Security operatives on Wednesday raided the residence of former Ethics and Integrity Minister Miria Matembe, conducting a search that lasted several hours before confiscating several electronic devices whose contents and purpose were not immediately disclosed.
Matembe, a veteran politician and outspoken government critic, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying she was not at home at the time of the raid.
“They arrived at my home at around 10:00 a.m. while I was away. The caretakers informed me that the operatives forced their way inside, searched the house and left with several items,” she said. “I am still trying to establish what they were targeting, or whether their intention was to abduct me.”
Authorities had not issued an official statement on the operation by press time, and police spokespersons were not immediately available for comment.
It also remains unclear whether the former minister had received any prior warning before the search took place.
The incident comes amid heightened concerns over human rights in Uganda, particularly allegations of enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests targeting opposition figures and activists.
Miria Matembe, a co-founder of the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention and a long-standing advocate for women’s rights, has recently been vocal in criticising what she describes as a rise in state-linked abductions and restrictions on civic space.
Once a close ally of President Yoweri Museveni and a key contributor to Uganda’s 1995 Constitution, Matembe fell out with the ruling establishment in 2003 after opposing the removal of presidential term limits.
Since then, she has remained a persistent voice for constitutionalism, accountability, and the protection of civic freedoms.
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