Joseph Kabuleta, the leader of the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED) and Muslim cleric Yahya Mwanje was arrested early today and taken to an unknown destination.
Sheikh Yahya Mwanje, the second-in-command of the Tablique Muslim community and the former presidential candidate, Joseph Kabuleta was taken away by certain plain-clothed men.
The cult’s leader, Sheikh Yunus Kamoga, claims that armed men in plain clothes took the Muslim cleric from outside the Nakasero mosque.
Joseph Kabuleta was also taken by unidentified persons today from his office in the Bugolobi office. He was driven away in a black Toyota Hiace minivan popularly known as a “drone.”
According to Uganda police, they were the ones that arrested Joseph Kabuleta today. He was arrested for disobeying a summons to appear before the Kampala Metropolitan Police on November 3, 2022, for an interview and statement recording in connection with the allegations of encouraging sectarianism.
“Today 28th November 2022 at 1255 hrs, Joseph Kabuleta was arrested after failing to honour police summons issued to him to report to KMP on 3rd Nov 2022 at 1000 hrs for an interview and statement recording on charges of promoting Sectarianism.” the Uganda Police Force tweeted in their official account.
Around 1:00 PM on Monday, the plain-clothed men are said to have taken Kabuleta from his party’s office in Bugolobi, Kampala.
Six individuals in plain clothes can be seen walking inside his office building in CCTV footage captured at the workplace. Four of the men approached Kabuleta, who was chatting with the other two men.
While one of them recorded the event on his phone, they requested him to accompany them. Before they took Kabulet away, one of the men is seen taking his phone. The arrest occurred shortly after Kabuleta spoke at a press conference regarding recent attacks on security systems and weapon theft in the nation.
Before the arrest, Kabuleta asked: “we have security issues here, a lot of uncertainties going on here, the president should come out and address the nation on these security problems that are popping up in the country instead of travelling to Vietnam, USA, claiming that he is attracting investors. Who can invest here with this uncertainty around?”
Over 12 hours after being arrested, Joseph Kabuleta’s party, the National Economic Empowerment Dialogue (NEED), had previously been unable to find where he was being held.
“They told us he was being taken to the Criminal Investigations Directorate CID,” said the party spokesperson Moses Matovu. “When we followed him to CID, we were shocked to know that they didn’t have him,” he added.
The vaccination of children in schools against diseases like COVID-19 and others has been one of the issues that Kabuleta has criticised. He makes allegations that the vaccines harm people and even result in death in some cases, which the government and World Health Organisation (WHO) both reject.
Elvis Mbonye, a pastor of Kabuleta, had already been questioned by police on claims that he used his social media platforms to spread misinformation about the vaccines for measles and rubella.
A few hours before the arrest of Kabuleta, unidentified assailants using a drone had captured Sheikh Ramadhan Yahya Mwanje, the previous acting Amir of the Jamatil Dawatil Salafiya Tablique Community, while he was leaving the Nakasero Mosque.
Siraj Kifampa, the group’s spokesperson, said they had not yet determined who was responsible for the arrest and its motivation.
We don’t know who took him but we are trying to establish his whereabouts,” Siraj Kifampa said.
Major Muhammed Kiggundu and his bodyguard Sgt. Steven Mukasa was killed on November 26, 2016, at the Masanafu Trading Centre in Lubaga Division. Sheikh Mwanje is one of the suspects accused of their deaths.
He remained in custody until June 2019, at which point the High Court’s International Crime Division released him on non-cash bail of Shs20 million, with the execution of non-cash bonds from each of his four sureties totalling Shs10 million.
Siraj Kimfampa said that Sheikh Mwanje has been returning to court on Monday at 9 am to hear his case. But was being taken away before that.
Sheikh Muhammed Buyondo alias, Matiya and Abdul Wahab Sendegeya, and Musa Sekandi, Alias Masanafu were the other suspects along with Sheikh Mwanje.
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