Erias Lukwago Arrested as SFC Armed Personnel Raid Wakaliga Home 

Elite armed security personnel, heavily suspected to be operatives from the Special Forces Command (SFC), have raided the Wakaliga residence of prominent opposition lawyer and former Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, before forcefully taking him away to an undisclosed destination.

The high-stakes Monday morning operation unfolded in Rubaga Division, throwing the neighborhood into a panic as heavily armed men in both military uniform and civilian attire cordoned off all access routes leading to the seasoned politician’s home.

Speaking to journalists via phone moments before his phone lines were cut off and he was led away, Lukwago expressed shock at the unannounced siege, which happened just as he was preparing to drop his children to school. He noted that he was stunned to wake up and find two minibuses, commonly known as drones, parked right outside his gate. He highlighted that people in civilian clothes and army uniforms were deployed all over the property, preventing him from leaving the house without any initial communication.

Witnesses in Wakaliga reported that after hours of a tense standoff, during which Lukwago remained inside his house, the security forces moved closer to the main house. A police patrol vehicle arrived shortly after to reinforce the military operatives.

Some of the armed personnel were then observed scaling the high perimeter wall of the residence to gain entry into the compound. Minutes later, the gates were forcefully opened from the inside, and a combined force of plainclothes and uniformed operatives entered the main building.

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Lukwago was subsequently led out of his house, placed into one of the tinted, unmarked drone vans, and driven away at high speed under a heavy security escort. Family members and legal associates present at the scene were left in distress, with no clear indication of where the former city leader was being taken.

Insiders and political analysts strongly link Monday’s raid to the ongoing, high-profile treason and national security case involving veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye and his co-accused, Hajj Obeid Lutale. Lukwago serves as the lead defense counsel for the duo.

The trial has hit a major legal stalemate in recent days. Last week, Lukwago, alongside Kenyan senior counsel Martha Karua, led the defense team in a total boycott of an evidence review session. The lawyers accused prison authorities at Luzira Upper Prison of imposing arbitrary access restrictions that crippled their ability to properly prepare a defense.

In solidarity with their legal team, Dr. Besigye and Lutale have also refused to physically attend court proceedings, bringing the state’s prosecution schedule to a grinding halt.

Compounding the legal tension, Lukwago’s legal team has been aggressively trying to serve the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, with High Court papers.

On Thursday, High Court Judge Emmanuel Baguma issued a strict seven-day ultimatum directing Gen Muhoozi to formally respond to a petition filed by Besigye and Lutale regarding alleged social media threats. While Lukwago confirmed on Friday that the Attorney General’s office had been successfully served, he noted that process servers had faced extreme hurdles trying to formally deliver the court documents directly to Gen Muhoozi, Col Peter Ahimbisibwe, and Lt Col Ephraim Byaruhanga.

The timing of the violent security sweep at Lukwago’s home has fueled intense speculation that the state is moving to neutralize the legal pressure being mounted against top military leadership.

By press time, neither the Uganda Police Force nor the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) had issued an official statement clarifying the legal basis for the raid or confirming Lukwago’s current place of detention.

Associates from his political party and fellow human rights attorneys have converged at various detention centers, including the Kira Road Police Station and the Special Investigations Division (SID) in Kireka, demanding immediate access to their colleague.