KABALE. The National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy president in charge of Western Uganda, Ms Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba, who has been missing for weeks following her abduction on the eve of the January 15 elections has been remanded to Ndorwa Prison in Kabale District on charges incitement to violence.
The state prosecution on Friday told the court presided over by Kabale Chief Magistrate, Mr Derrick Byamugisha that in the month of December 2025 and January 2026, Ms Tukamushaba at various places in Western Uganda, including Rukiga, Kabale and Rukungiri incited people attack supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, an act based on the reason of their political opinion.
However, Ms Tukamushaba, who was produced in court after being held incommunicado for weeks pleaded not guilty before she was remanded to prison until February 24,2026 for further mention of her case after the state prosecution told court that investigations into the offence were still going on.
Before her disappearance, the 50-year-old seasoned accountant and humanitarian was NUP’s flag bearer for the Rukiga District Woman Member of Parliament seat.
Ms Tukamushaba is among the hundreds of NUP parliamentary flag bearers and supporters held incommunicado for weeks after they were picked by security operatives across the country following the state’s intensified crackdown against the opposition ahead of the tense January 15 parliamentary and presidential polls held under internet blackout.
Many are still missing with their whereabouts unknown after security agencies denied holding them.
NUP leadership said this week that over 3,000 of their members had been picked by security operatives during the elections whose results they have rejected as “fake”, arguing that there were widespread reports of ballot stuffing, intimidation of opposition polling agents and the countrywide failure of the Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK), among others.
Ms Tukamushaba’s daughter, Patricia Ashaba last week revealed that her mother was picked by armed men believed to be military officers on January 14 as she prepared appointment letters for her polling agents ahead of the January 15 General Election and forced into a waiting Toyota Hiace Vehicle, commonly known as ‘drone’ notoriously used by the military to abduct opposition supporters and activists.
This was Ms Tukamushaba’s second arrest in five years under similar circumstances. It is also her second attempt to run for Rukiga District Woman MP seat.
Despite her abduction, Ms Tukamushaba finished second with 3,195 votes losing to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s Dr Sylvia Arinaitwe who polled 37,239 votes while Ms Hellen Kobutesi Kworoba who contested as an independent candidate polled 888 votes.
Ms Tukamushaba’s appearance comes barely a day after Mr Bright Muhumuza, the NUP coordinator Ankole Sub-region and party’s flag bearer for Mbarara City South Division parliamentary seat was on Thursday remanded to prison on charges of rash and negligent act.
Mr Muhumuza was also picked under similar circumstances on the eve of the elections and held incommunicado for weeks for he was arraigned in court on what NUP leadership described as trumped up charges.
Hundreds of NUP supporters have been arraigned in court on various charges since last month’s disputed elections. The state accuses some of them of shouting that “NRM rigged votes” during the January 15, 2026, polls. The party president, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine is in hiding after escaping a military and police raid at his home in Magerere on the night of January 16.
President Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who serves as the Chief of Defence Forces, in a series of posts on X, said the military had shot dead 30 NUP supporters he described as terrorists and arrested over 2,000.
Butambala County Member of Parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi who doubles as NUP deputy president in charge of Buganda is in detention following his arrest late last month.
He was on January 23 charged with terrorism days after seven of his supporters were shot dead by security operatives at his home in Butambala District.