The family of Ibra Kimera, a well-known National Unity Platform (NUP) supporter in Masaka popularly known by his alias Migunamiguna is gripped by fear following his alleged abduction by suspected security operatives in Kyabakuza, a suburb of Masaka City.
According to his wife, Shamim Nabayinda, Kimera was last seen on April 8, 2025, and has been missing ever since. Multiple attempts by the family to locate him at various police stations across Masaka have yielded no results.
"We don’t know where he is or what happened to him. We’ve checked every police station, and no one admits to having him in custody," Nabayinda said in an interview. "All we ask is, if he has a case to answer, let him be taken to court and tried legally."
Kimera’s disappearance has raised fresh concerns among NUP supporters, particularly the youth cadres known as "foot soldiers," who say enforced disappearances once rampant had recently declined in the region.
His abduction has, however, revived fear and anxiety within the political opposition.
According to Nabayinda, she and her husband were working on their garden on the day of the incident when he received a phone call from someone who asked him to come into Kyabakuza town to help with a mechanical issue. Not long after, she says, she received shocking news.
“One of my neighbors came around 7pm and asked me if I had heard the rumors that my husband had been taken in a drone. That’s when I knew something was seriously wrong,” she recalled.
The term "drone" is commonly used in Uganda to describe unmarked vans linked to security agencies.
Nabayinda says her search took her to Kyabakuza Police Station, then to Masaka Central Police Station (CPS), and later to Nyendo Police, but all stations denied having Kimera in custody.
“They kept referring me back and forth. No one had any answers,” she said.
A mother of three and currently unemployed, Nabayinda has pleaded with security agencies to come clean about her husband’s whereabouts.
“If he is being held somewhere, let him be produced in court. If not, we fear for the worst.”
Moses Kibuuka , an NUP coordinator in Masaka, believes Kimera’s disappearance is politically motivated.
“He was targeted because of his activism and his push for change in this country,” Kibuuka said.
He added that the party has made efforts to trace Kimera without success and now intends to pursue legal action. “We are not backing down. This will not stop our fight for justice and change,” he said.
When contacted, Masaka Regional Police spokesperson Twaha Kasirye confirmed that they had just received the report of Kimera’s disappearance.
"As far as we know, no police unit in the region is holding him. However, investigations are going to start to find out whether another security agency may be responsible,” he said.
Kimera’s case joins a growing list of Ugandans reported missing under mysterious circumstances. Many of them opposition supporters a trend that human rights defenders have repeatedly condemned.