Crackdown on opposition supporters escalates as police raid home of NUP mobilizer in Kawempe

Crackdown on opposition supporters escalates as Police raid home of NUP mobilizer in Kawempe

With the political tension growing in the aftermath of the 2026 general election, the police in Kawempe Division, Kampala have raided the home of renown local NUP party mobilizer Mwambala Salim.

The raid comes a day after the government security forces have intensified operations targeting opposition groups and supporters barely hours after the bloodbath that left about 10 dead at the country home of NUP Deputy President Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi in Butambala District.

According to reports in Kawempe, the raid at Mwambala Salim’s home ensued at around 15:00hrs of January 16th 2026 and it occurred in his absence.

A source that spoke to this publication under the condition of anonymity revealed that masked armed security operatives broke into Mr. Mwambala’s home in Kirokole, Kawempe and didn’t find him.

“About 10 gunmen came and brutally assaulted his (Mwambala’s) neighbors as they asked them for his whereabouts. His wife who was present at the time was forced to lay down on the veranda as she was asked to disclose the whereabouts of her husband. She was told that she would be taken to a secluded place and held incommunicado,” our source that spoke under the condition of anonymity in fear of reprisals revealed. “She was slapped and kicked as she pled for her life. When the gunmen noticed that they were likely being filmed by onlookers, they got back to their vehicle and drove off,” the source added.

Another source revealed to our reporter that out of the 10 gunmen, 8 were in civilian clothes while the 2 were in military uniform. The source adds that the children of Mr. Mwambala witnessed the torture and they were screaming on top of their lungs.

By the time of filing this story, the whereabouts of Mr. Mwambala were unclear and efforts to track him were futile. We contacted the DPC of Kawempe Division for a comment but he declined to respond immediately after learning that we were following up on an attempted abduction of a NUP supporter.