In an unexpected revelation, some individuals who were previously reported as victims of politically motivated abductions in Mukono North have come forward with disclosures that could reshape the widely accepted narrative around the 2021 general election period.
Mukono North, located east of Kampala, was among the districts where multiple abductions were reported ahead of the elections.
Many of those allegedly abducted were supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP), and the incidents were widely blamed on the then-State Minister for Water and Environment, Ronald Kibuule. At the time, opposition politicians accused Kibuule of facilitating the detentions.
However, recent testimonies from some of the alleged victims suggest that not all was as it seemed.
Augustine Kamira, one of the individuals who was listed among the abductees, now says their abduction was politicized.
He recounts being picked up along with seven others in January 2021 after a football match in Kabembe by men in plain clothes traveling in unmarked Toyota Hiace vans locally known as “drones.”
Kamira says they were blindfolded and taken to a warehouse where they were tortured and accused of participating in the November 2020 riots following the arrest of NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, commonly known as Bobi Wine.
“While in detention, we met others who had been picked from areas like Nakasongola, Iganga, and Luwero. Our charges were more serious and were related to treason, not constituency politics,” Kamira said.
He further claims that after their release, they were approached by opposition leaders who encouraged them to publicly accuse Kibuule of engineering their abductions.
“Some were even given money. I stayed quiet to recover from the trauma, but I am now speaking out because the opposition is still using the abduction story to gain sympathy instead of showing what they have achieved for the people during their term,” Kamira stated.
Another youth, Hamis Kabaya, widely known in the community as General Kabaya, shared a different experience.
He says he and ten others were taken to a plastic and juice factory in Bweyogerere, allegedly owned by a relative of the current Member of Parliament, Abdallah Kiwanuka.
Kabaya claims they were not tortured. Instead, they spent several days working at the factory during the 2020 Christmas period. When they returned to Mukono North, they were instructed on what to tell the public.
“We were told to say we were abducted for supporting NUP. The lies have haunted me. I was later asked to remove posters of President Museveni and Kibuule in the constituency which led to confrontations, including a well-known fight at Katoogo trading center,” Kabaya said.
He admits that during the campaign period, NUP supporters arrested at Katoogo had been part of deliberate provocations initiated by their own camp.
While these new statements call into question the credibility of some abduction claims, they do not eliminate the reality that several people were abducted and tortured during that time.
Two youths from Mukono North, Yuda Ssempijja and Muhammad Kanata, are still missing.
Kamira says it is possible they were held in a separate location or worse. He acknowledges that some people may have died in detention.
“The place I was held had many others, but there could have been different locations. I cannot rule out the possibility that some of us did not make it out,” he noted.
Political Blame Game Continues
MP Abdallah Kiwanuka, when contacted, dismissed the new allegations. He claimed those speaking out were bribed by Kibuule, and he also accused journalists of being paid to report the revelations.
“These people are being used. Even the journalists who write about it are also compromised,” Kiwanuka said, offering no concrete evidence to support the claim.
Ronald Kibuule, who had remained silent for years regarding the allegations, finally responded. He questioned the logic behind the accusations against him.
“Why would I abduct people from my own constituency or from other distant areas like Iganga or Nakasongola? If I was behind such actions, would I choose people who had little political influence?” Kibuule asked.
He also questioned why Kiwanuka, a lawyer by profession, had not filed a lawsuit against him if he truly believed he was behind the abductions.
“He has never sued me. That says a lot. He is only using this for political gain, but I believe the community now wants leaders to be judged by their service, not sympathy,” Kibuule added.
The Road to 2026
With the 2026 general elections on the horizon, Mukono North is emerging as a political hotspot where old wounds are being reopened and reexamined.
These latest testimonies suggest that some of the abductions may have been exaggerated or even fabricated, while others were tragically real.
For the people of Mukono North and the families of those still missing, the pain of unanswered questions remains.
Whether the truth will ever be fully revealed is uncertain, but what is clear is that voters are demanding more than stories—they are demanding accountability and results.
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