NUP Supporter Flees Uganda, Citing Political Persecution

Uganda’s tense political climate continues to draw concern as more citizens report alleged state-led hostility.

Joy Bagyenda, a self-styled businesswoman and ardent supporter of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), is the latest to flee the country, citing persistent targeting by security agencies.

According to sources, security operatives have repeatedly raided Ms. Bagyenda’s home and business premises in Kampala. A senior NUP insider, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said she was recently arrested and released on bond under unclear circumstances.

“She has consistently endured harassment from security forces, serving as a mobiliser for NUP and supplying party garments — items that have often been banned and criminalised by the Ugandan government,” the source said.

The insider added that Ms. Bagyenda has faced years of surveillance and intimidation, putting her safety and that of her family and friends at risk, alongside repeated illegal arrests.

Uganda’s Constitution, as well as international and regional human rights instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, guarantees freedoms of assembly, expression, and the media. While restrictions are allowed under international law to prevent direct incitement to violence, they must be necessary, proportionate, and not arbitrary. Ugandan law also prohibits torture, inhumane, and degrading treatment, with provisions for prosecuting officials responsible.

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