By Our Reporter
Kampala. Just days after reports emerged of the disappearance of the Senior Electoral Supervisor for Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu City, Richardson Tabu, 29, another Electoral Commission official has gone missing under unclear circumstances.
Semanda Magid, a senior driver at the Commission, disappeared on 14 March 2021. A close associate, who requested anonymity, said Semanda vanished without the knowledge of his colleagues.
“It is not the first time he has disappeared,” the associate said. “The first time, he was abducted by security operatives who accused him of working closely with the People Power movement, a political outfit linked to Bobi Wine, also known as Kyagulanyi Robert Ssentamu.”
The source added that Semanda’s family searched for him in hospitals across Kampala and neighbouring districts, relatives’ homes, police stations and other locations, but could not find him.Most police spokespersons and officials could not be reached for comment on the disappearances and the growing political tension.
Another source revealed that Semanda’s family has faced repeated political threats. His father-in-law was arrested in February 2019 for political activism.
His wife, Aisha Babirye, was arrested on 24 March 2019 for similar reasons, detained for three days, and later fled to the United States with their two children to seek asylum.
Uganda has increasingly become unsafe for political activism, with the government imposing strict restrictions on civic space. Security forces, including the military and police, are regularly deployed to intimidate, abduct, arrest and violently disperse opposition supporters and human rights advocates.
