Husband narrates ordeal as security raids Matembe’s home

Security operatives on Wednesday raided the home of veteran activist and former Ethics and Integrity Minister Miria Matembe in Luzira, sparking concern among family members over her whereabouts.

According to her husband, Nehemiah Matembe, the operatives searched the residence, including the couple’s bedroom, without identifying themselves or explaining the purpose of their visit before leaving empty-handed.

Nehemiah said he believes the team intended to abduct Matembe, who was away from home at the time of the operation. Family members said the group comprised both uniformed military personnel and plain-clothed operatives.

Witnesses said two women and one man dressed in civilian attire entered the compound while two armed soldiers remained stationed outside the gate. The team reportedly arrived in what residents described as a Toyota vehicle commonly referred to as a “drone.”

Nehemiah said the operatives forced their way into the residence and conducted a thorough search without speaking to him or presenting any documentation.

“Two individuals accessed the premises through the kitchen, while another entered through the main door and remained on the balcony facing outward. They found me in the sitting room. I asked who they were and what they wanted, but they ignored me, searched the bedroom and bathroom, then returned. I continued asking questions, but they never responded,” he said.

He added that the operatives searched every room in the house while armed and masked colleagues stood guard outside the compound. About 30 minutes later, they left without taking anything or offering an explanation for the raid.

Nehemiah said the incident left him shaken, noting that he is a retired civil servant with no criminal record or reason to warrant such an operation. He said his wife had left for the gym shortly before the raid and had since become unreachable, with her phones switched off.

Matembe has publicly criticised the Chief of Defence Forces, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, accusing him of misusing the military in political disputes and undermining state institutions. She has urged Ugandans to resist what she describes as the erosion of institutions, including Parliament and the judiciary.

In a recent interview, Matembe said Muhoozi should be more grateful and respectful towards Ugandan who have financed his upbringing, education and lifestyle since his father, Yoweri Museveni, came to power in 1986 when he was just 7 years.

Nehemiah questioned why security personnel would target what he described as a peaceful and law-abiding family.

Matembe is a veteran politician, women’s rights advocate and co-founder of the Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention. A former Ethics and Integrity Minister and one of the architects of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution, she has in recent years emerged as one of the government’s most outspoken critics.

She has consistently condemned alleged human rights abuses, enforced disappearances and what she describes as state-sponsored targeting of opposition politicians and activists.

Matembe’s relationship with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) soured in 2003 after she opposed the removal of presidential term limits.

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