Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni’s challenger in 2021 presidential election, Joseph Kabuleta, has been abducted in the country’s capital Kampala.
Kabuleta, who has been a thorn critique of Museveni’s work methods especially in fighting Covid19 and planned vaccination of children in schools without their parents’s approval, was abducted using a Toyota Hiace infamously known as Drone at around midday.
Plain clothed men raided Kabuleta’s offices and drove him to unknown destination. His arrest dominated social media in Uganda for the entire afternoon.
However, police spokesperson,
Fred Enanga, in the evening hours issued a statement explaining that Kabuleta was being held by Kampala metropolitan police detectives for defying summons related to promoting sectarianism.
Enanga said Kabuleta was summoned to appear before detectives on November 3 this month but he was a no show.
Police said Kabuleta’s charges emanate from the June 15 general enquiry where the politician who is also a veteran journalist was accused of uttering statements likely to result into despondency.
“…that Joseph Kabuleta and others still at large, made utterances which were likely to create alienation or despondency, raise discontent or disaffection and promote feelings of I’ll will or hostility among members of the public,” Enanga said.
Police said Kabuleta on May 30, 2022 while in Kampala held a press conference under their political party dubbed National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) where they alleged that social service delivery in Mbarara is based on ethnic lines of the Tutsi, Bahima, Bakiga and Banyankole.
“Kabuleta and others shall be charged with promoting sectarianism contrary to section 41 (1) of the penal code Act. The police appeals to the general public to desist from making statement that may cause discontent, incite violence and instigate hostility among the affected communities,” Enanga said.
Kabuleta was one of 10 men and one female that challenged Museveni’s 36 years grip on power. Museveni was declared winner of one of the country’s most chaotic presidential elections.