Buyaga West MP, Barnabas Tinkasimire, who was reportedly abducted on Saturday, has been dumped in Namungoona in Kampala.
This, according to his wife, Tusiime Sandra Tinka Abwooli, the lawmaker was not only manhandled and assaulted but also tortured before being abandoned at Namungoona.
“Honourable Tinkasiimire Barnabas was damped at Namungoona in Rubaga North, and he reached home at 1:33 am using a boda boda,” Tinka said.
“He is frail and heavily battered. We called our family doctor to come and examine him, and he provided the necessary medical attention and advised Honourable to take a rest. We give glory to God, who has rescued him from his captures,” she added.
Asked what Tinkasimire’s abductors told him when in their possession, Tinka said he was accused of talking ill about some senior military officers.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma on Monday told reporters that they were not behind his detention emphasizing that they were unaware of Tinkasimire’s whereabouts.
On Saturday Tinka, the wife, told this news website that the MP was seized around 5:00 PM at Rubis Petrol Station in Makerere, Kampala, by over ten armed individuals dressed in civilian clothes.
The assailants, reportedly traveling in an unmarked drone van, forcibly took Tinkasiimire to an unknown location, leaving his whereabouts uncertain.
Their efforts to trace him were futile, she said, adding that Rubis Fuel station also refused to avail them CCTV footage detailing what had actually transpired.
They would then rush to Wandegeya police station where they reported a case of missing person.
Opposition politician, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, strongly condemned Tinkasimire’s abduction, describing it as a “violent abduction” and a stark reminder of the deteriorating state of law and order in Uganda.
He expressed outrage over the abduction, stating, “We have learnt of the violent abduction yesterday of Hon. Barnabas Tinkasiimire, Member of Parliament for Buyaga West Constituency. This is a continuation of unlawful detentions targeting dissenting voices.”
Bobi Wine called for the immediate release of Tinkasiimire and urged the international community to take note of the escalating human rights violations in Uganda.
The abduction comes amid heightened political tensions as Uganda approaches the 2026 general elections.
Tinkasiimire, a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), has been known for his critical stance against certain government policies, making him a target for political reprisals, according to observers.
Bobi Wine, who has announced his candidacy for the 2026 presidential race, has repeatedly accused the government of President Yoweri Museveni of orchestrating abductions and detentions to silence opposition figures and critics.
This incident follows a series of reported abductions of NUP supporters and other opposition figures. In May 2025, Bobi Wine raised concerns over the abduction of his chief bodyguard, Edward Ssebuufu, alias Eddie Mutwe, who was allegedly tortured while in custody.
The opposition leader also highlighted the case of a missing police officer, Twine Charles, reportedly abducted by Special Forces Command operatives, emphasizing that such actions transcend political affiliations and violate basic human rights.
Human rights groups have echoed Bobi Wine’s concerns, pointing to a pattern of state-sponsored abductions and harassment.
The US-based Holocaust Memorial Museum recently warned of the risk of “mass atrocities” surrounding the 2026 elections, citing the increasing crackdown on opposition figures.
International condemnation has also grown following the abduction of veteran opposition leader Kizza Besigye in Kenya in 2024, who was forcibly returned to Uganda to face treason charges.