Jinja, Uganda – The usually bustling Jinja Bus Park took on a different tone on Monday as scores of red-clad National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters staged a peaceful demonstration, demanding the unconditional release of Ssebufu Edward aka Eddie Mutwe and other political prisoners.
Chants of “Free Eddie! Free Them All!” rang across the streets as supporters waved placards and national flags drawing in curious bystanders and local traders who paused to witness what many described as a rare show of civic courage in the eastern city.
Eddie Mutwe is the head of security for NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine. He has become a symbolic figure in Uganda’s opposition struggle, frequently arrested and allegedly tortured, and now reportedly being held incommunicado under unknown legal circumstances.
His recent abduction and detention openly confirmed by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) has sparked national and international outrage.
NUP alleges that the military’s actions are not only unconstitutional but a blatant act of political persecution.
The Jinja protest is the latest in a growing string of spontaneous, grassroots actions sprouting across Uganda and the diaspora, reflecting a growing frustration with what opposition leaders describe as “dictatorship.”
Police presence remained visible but non-confrontational, a sharp contrast from similar past demonstrations that ended in violence and mass arrests.
National Unity Platform, Uganda’s leading opposition force, has for months called out the government for detaining party members without trial citing fabricated charges and military courts used as tools of suppression.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Bobi Wine praised the protestors, saying:
“Every voice counts. Every action matters. We thank our comrades in Jinja and beyond. Uganda shall be free.”
NUP has consistently maintained that Eddie Mutwe’s detention is illegal and his continued disappearance without court appearance amounts to state-sanctioned abduction.
The demonstration comes at a politically tense time. With the 2026 elections drawing closer and the ruling NRM party under increasing scrutiny for human rights abuses, every arrest, every protest and every silence grows heavier with meaning.
Political analysts note that the visibility of protests like Jinja’s could shift narratives both locally and internationally. Uganda’s human rights record has come under repeated criticism from global watchdogs, and calls for sanctions and inquiries are intensifying.
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