Lukwago set to be handed over to police after ‘Muhoozi wife’s intervention’

Former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago is set to be handed over to police, according to the latest posts by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba on X.

Gen Kainerugaba indicated on Tuesday afternoon that Lukwago's detention under his control was coming to an end.

“Today, I will release this IDIOT to police. I have run out of diapers. Never test me again!” he wrote alongside a photo appearing to show Lukwago.

In a subsequent post, the CDF suggested that his wife, Charlotte Kainerugaba, had persuaded him to release the opposition leader.

“My beloved wife Charlotte has convinced me to release the criminal Lukwago. I will release him because of my love for her,” Gen Kainerugaba posted.

The latest developments will  bring relief to  many Ugandans including supporters of government supporters, who took to social media over the past 24 hours to condemn the manner of Lukwago’s arrest.

The former Lord Mayor  was seized from his home in Wakaliga by armed security operatives.

According to his family, soldiers entered the residence and took him away to an undisclosed location. The People's Front for Freedom (PFF), where Lukwago serves as president, described the incident as an abduction.

The arrest sparked widespread reactions from opposition leaders, lawyers and human rights activists. The Uganda Law Society condemned the detention, describing it as an attack on the administration of justice and the right to legal representation.

Lukwago was preparing to serve court summons on Gen Kainerugaba in a human rights case filed by Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Obeid Lutale. The summons were reportedly issued by High Court judge Emmanuel Baguma.

Throughout the day, Gen Kainerugaba posted a series of messages and photographs relating to Lukwago. In one post, he wrote “Ongea Kiswahili”, while in another he said: “He keeps saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry'. It won't help him now.”

He also defended the arrest in exchanges with lawyer Tonny Tumukunde and former Aruu County MP Odonga Otto, insisting that Lukwago's detention was justified.

By press time, police had not confirmed whether Lukwago had been formally handed over to them or whether any charges had been preferred against him.