A joint team of security operatives on Monday morning raided the home of outspoken former Minister for Ethics and Integrity, Miria Matembe, in an operation that has raised fresh concerns over the treatment of government critics.
According to reports, the raid was carried out at around 10am. However, the former legislator was not found at her residence at the time, having reportedly left before the security team arrived. Her current whereabouts remain unclear.
Sources close to the incident said the operatives conducted a thorough search of the premises, ransacking parts of the house before leaving with several unspecified items. It was not immediately clear what was taken or whether any official warrant had been issued prior to the operation.
Human rights lawyer Eron Kiiza condemned the raid, describing it as part of a worrying trend targeting outspoken individuals. In a social media post, he called for divine protection over Matembe, expressing concern for her safety.
“May the soldiers surrounding Matembe’s house continue to fail to locate her. May Almighty God shield her from abduction,” Kiiza wrote.
The development comes barely nine days after operatives from the Special Forces Command (SFC) raided the home of former Kampala Lord Mayor and president of the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Erias Lukwago, in Wakaliga, a suburb of Kampala.
Lukwago is currently remanded at Luzira Maximum Security Prison on charges of misprision of treason, in a case that has drawn significant public and political attention.
The back-to-back security operations have sparked debate among civil society actors and political observers, with some warning of an escalating pattern of intimidation against opposition figures and government critics.
