Two senior officials of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) who had been missing for weeks have resurfaced in court, where they were charged with incitement of violence and remanded to prison in separate cases in Northern and Western Uganda.
Lina Zedriga, the NUP deputy president for Northern Uganda, was on Friday produced before the Gulu Chief Magistrates Court after nearly three weeks of incommunicado detention.
Zedriga appeared before Chief Magistrate Augustine Alule Koma but was not allowed to take plea after prosecutors informed court that investigations were still ongoing.
The prosecution alleges that in December 2025, at various locations across Northern Uganda — including Gulu, Amuru, Omoro and Nwoya districts — Zedriga incited members of the public to commit acts of violence, specifically targeting supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) on the basis of their political opinions.
The charge, registered under Police Charge Gulu CRB 068/2026 at Aswa West Police Station, was sanctioned on February 6, 2026. Court ordered that Zedriga be remanded until February 17, 2026, when the matter will return for mention.
In a separate case, NUP’s deputy president for Western Uganda, Jacklyn Jolly Tukamushaba, 50, was also produced in court after being missing since the eve of the January 15 elections.
Tukamushaba was arraigned before a court in Kabale and charged with incitement of violence. Prosecutors allege that between December 2025 and January 2026, at various locations in Western Uganda — including Rukiga, Kabale and Rukungiri districts — she incited members of the public to attack NRM supporters because of their political affiliation.
She was remanded to Ndorwa Government Prison in Kabale District pending further proceedings.
The court appearances of the two NUP vice presidents have ended weeks of uncertainty surrounding their whereabouts. The opposition party had previously raised concerns over what it described as their abduction and prolonged incommunicado detention.
Their resurfacing comes amid heightened political tension following the January 15 elections, during which several NUP members have reported arrests and alleged enforced disappearances linked to political activity. NUP party leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, remains in hiding, according to party officials.
