Keypoints:
- MP Barnabas Tinkasiimire abducted and tortured
- Uganda Law Society demands accountability
- Abduction linked to criticism of Museveni’s son
A UGANDAN lawmaker who has publicly criticised President Yoweri Museveni and his son has been abducted, tortured and dumped in a Kampala suburb, sparking condemnation from lawyers and opposition figures ahead of next year’s election.
Barnabas Tinkasiimire, an MP and legal advocate, was taken by armed security agents on Friday and found two days later weak and bearing signs of torture, according to the Uganda Law Society and his wife. The abduction adds to growing concerns about state repression as Museveni seeks to extend his 40-year rule in the January 2026 election.
Dumped and injured in city suburb
Tinkasiimire’s wife told AFP that he was abducted by what she described as ‘heavily armed, drone-operating operatives’ at a petrol station in Kampala and later abandoned in Namungoona, a suburb of the capital.
‘He is alive but very weak. We have taken him for medical attention,’ she said.
The Uganda Law Society, which had issued a missing persons alert, later confirmed that he had visible torture marks, according to vice-president Anthony Asiimwe.
‘It is disturbing and we demand that the government get to the root of what happened to him,’ Asiimwe said.
A ruling party rebel
Although Tinkasiimire belongs to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), he has become a prominent internal critic, particularly over what he views as a dynastic succession effort involving Museveni’s son, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine posted on X that Tinkasiimire had ‘been very critical of Museveni’s effort to impose his son on our country, which his family believes is the reason he is being persecuted and held incommunicado.’
Kainerugaba, who heads Uganda’s armed forces, is widely considered Museveni’s heir apparent. Last month, he was condemned for boasting online about abducting one of Bobi Wine’s aides.
Growing fears of enforced disappearances
The Uganda Law Society and international human rights bodies have warned of a worsening pattern of enforced disappearances, with activists, opposition members and now even ruling party MPs becoming targets.
‘Enforced disappearances are currently a serious problem in many parts of Uganda,’ the law society said in its statement.
The United Nations and advocacy groups have echoed similar concerns as the country approaches a high-stakes election season.
Rule of law under threat
The abduction and assault of a sitting MP has intensified calls for independent investigations and legal accountability. Rights advocates say the targeting of lawmakers, even those from the ruling party, signals a sharp decline in democratic tolerance and heightens fears of unchecked state power.
As of publication, neither the Ugandan government nor the NRM had issued a formal response.
