The circumstances surrounding Egesa’s disappearance remain unclear, with the Uganda Law Society condemning the incident and demanding accountability from security agencies.
Political analyst Leonard Egesa was on Friday night reportedly bundled into a vehicle by armed men dressed in civilian clothes shortly after appearing on a political talk show at Akaboozi FM in Kampala.
The incident occurred at the Radio One premises, which also house Akaboozi FM, where Egesa had appeared on the programme Kyogereko Enyongera, hosted by Jude Bukenya.
Radio One reported that the men intercepted Egesa in the station’s parking area and drove away with him in a white van commonly referred to as a drone.
In a post on social media, the station described the incident as an abduction and appealed to the Uganda Police Force and Uganda Media Centre to establish his whereabouts.
The station’s account indicated that Egesa had just completed his radio appearance when he was taken away.
By Saturday morning, there was no publicly confirmed information establishing where Egesa had been taken or the reasons for his arrest.
The Uganda Law Society (ULS) condemned the incident, adding its voice to growing calls for authorities to account for his whereabouts and uphold the law.
Egesa, whose full name is Ronald Leonard Egesa, is a Ugandan political analyst, business strategist and public commentator who has built a profile through regular appearances on radio and television political programmes.
He is also the chief executive officer of Magezi Harvest Limited, a Kampala-based technology and advisory company involved in business management systems, strategic consulting and institutional partnerships.
His professional interests extend beyond political commentary to business strategy, technology, governance and public policy.
Egesa has become a familiar voice in Uganda’s political discussions, often appearing on programmes where politicians, lawyers and other commentators debate government policy, party organisation, leadership and the country’s democratic processes.
In June 2026, he appeared on Sanyu FM’s news feature to discuss the proliferation of illegal mobile loan applications and possible measures to protect borrowers from exploitative lending practices.
He has also participated in political discussions on Capital FM, including a June 2026 programme examining President Museveni’s changes to the leadership of the Foreign Affairs and Education ministries.
Egesa has additionally used online platforms to host discussions on legal and governance issues. In July 2025, he hosted a digital town hall featuring Uganda Law Society president Isaac Ssemakadde, who explained the lawyers’ association’s decision to boycott a thanksgiving event organised by Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo.
His political commentary has also attracted attention during debates about opposition politics. In an opinion article published by Bbeg Media, Egesa examined the National Unity Platform’s candidate selection process ahead of the 2026 general elections, arguing that political parties needed to pay greater attention to grassroots organisation and candidate selection.
He has described himself as a political strategist and has previously written about governance, human rights and political developments in Uganda.
Egesa’s reported seizure has renewed concerns about the use of unidentified armed personnel in civilian clothes to apprehend people without immediately disclosing their destination or the grounds for their detention.
Uganda’s Constitution protects the right to personal liberty and requires that a person arrested or detained be informed of the reasons for the arrest. It also provides safeguards against unlawful detention, including access to a lawyer and the right to be brought before a court within 48 hours of arrest.
The circumstances of Egesa’s case therefore place renewed attention on the responsibility of security agencies to identify themselves, disclose the legal basis for arrests and ensure that detained persons are held in recognised places of detention.
Authorities had not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the incident by the time of publication.
