The family and lawyers of Norman Tumuhimbise, proprietor of Digital Talk online television, have expressed concern over his safety following his disappearance for several days.
Tumuhimbise’s whereabouts became unknown shortly after the arrest of his colleague, Mukose Arnold, a journalist at the same outlet, who was picked up over the weekend while returning from a radio talk show at Metro FM in Old Kampala.
Mukose was reportedly driven to his home in Lukuli-Nanganda, Makindye Division, where security operatives conducted a search and confiscated electronic devices before taking him to an undisclosed location.
His lawyers allege the operatives are attached to the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT).Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala confirmed that Mukose is in police custody but did not disclose the charges against him.
However, Tumuhimbise’s family says his disappearance followed shortly after Mukose’s arrest, raising fears that the two incidents could be linked.
On Monday, security operatives travelling in a drone minibus reportedly raided Tumuhimbise’s home in Lukuli-Nanganda, where they searched the premises, took electronic gadgets and money, and assaulted occupants.
Victims, including Lilian Tuhimbise, said five armed men—two in plain clothes and three in army uniform—held them at gunpoint, demanding to know Tumuhimbise’s whereabouts.
“We told them we didn’t know Tumuhimbise’s whereabouts. They beat us with wires, then forced us to open my brother’s room. They took two phones, two laptops, 150,000 shillings he left for food, and my 2.5 million shillings meant for tuition,” she said.
Tumuhimbise’s father, retired soldier Patrick Nuwagaba from Lwengo District, said he was shocked after watching a video of the raid and travelled overnight to Kampala to follow up on his son’s disappearance.
Nuwagaba condemned the conduct of the operatives, saying it contradicts military standards. He said no trained soldier is expected to torture unarmed civilians, especially women, during operations.
He urged authorities to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
One of the lawyers representing Digital Talk Media, Kato Tumusiime, described Tumuhimbise’s disappearance and the raid as alarming, saying they fear he could be in unlawful detention.
Tumusiime said they have visited several police stations, but Tumuhimbise has not been found, and his phones remain switched off.
He added that they plan to file complaints over the alleged illegal search, theft, and torture, supported by CCTV footage.
Tumusiime also disputed police claims about Mukose’s detention, saying officers at Old Kampala Police Station indicated that he was picked up by military personnel without proper documentation.
“If police have him, let them produce him. The 48 hours are ending today, which is illegal. We demand the release of both our people, or we’ll file habeas corpus in court to force the government to produce them, either live or dead,” he said.
Digital Talk Media was among the organisations and activists that recently petitioned the Constitutional Court, leading to the nullification of the Computer Misuse Act, 2022.
The media house has previously faced similar incidents, including a 2022 raid in which equipment was reportedly stolen.
Neither the police nor the military had confirmed having Tumuhimbise in their custody by the time of publishing this story, as concerns continue to grow over his safety. URN