Former spokesperson for the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Detective Assistant Superintendent of Police (D/ASP) Charles Twiine, has been missing for three days following a visit to the Police Headquarters in Naguru.
Reports suggest Twiine was summoned to meet the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday, but has not been seen or heard from since.
His wife, Ms. Kate Kabagenyi, says she has tried to find answers by visiting the police headquarters but has received no clear information about her husband’s whereabouts.
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“I’ve been at the headquarters since morning. Every officer keeps directing me to someone else, but no one is telling me where my husband is. We have proof that he arrived here—his personal vehicle is still parked at the premises,” Ms. Kabagenyi said on Friday.
Twiine had recently been assigned to Parliament as an investigative officer. Ms. Kabagenyi also checked with senior parliamentary officers, but they reportedly said they had no knowledge of his location.
She has since filed a missing person’s report at Kasangati Police Station to initiate a formal investigation.
Sources indicate that Twiine was last seen at the second floor of the Naguru headquarters—the location of the IGP and his deputy’s offices. Around midday, men in plain clothes believed to be from a police-affiliated agency were seen escorting him out of the building. He hasn’t been seen since.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke were unsuccessful.
According to official police regulations, any person taken into custody or handed over to another legal authority must have their next of kin informed, and they must be granted access to legal counsel or family while detained.
Such cases of disappearances have become increasingly common in Uganda, particularly among opposition supporters, many of whom have later reported being tortured while in custody.
Even police officers have fallen victim to unexplained arrests. In October 2017, seven officers were detained by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (now Defence Intelligence and Security) over allegations of abducting and extraditing Rwandan refugees, including Lt. Joel Mutabazi. They were also accused of failing to safeguard military equipment.
These officers were held for nearly six months without access to legal or family visits before being presented before the General Court Martial. Although they denied the charges, they remained in custody for over four years.
They were charged alongside then-Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, who was later granted bail and eventually had all charges dropped before being retired from the army. The charges against the officers were also withdrawn months afterward, although they had been previously restricted from leaving Kampala and Wakiso without court permission.
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