In Summary: Uganda Law Society (ULS) says Egesa was forcibly taken by armed men in a white unmarked van from the Radio One premises in Kampala on Friday evening after participating in an Akaboozi FM talk show.
Kampala, Uganda — Outspoken political analyst and business executive, Ronald Egesa Leonard, is missing after he was reportedly abducted by armed men from the premises of Radio One in Kampala after participating in a live talk show on Akaboozi FM.
The Uganda Law Society (ULS), which condemned the incident in a statement issued on Friday evening, said Egesa was seized by plainclothes armed men travelling in a white unmarked van from the radio station’s parking area.
According to the ULS President Isaac K. Ssemakadde, SC, the incident happened while Egesa was appearing on Akaboozi FM’s Kyogereko Enyongeza+ programme, hosted by Jude Bukenya.
The programme’s Friday edition, scheduled from 8 pm to 10 pm, featured Egesa alongside Democratic Front Electoral Commission Chairperson Henry Lubowa and Harold Kaija, In charge of Policy and Communication at the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), with deliberations on Ebikozze Amawulire Mu Wiiki, focusing on the week’s news and current affairs.
Ssemakadde says the Society had “obtained verified surveillance footage from the media house premises documenting the incident, and we have decided to publicise it in the hope of obtaining better information about the perpetrators.”
“Mr. Egesa was forcibly seized by plainclothes armed men travelling in a white unmarked van (commonly known as a “drone”) from the Radio One parking area during a talk show on Akaboozi FM with Jude Bukenya, Harold Kaija, and Henry Lubowa. His current whereabouts remain unknown,” the ULS President wrote on Friday evening.
Egesa, according to Ssemakadde, had previously reported threats against his life, linked to individuals associated with the PLU Secretariat, although this publication could not independently verify evidence establishing who was behind the reported abduction.
The ULS President strongly condemned the incident as an attack on media freedom and freedom of expression, arguing that taking a participant from a radio station during a broadcast raised serious concerns about the safety of journalists, guests and other public commentators.
He demanded Egesa’s immediate and unconditional release, disclosure of his whereabouts and physical condition, and an explanation from the Uganda Police Force and other security agencies over the reported operation.
Ssemakadde also called for an end to the use of unmarked vehicles and plainclothes operatives to seize people without due process, and urged authorities to protect media houses from intimidation and unlawful interference.
The Society President further called on the Uganda Media Centre, Uganda Communications Commission, human rights organisations and the international community to press for accountability.
As of the time of the ULS statement, there was no official response from the police or other security agencies explaining the circumstances surrounding Egesa’s reported disappearance.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of public commentators and the protection of media spaces, particularly when discussions involve political and national affairs.
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