Mukono North Member of Parliament, Abdallah Kiwanuka, has strongly criticised the prolonged detention of Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, questioning why a citizen would be held for weeks without being produced before a court of law.
Speaking during NBS Barometer on Tuesday, Kiwanuka asked pointedly: “Why would someone be arrested and detained for three weeks without being taken to court?”
According to documented accounts, Fr. Ssekabira, a curate at Bumangi Parish under the Catholic Diocese of Masaka, was abducted on December 3, 2025, from his office in Katwe, Masaka City.
Witnesses say armed men in military uniform, traveling in a so-called “drone” van, forcibly took him away in what many described as a covert security operation.
For 11 days, authorities remained silent on his whereabouts. On December 14, 2025, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) publicly acknowledged that they were holding the priest, accusing him of involvement in what they termed “violent subversive activities.”
However, when Fr. Ssekabira was finally presented before the Masaka Magistrate’s Court on December 23, 2025, the charge sheet told a different story.
The alleged offence was changed to money laundering, a charge the lower court admitted it had no jurisdiction to try. As a result, Chief Magistrate Abdallah Kayiza ordered that the priest be remanded until January 21, 2026, pending committal to the High Court.
By the time he appeared in court, Fr. Ssekabira had spent 20 days in illegal military detention without trial, a move lawyers argue is a blatant violation of the Constitution.
The case has ignited fierce criticism from the legal fraternity, with several lawyers describing the charges as a “smokescreen for political persecution.” They argue that the shifting accusations — from subversion to money laundering — raise serious questions about due process and the real motives behind the arrest.
The Catholic Diocese of Masaka, shepherdes by Bishop Serverus Jjumba, has previously described the abduction as a “grievous wound” to the Church and the wider community.
Church leaders have condemned the manner of the arrest and the prolonged incommunicado detention, calling it malicious and demeaning to both the clergy and the rule of law.
Kiwanuka’s comments have added political weight to the controversy, amplifying concerns that security agencies are increasingly bypassing civilian courts and constitutional safeguards.
Legal analysts note that under Ugandan law, a suspect must be produced before court within 48 hours, making Fr. Ssekabira’s detention a glaring anomaly.
Critics warn that such practices, if left unchecked, risk normalising illegal detention and eroding public trust in state institutions.
Pressure continues to mount on the government and the UPDF to explain the legal basis for his prolonged detention and the changing nature of the charges.
For many observers, the case has become a litmus test for judicial independence, human rights, and the rule of law in Uganda.
