Government Defends Post-Poll Arrests Amid Silence on Alleged Safehouse Detentions

The Ugandan government has defended its recent wave of nationwide arrests, attributing the security actions to a sharp rise in homicides, robberies, and organized crime rather than political targeting. Internal Affairs Minister Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu presented a comprehensive report to Parliament, outlining joint security operations conducted between January and September 2026.

According to the minister’s figures, security forces recorded 3,192 homicide cases across the country during this period. Additionally, specialized operations targeting burglary, produce theft, and muggings between June and September resulted in over 22,000 arrests. Prof. Kamuntu emphasized that these measures were necessary to maintain national stability and curb growing violent crime networks in regions such as Mubende, Masaka, and Ntungamo.

However, the ministerial presentation drew immediate pushback from opposition lawmakers. Critics argued that the government deliberately sidestepped the core issue raised by the Speaker of Parliament: allegations of citizens being snatched by security operatives and held in undisclosed, ungazetted locations.

Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi dismissed the report as insufficient, demanding the immediate closure of illegal holding facilities and the release of citizens held outside the legal framework. Other MPs echoed these concerns, pointing out that arbitrary detentions violate constitutional rights to personal liberty. The tensions follow high-profile security interventions, including the recent arrest of former Deputy Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Peter Elwelu over alleged subversive activities.

Read the full details in the original report by the Daily Monitor at Government defends post-poll arrests as wave of violent crime, ignores abduction claims.