The Kanyanya Grade One Magistrates Court in Kawempe has remanded National Unity Platform (NUP) supporter Olivia Lutaaya to Luzira Prison on charges of participating in military-like drills without authorization from the Minister of Internal Affairs. Lutaaya appeared before Grade One Magistrate Damalie Agumasiimwe on Tuesday and was charged with four counts related to unlawful military training. She denied the charges.
Through her lawyers, led by Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, she requested a medical examination by her personal doctors, citing torture marks on her body. Muyizzi told the court that he and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, visited Lutaaya in the cells, where she showed them both fresh and old torture wounds.
He added that she was arrested last Friday in Bwizibwera, Mbarara District, in what he described as a dehumanizing manner by police, and that she had been detained for more than 48 hours before being produced in court—violating her right to a speedy trial and fair hearing. However, Chief State Attorney Sharon Nambuya, representing the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), objected to the defense request for a private medical examination.
Nambuya argued that Lutaaya is a member of NUP, which she alleged is attempting to overthrow the government, and warned that private medical access could pose security risks, including potential harm blamed on the state. In her ruling, Magistrate Agumasiimwe directed that Lutaaya be examined by prison medical officers first.
She added that if no examination is conducted, Lutaaya should report the matter to the court at her next appearance. Lutaaya—dressed in a red Uganda Cranes jersey and jeans—laughed softly as the charges were read out. She was remanded until November 18, 2025, the same date when her co-accused are due to return for a mandatory bail hearing. She joins ten other NUP supporters already facing related charges of unauthorized military drills, running an unlicensed training school, and possession of military-like attire. The alleged offenses occurred on February 12, 2025.
The other accused include Edward Ssebufu (alias Eddie Mutwe), Acleo Kivumbi, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, Doreen Kaija (Principal, NUP Leadership School), Saudah Madada, Tasi Calvin (alias Bobi Giant), Edwin Sserunkuma (alias Eddy King Kabejja), Sharif Lukenge, Yasin Nyanzi, and Tonny Kaweesi.
The group has repeatedly applied for bail without success. This is not Lutaaya’s first encounter with the law. In December 2020, she was among 48 NUP supporters arrested in Kalangala District during Robert Kyagulanyi’s presidential campaign and charged with illegal possession of ammunition. After spending months in detention, she was released in 2021, only to be re-arrested later and charged with treachery alongside 31 others.
In October 2024, after nearly five years in prison, Lutaaya pleaded guilty to charges of treachery and illegal possession of explosives before the General Court Martial in Makindye, chaired by Brigadier General Freeman Robert Mugabe. Her plea came after prolonged detention without resolution. She was sentenced to five years in prison—a term almost equivalent to the time she had already spent on remand—and was later released in November 2024 following President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s pardon.
While some of her co-accused have since gone silent or joined the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Lutaaya immediately returned to the NUP headquarters after her release, vowing continued support for Kyagulanyi. Her earlier conviction followed allegations by security agencies that the group had planned petrol bomb attacks on government vehicles and installations ahead of Museveni’s swearing-in in May 2021, allegedly to protest the election outcome.
Police linked the suspects to incidents at Kasubi Royal Tombs, Uganda Registration Services Bureau, Katwe Police Station, and the residence of former Jinja RCC Eric Sakwa. The suspects were arrested by operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and prosecuted in the Court Martial. Meanwhile, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that over 120 supporters were arrested last week during Kyagulanyi’s campaign in the Ankole sub-region.
Rubongoya said that since campaigns began in September, more than 130 supporters have been arrested from different areas, including Lira, Mbarara, Kiruhura, and Kazo districts, and that the party has been denied access to them despite multiple attempts. The Minister for Youth and Children Affairs, Dr. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has since stated that he is in talks with the President to secure the release of all detained NUP supporters.
***URN***