The National Unity Platform (NUP) party secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya has confirmed that two members of the Election Management Committee (EMC) have been released from police custody.

Rubongoya announced that EMC Mercy Walukamba and Rahma Juma who now walk free were part of the four people reported missing on February 19, 2025.

While speaking to the media at the party headquarters at Makerere Kavule on February 21, 2025, he said that the other two Rovans Alex Lwanyaga, and Kayabura Eddie remain missing.

“Yesterday, Thursday, February 20, 2025, at around 10:00 PM, two of our colleagues were dropped at the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka,’’ he said.

Rubongoya claims that the two comrades were freed after the party had exposed to the general public that one of their vehicles where they were traveling in had a tracker and was located at CMI in Mbuya.

“Today we have them here, though the two male colleagues are still missing,” Rubongoya said.

The two ex-detainees narrated to the public their ordeals after they were reported missing.

Mercy Walukamba, the EMC chairperson, said that they were stopped in Mpigi returning from a burial in Kyotera and were beaten up and blindfolded before being driven to an unknown location and winding up at Mbuya CMI offices.

“We were arrested and taken to Mbuya, and I was interrogated mainly on what plans we have for the Kawempe North by-elections and why NUP president Kyagulanyi chose me to chair the party elections body,” Walukamba said.

Rahma Juma said that while being arrested, they were physically assaulted, and while in detention, they found other women who they couldn’t identify because they were blindfolded.

“There were like six other women in custody, but we could just hear their voices and couldn’t interact with them or even see them,” Rahma said.

Rubongoya said that the legal team has already submitted requests for other detainees to be produced in court to seek proper justice.

“We have reported these issues to court, and our lawyers have affidavits, and we have already applied for habeas corpus for the remaining comrades, and we are pushing on,” Rubongoya added.

Earlier this week, on Monday, February 1, 2025, the NUP head of mobilization and elder brother to party president Robert Kyagulanyi was arrested and taken to an unknown destination, which up to now party leaders say they haven’t heard from him.