On the morning of June 3, 2019, John Bosco Kibalama, an accountant, resident of Gayaza, and a Master’s student at Makerere University, set off to do his daily tasks. His wife and children saw him off, expecting him to return with the day’s bread. As he left his house in his Toyota Prado TX, none of them imagined it might be the last time they would see him. Kibalama, who was a hopeful candidate for the Busiro North parliamentary seat and openly supported the People Power movement, embarked on what would be a journey of no return.
The following day, police found his vehicle and belongings abandoned along the Mpererwe-Gayaza Road, but Kibalama was nowhere to be found. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, with each passing day bringing only silence. This silence from the authorities left his family and friends with many unanswered questions.
At the time of his disappearance, the government was known for taking vocal critics to secret detention centers, making Kibalama’s situation even more alarming. His abduction on Martyrs Day, a significant national holiday commemorating those who died for their beliefs, seemed particularly symbolic.
In a 2019 interview with The Observer, Muhammad Kavuma, the LC-I chairman of Nampunge village in Wakiso district where Kibalama was from, shared his thoughts on the abduction. Kavuma noted that after Kibalama began his political activities for the Busiro North seat, he started receiving strange, threatening calls from unknown people warning him to stay away from politics. These threats intensified after the violent Arua by-election in August 2018, where Kibalama and the People Power movement supported Kassiano Ezati Wadri’s successful parliamentary bid.
Kavuma explained that Kibalama was deeply involved in People Power activities, always accompanying Bobi Wine, the movement’s leader. While they could not confirm that his political activities led to his kidnapping, there were no known personal enemies who would want him to disappear. His abductors took nothing from his car, leaving his wife, Monica Nabukeera, to drive it home and wait for a ransom call that never came. The family remains extremely worried about his safety, unsure who took him or why. A police report was filed at Nakanyonyi police station under file number SD/02/04/06/2019.
Kavuma also recounted the family’s desperate attempts to find Kibalama, visiting various security offices like Kampala Central police station, Special Branch at Kireka, CMI, and ISO, all of which denied having him in custody. They exhausted all possible avenues without any success.
As Kibalama’s disappearance reached the five-year mark, Prime Minister Rt. Hon Robinah Nabbanja made a shocking revelation on February 2, 2023. In an interview, she admitted that Kibalama was in custody and linked his arrest to attacks on police stations that happened in 2023, despite his disappearance occurring in 2019. Nabbanja stated, “We are fortunate that Kibalama was traced. He was arrested recently in October (year not specified) in a place called Kakiri, and he is one of those claimed to have killed police officers in Kiboga, Wakiso, and other places.”
This statement prompted Kibalama’s wife, Ms. Nabukeera Monica, to try to contact the Prime Minister to find out where her husband was being held. However, Nabbanja did not respond to her calls, adding to the family’s distress.
The National Unity Platform’s legal team has been following Kibalama’s case, filing habeas corpus applications that have been ignored by the authorities. His wife and children continue to live in fear and uncertainty.
Currently, 18 other individuals, known as #TheMissing18, remain unaccounted for. Witnesses of their abductions live in fear, and the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has been accused of attempting to silence the families by offering financial settlements to close the cases. Despite these challenges, the National Unity Platform has repeatedly stated that the party remains dedicated to seeking justice for the missing and holding the perpetrators accountable.
