Fr. Ssekabira Expected in Court

Rev. Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira, a Catholic priest from Masaka Diocese who was dramatically abducted earlier this month, is expected to appear in court in Masaka today for the hearing of his case. 

Church leaders and family members have already gathered at the court premises in anticipation of the proceedings.

Rev. Fr. Dr. Charles Jude Jjuuko, the Masaka Diocesan Chancellor says they had received information indicating that the priest would be produced in court today. “We were told he would appear at 11 a.m. That time has passed. We are still waiting to see what unfolds,” Jjuuko said.

Fr. Ssekabira, 46, serves as a curate at Bumangi Parish in Kalangala District and runs charitable initiatives supporting vulnerable children. He has been held in military custody since his abduction on December 3, 2025. Eyewitnesses say armed men in Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) uniforms, travelling in an unmarked vehicle—commonly referred to as a “drone”—abducted him from his office in Katwe, Masaka City, without presenting an arrest warrant or offering an explanation.

For nearly two weeks, the priest’s whereabouts were unknown, prompting the Masaka Diocese, under Bishop Serverus Jjumba, to describe the incident as a “kidnapping” and an “enforced disappearance.” The diocese organized special prayers and pursued legal redress, including filing a habeas corpus application before the Masaka High Court to compel authorities to produce him.

On December 14, the UPDF confirmed that it was holding Fr. Ssekabira, accusing him of involvement in “violent subversive activities against the state.” In a statement, Acting Director of Defence Public Information Col. Chris Magezi said the priest was in “lawful custody” to aid investigations and “will be produced in the courts of law and charged accordingly.” The military admission followed earlier denials by the police, who had said they were unaware of the priest’s whereabouts.

Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, and several human rights organizations criticised the detention, describing it as part of a broader pattern of abductions targeting critics ahead of the January 2026 general elections. Catholic leaders, lawmakers, and the Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society (UCLS) have also condemned the manner of Fr. Ssekabira’s arrest and his prolonged incommunicado detention, describing it as unconstitutional.

In a strongly worded statement, UCLS demanded his immediate production before a civilian court, unrestricted access to lawyers and family members, and full disclosure of the charges against him. The matter was also debated in Parliament, where opposition MPs accused the military of violating the constitutional requirement to produce suspects in court within 48 hours of arrest.

Amid the political controversy, reports from some family members and church sources suggest that the case may partly stem from a longstanding family dispute. Sources close to the family allege tensions surrounding the management of the Uplift Vulnerable Children and Orphans (U.V.C.O.) Foundation and its associated primary school, co-founded by Fr. Ssekabira and his Germany-based brother, Dr. Joseph Wasswa, with donor support.

The claims point to disagreements with a sibling, Margrete Namatovu Nagawa, over financial governance, debts, and control of the charity, which supports orphans and street children. There are reportedly pending court cases related to the foundation and the school it operates.

However, neither the UPDF nor the police have officially linked Fr. Ssekabira’s arrest to these family disputes, and the allegations remain unsubstantiated amid the stated security-related charges. During President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign rallies in the Greater Masaka region ahead of the 2026 elections, Fr. Ssekabira’s brother, Andrew Matovu Kabulasoke, reportedly raised the matter with the president. Public details of the exchange remained limited.

Sources say Kabulasoke spoke about the plight of their father during the interaction, which occurred in the presence of Minister Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo and the Speaker of Parliament. Fr. Ssekabira’s family has longstanding ties to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). His late father, Charles Matovu Kabulasoke, was a prominent NRM supporter and grassroots mobiliser in Masaka and previously served as LC III chairperson for Nyendo–Ssenyange Division at a time when the opposition Democratic Party dominated the region.