The National Unity Platform (NUP) spokesperson, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, has been denied bail despite making an emotional plea to be temporarily released to lay his wife to rest.
Mufumbiro’s wife, Edith Katende, passed away on Wednesday after a prolonged battle with cancer, closing a painful chapter that unfolded while he remained in detention.
In a deeply personal letter addressed to the Chief Justice, Flavian Zeija, Mufumbiro laid bare both his legal struggles and personal grief. He explained that he is currently facing charges of unlawful drilling before Magistrate Damalie Aguma Asiimwe and noted that despite filing several bail applications, including a mandatory one, he has remained behind bars.
His legal troubles worsened while in custody after he was hit with an additional charge of incitement to commit an offence in a separate case before Chief Magistrate Ainembabazi Doreen.
“I will be appearing in court on April 10, 2026, for rulings on my bail applications,” he wrote, before revealing the devastating news of his wife’s passing.
At the heart of his appeal is a promise left unfulfilled. In her final days, as her condition deteriorated, Edith expressed her last wish that her husband be by her side and ultimately lay her to rest.
“It is for this reason that I appeal for temporary release,” Mufumbiro wrote. “I seek the law in its most human and dignified expression to permit me one final act of love for my wife.”
He pledged to comply with any conditions the court might impose, emphasizing that his request is not an act of defiance but a humble appeal to compassion within the justice system.
Mufumbiro is jointly charged with seven other NUP members, including Edward Ssebufu, also known as Eddie Mutwe, the head of security for party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.
The group faces charges of unlawful drilling and conspiracy to commit a felony, stemming from allegations that they conducted unauthorized military-style training at party offices in Makerere-Kavule in February 2025.
