Matembe arrested from friend's house after 2 days on the run

Veteran politician and women's rights activist Miria Matembe has been arrested after spending two days in hiding following a security raid on her Luzira home earlier in the week.

Media personality JK Kazoora  who is a nephew to Matembe, said she was arrested about two hours before his update and taken to Mbuya.

"As of two hours ago, she was arrested and was taken to Mbuya. They have given her medication. From tomorrow or Tuesday we shall know if she is going to Luzira or be released," Kazoora said.

While it was initially suspected that Matembe was arrested on the day security forces raided her home on June 26, Kazoora revealed that she had managed to escape the arrest after receiving a tip-off while she was out jogging.

She reportedly received a tip off about the raid and hid in nearby trees before seeking refuge at a neighbour's home. 

She later moved to a friend's house, where she remained until her arrest.

Yesterday, Kazoora said he spoke to senior government officials who assured him security agencies were no longer interested in Matembe and that she could safely leave hiding.

However, when he shared the good news to family members and friends, he said, security used the chance to track her down.

"I personally messaged the family members, but as of this morning; they arrested two of Auntie's friends. I think they forgot to use WhatsApp calls or Telegram, they used normal calls; they tracked them and got them in. These were the ones that revealed to the security the whereabouts of Matembe," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Matembe's friends, Dr Sarah Bireete and Eunice Musiime, were arrested by security operatives and detained briefly before being released. 

It was not immediately clear whether they are the two friends Kazoora referred to in his update.

Security operatives raided Matembe's home in Luzira on Friday while she was away. 

Her husband, Nehemiah Matembe, said the operatives searched the house without identifying themselves or explaining the purpose of the operation before leaving empty-handed.

The family later reported her missing, saying they believed security personnel could have intercepted her while she was out jogging.

Matembe, a former Ethics and Integrity minister and one of the architects of Uganda's 1995 Constitution, has become one of the government's strongest critics. She has repeatedly condemned alleged human rights abuses, enforced disappearances and the growing role of the military in politics.

Kazoora said the family hopes Matembe's fate will become clear by Tuesday.

"We pray that all will be okay by Tuesday," he said.