Zalwango Lukwago struggled to hold back tears as she recounted the events surrounding the arrest of her husband, former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
Speaking to lawyers gathered at the Uganda Law Society (ULS) headquarters, Zalwango’s 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 was convened amid growing concern within the legal community over the arrest and prosecution of Lukwago, who is facing charges of misprision of treason. Seated beside the couple’s second-born daughter, a law student at Makerere University, Zalwango revealed that the arrest had taken a significant emotional toll on her family.
“She is supposed to be in lectures, but ever since they arrested her father, she has not been able to study,” Zalwango told the gathering. “I have been trying to counsel her and encourage her to remain strong.”
According to Zalwango, the family had 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 afterwards, loud knocks disrupted 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 alleged that armed security personnel forced their way into the house and demanded that Lukwago surrender himself.
“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 agonising days during which the family had no direct communication with Lukwago and relied largely on information circulating online 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, she said, was Lukwago’s health. Zalwango explained that her husband has been recovering from injuries allegedly sustained during previous arrests and continues to receive treatment for spinal complications.
She recalled an earlier incident 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 Division Police Headquarters, 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 further 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 also claimed that one of his arms had become partially immobile due to complications related to a previous operation and the conditions under which he was allegedly detained.
While much of her address focused on her husband’s welfare, she also used the occasion to appeal to the Judiciary to place greater emphasis on human dignity and the protection of fundamental rights.
“I appeal to the Judiciary to become more humane,” 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 remarks, Zalwango repeatedly thanked the lawyers representing her husband, particularly Medard Sseggona and the wider legal team, whom she credited with working tirelessly since the arrest.
She also expressed gratitude to journalists, members of the public and the Uganda Law Society for maintaining attention on the case. As the matter returns to court, Zalwango said her family remains hopeful that justice will prevail despite the uncertainty surrounding the case.
“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.”