Political talk-show analyst Charles Rwomushana has reportedly been arrested and taken to an unknown destination by armed security operatives.
Rwomushana was picked up from Radio Simba on Saturday morning while appearing as a panelist on Gasimbagane ne Bannamwulire, a weekly talk show that airs every Saturday.
According to eyewitnesses, about 10 security operatives dressed in civilian clothes and armed with guns stormed the station before putting the security guards at gunpoint and ordering them to provide access to the studios.
A staff member who witnessed the incident said Rwomushana had only greeted listeners when the operatives entered the studio.
“Rwomushana had not started submitting yet. He had just greeted listeners before seeing the gun-wielding operatives inside,” the staff member said.
The witness said the operatives then grabbed Rwomushana by his collar and trousers, pushed him out of the studio and took him away in a waiting vehicle.
His whereabouts remain unknown, as no security agency has come out to officially confirm his arrest.
Efforts to obtain a comment from security authorities were unsuccessful.
The circumstances surrounding Rwomushana’s arrest remain unclear, although a post by Daudi Kabanda, the head of the office of the Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), has raised questions about whether the incident could be politically connected.
Moments after Rwomushana’s arrest, Kabanda reposted a BBS Terefayina clip from a programme featuring Rwomushana on Thursday and simply wrote: “Be careful.”
In the clip, Rwomushana discusses Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s recent declaration that he intends to run for President in 2031. He also discusses claims that President Yoweri Museveni has endorsed Muhoozi and would serve as his chief campaigner.
Rwomushana questions the political implications of such an endorsement, using genetically modified organisms as an analogy.
“I want to look at where Uganda is heading. You know GMOs — their seeds do not germinate. I want to look at our generation. Do you have seeds which will germinate tomorrow?” he said.
He went on to refer to equate such ambitions to a seeming public confrontation for power between Muhoozi and his father, President Museveni.
“If you have Busuulwa’s son confronting him in the media in broad daylight, is that the seed you are going to give your children?” Rwomushana asked.
He further argued that if Museveni were to endorse Muhoozi’s presidential bid, the endorsement itself would be sufficient because the political infrastructure already exists.
“If Mr Museveni is to endorse Rwomushana for presidency, he doesn’t have to be his campaigning manager. All he has to say is that, ‘I have endorsed.’ The infrastructure is there,” he said.
He added that if such an endorsement were to happen, it would not be for Kabanda to announce it, suggesting that senior NRM figures such as former Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda and NRM National Vice Chairman Hajji Moses Kigongo would be more appropriate.
Rwomushana also compared the situation to the biblical Parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15:11–32, in which a younger son demands his inheritance from his father, leaves home, squanders his wealth and eventually falls into extreme hardship.
“For me, I am looking at a child who confronts his parents and demands his share from the father’s wealth,” Rwomushana said.
Possible link to Besigye case
It is also unclear whether Rwomushana’s reported arrest is connected to the ongoing case against veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye.
Rwomushana was named in the State’s nine-page prosecution indictment against Besigye, who is facing high-profile treason-related charges.
The indictment, presented in court by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, alleges that Besigye and his co-accused were involved in a plot to overthrow President Museveni’s government by force.
According to the prosecution, a meeting allegedly took place in Brussels, Belgium, involving several opposition figures and commentators, including Rwomushana, Salaam Musumba and MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda.
The State alleges that the discussions involved seeking military and security advice, planning drone attacks, acquiring surface-to-air missiles to target installations including Nakasongola, and using lethal poisons.
The indictment names Rwomushana as having attended meetings linked to the alleged conspiracy and alleges that he did not report the activities to the authorities.
However, despite being prominently mentioned in the indictment, Rwomushana was not initially arrested or charged as a co-defendant in the main treason case.
State prosecutors have previously indicated that he is among potential witnesses lined up to testify against Besigye.
Rwomushana has publicly maintained a complex position on the allegations, downplaying his links to the alleged activities.
As of publication, it remains unclear where Rwomushana is being held, which security agency carried out the arrest, or the specific grounds for his detention.