Journalists under their umbrella body, the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), have demanded the immediate release of their colleague, Remmy Asiteza, who was reportedly arrested on orders of the Minister for the Presidency, Milly Babalanda.
Asiteza, a sub-editor at Daily Express, an online publication, was arrested on Thursday, with reports linking his arrest to the publication of a story about alleged corruption in the recruitment of Resident District Commissioners (RDCs).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, UJA said Asiteza had been arrested on Thursday, August 11, 2026, allegedly on orders of Minister Babalanda and her personal assistant, Juma Masuumi.
“Asiteza, who has been held in Police detention at CPS Kampala for 5 days, is said to have been arrested in a joint operation by the security operatives attached to the Defence Intelligence and Security and State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), together with his colleague Hannington Mbabazi, who was picked from Bweyogerere-Kirinnya using a drone and detained at the SHACU office, before he could be released on Thursday night without any preferred charge against him,” UJA said.
The journalists’ body said police records identify Minister Babalanda and her personal assistant as complainants, although it said the charges against Asiteza had remained unclear.
UJA also said efforts to intervene and secure police bond for Asiteza had not yielded any results, raising further concerns over his continued detention.
“UJA feels that his continued detention is a violation of the 48-hour rule under Article 23(4)(b) of the 1995 Constitution that sets out a mandatory requirement for any suspect to be produced before Court not later than 48 hours from the time of an arrest. It also raises serious concerns of intimidation and interference into the independence of journalism,” the statement reads.
The journalists’ body said, in addition to demanding the urgent and unconditional release of Asiteza, it was engaging legal teams to ensure that he regains his freedom.
On Tuesday, Nile Post, another online news platform, quoted Juma Masuumi as the Communications Officer in the Office of the Minister for the Presidency.
Masuumi reportedly denied that Asiteza’s arrest was ordered by the minister, saying the investigation officer would be better placed to explain the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
“Professionalism has to be observed, journalists are not immune to the law,” he told the website.
It remains to be seen whether Asiteza, who has now spent more than the constitutionally stipulated 48 hours in detention, will be released unconditionally or charged in court.
