Concerns over governance and constitutional accountability in Uganda have escalated following the reported abduction of prominent lawyer and Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, alongside a strong public statement by human rights defender and lawyer Sarah Bireete warning that executive power is increasingly operating without effective legal restraint.
The incident, which has not yet been fully clarified by authorities, has triggered renewed scrutiny of security operations and the treatment of political figures.
Civil society actors are calling for urgent accountability, while legal experts caution that the absence of official explanations risks deepening public mistrust.
In her message posted on X, Bireete delivered a detailed constitutional critique of Uganda’s governance structure, arguing that executive authority is not absolute but strictly bound by law.
She emphasized that the Constitution places clear limits on presidential power and requires adherence to legal safeguards.
“The rule of law is the central pillar upon which constitutional governance rests. When it weakens, executive power ceases to be bounded by law and instead becomes governed by discretion, coercion, and fear,” she wrote.
Bireete further stressed that executive authority is held in trust for citizens and must operate within constitutional boundaries.
She warned that when state actions consistently bypass legal procedures, governance risks shifting away from accountability toward coercion.
“Executive power is therefore fiduciary in nature, held in trust for the people, not exercised above them,” she stated, adding that violations of constitutional guarantees transform the executive from a protector of law into what she termed a source of constitutional harm.
Her statement also highlighted growing concerns over alleged patterns of enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention.
Rights groups have previously raised alarms over individuals allegedly being picked up by armed men in unmarked vehicles and held without access to courts or legal counsel.
“Since 2020, we’ve witnessed a disturbing rise in abductions, often carried out by armed men in unmarked vehicles, with victims held incommunicado for days or weeks,” Bireete noted, warning that such practices undermine judicial oversight and weaken constitutional protections.
The debate has been further intensified by reactions attributed to Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whose public comments on the matter have sparked mixed reactions.
While supporters defend his remarks as personal expression, critics argue they trivialize serious allegations involving rights violations and due process concerns.
Bireete also raised alarm over what she described as the increasing normalization of prolonged detention without trial and the weakening of legal safeguards meant to protect liberty. She argued that such trends amount to a systemic erosion of constitutional order.
“Detention without trial is not merely a procedural violation; it is an assertion that executive convenience outweighs constitutional rights,” she wrote, warning that this undermines the independence of the justice system.
She further condemned any use of torture, describing it as a complete breakdown of lawful governance and an absolute violation under both domestic and international law.
“Perhaps the gravest indictment of executive overreach is the continued use of torture… No emergency, no political objective, and no security justification can excuse it,” she stated.