summons on Muhoozi in connection with an ongoing legal dispute. "Uganda in 2026! Museveni's son just released a picture of his captive, Advocate Erias Lukwago. Blindfolded! His crime? Attempting to serve him court summons!" Bobi Wine had written. "If he can do this to an outgoing Lord Mayor of Uganda's capital city, former MP, and senior lawyer, imagine what he does to our ordinary supporters who are abducted day in, day out."
The opposition leader further alleged that Lukwago's arrest was linked to his role as lead counsel in the treason trial involving veteran opposition politician Dr. Kizza Besigye and a separate lawsuit filed against Muhoozi. The publication of the photograph of Lukwago while blindfolded sparked widespread condemnation from opposition supporters and human rights advocates, who questioned the legality of his detention and demanded his immediate release.
Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused Ugandan security agencies of carrying out arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and prolonged detentions targeting opposition politicians, lawyers and activists. The Museveni administration has consistently denied allegations of systematic human rights abuses, maintaining that security agencies operate within the law while combating threats to national security.
The reported abduction of Dr. Bireete and Ms. Musiime on Sunday comes just weeks after Amnesty International launched a "Free Bobi Wine" campaign, following the opposition leader's appearance in a military court looking "badly beaten up, barely able to recognize his lawyer and unable to sit or stand on his own." The Ugandan government has faced mounting international pressure over its human rights record, particularly following the disputed January 2026 elections in which President Museveni secured a seventh term in office.
As of the time of this report, the Ugandan military had not issued any official response to Bobi Wine's allegations, and the whereabouts of Dr. Sarah Bireete and Eunice Musiime remained unknown. The international community and human rights organisations are expected to press for information on the two women's fate and demand accountability for what appears to be a deepening pattern of enforced disappearances targeting civil society leaders and legal practitioners in Uganda.
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