Before a room full of lawyers gathered at the Uganda Law Society headquarters, Zalwango Lukwago struggled to hold back tears as she narrated the events that had unfolded since the arrest of her husband, former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago. Her voice occasionally faltered as she thanked members of the legal fraternity for standing with her family through what she described as days of fear, uncertainty, and emotional distress.
“It gives me great courage and a sense of direction to see that the Law Society, our brothers and sisters, are standing with us as a family,” she said. The press briefing had been convened amid growing concerns within the legal community over the arrest and prosecution of Lukwago, who is facing charges of misprision of treason.
Seated beside their second-born daughter, a law student at Makerere University. Zalwango revealed that the arrest had taken a significant emotional toll on her daughter, who has struggled to concentrate on her studies since her father’s detention. “She is supposed to be in lectures, but ever since they arrested her father, she has not been able to study,”
Zalwango told the audience. “I have been trying to counsel her and encourage her to remain strong.” As she recounted the morning of the arrest, the room fell silent. According to Zalwango, the family had already received information that security operatives were surrounding their home. Despite the tension, she had prepared breakfast for her husband, hoping the day would proceed normally.
However, shortly after, loud knocks interrupted the morning. “We first heard a bang on the main door,” she recalled. “Then there was another bang on the bedroom door where Counsel Lukwago was.” She said armed security personnel forced their way into the house and demanded that he come out.
“I knew they had come for him,” she said. “When I opened the door and tried to resist, I was kicked down. They entered the room and arrested him.” What followed, she said, were three agonizing days during which the family had no direct communication with Lukwago.
Instead, they relied on information circulating online in an attempt to learn about his whereabouts and condition. “Our daughter would keep checking social media, hoping to find information about how her father was doing,” Zalwango said. “That was the only way we could know anything.” Her greatest concern during those days was her husband’s health.
Zalwango explained that Lukwago has been recovering from injuries linked to previous arrests and alleged torture. She said he continues to undergo treatment for spinal complications resulting from an incident several years ago. She recalled an earlier arrest in which, according to her account, Lukwago was forcefully bundled onto a vehicle and fell, sustaining injuries that affected his spine.
“He is still in the recovery process,” she said. “He has prescribed medication, prescribed food, and even prescribed sleeping and sitting positions because he is healing.” The family eventually saw him at Kira Police Station, where, according to Zalwango, he described the conditions he had endured while in detention. “When I met him, he told me he had been tortured psychologically and physically,” she said.
“He was in a lot of pain.” She alleged that Lukwago had been repeatedly slapped while in custody, affecting his hearing, and that he had been held in a poorly ventilated room despite suffering from respiratory challenges. “The room had no ventilation,” she said. “He has a breathing problem and now complains of pain in his lungs.”
Zalwango further claimed that one of his arms had become partially immobile due to complications connected to a previous operation and the conditions under which he was being held. While much of her address focused on her husband’s welfare, she also used the opportunity to make a passionate appeal to Uganda’s Judiciary. She urged judicial officers to place greater emphasis on human dignity and the protection of fundamental rights.
“I appeal to the Judiciary to become more human,” she said. “The rule of law must remain above everything else.” She questioned the decision to remand Lukwago despite his medical condition, arguing that alternative measures could have been considered.
Throughout her speech, Zalwango repeatedly thanked the lawyers representing her husband, particularly Medard Sseggona and the wider legal team, whom she credited for working tirelessly since the arrest. She also expressed gratitude to journalists, members of the public, and the Uganda Law Society for keeping attention on the case.
As the matter returns to court, Zalwango says her family remains hopeful that justice will prevail. For now, however, they continue to live through the uncertainty of not knowing what lies ahead. “We need you to continue standing with us,” she told the gathering. “We do not know where this journey will end, but your support gives us strength.”
Her testimony transformed a legal proceeding into a human story, one of a family grappling with fear, a daughter struggling to continue her education, and a wife anxiously waiting for answers while hoping that justice, ultimately, will prevail-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
