After being reported missing for three weeks following his alleged disappearance by the military, Mr John Mary Ssebuwufu, a senior member of the National Unity Platform (NUP) Election Management Committee (EMC), has been arraigned in court and charged.
Mr Ssebuwufu, the 50-year-old vice president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) for Buganda region and a resident of Nakawa Division, Kampala City was on Friday arraigned before Nakawa Court and charged with incitement to violence contrary to section 79 (1) of the Penal Code Act, Cap 128.
He denied the charges before he was remanded to Luzira Prison until February 17, 2026 for further mention of the case.
The state claims that Mr Ssebuwufu who is the incumbent Lord Councilor for Nakawa West at the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), in the month of November and December 2025 at various places in Kampala, Mukono, Masaka, Mpigi incited people to attack the supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, an act based on reason of their political opinion.
NUP deputy presidents Dr Lina Zedriga (for Northern Uganda) and
Jolly Tukamushaba (for Western Uganda) were also remanded to prison on the same charges after spending three weeks in detention following their arrest during the tense elections.
He’s among the hundreds of NUP candidates and supporters picked during the tense January 15 elections held under an internet blackout.
His party led by Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine who is currently in hiding rejected the results of the elections as “fake.” They accused the regime operatives of ballot stuffing, intimidation of opposition candidates and supporters, in addition to countrywide failure of the multibillion procured Biometric Voter Verification Kits (BVVK) on polling day.
Mr Kyagulanyi went into hiding a day after the disputed elections in which he finished second after President Museveni was declared winner with 71.65 of the votes cast.
President Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who acts as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), said authorities had killed 30 NUP supporters and detained over 2,000 opposition members he described as terrorists.
He said the military was hunting for Mr Kyagulanyi and wanted him dead or alive following the January 15 election in which Mr Kyagulanyi polled 24.72 per cent of the valid votes cast, according to the Electoral Commission headed by a former Court of Appeal/ Constitutional Court justice, Simon Mugenyi Byabakama.
Security operatives have remained deployed at Mr Kyagulanyi’s home in Magere, Wakiso District since the polling day, with several night military raids and break in reported by his wife.
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.