FALSE: Available Evidence Contradicts Claim That Lukwago Was Merely Escorted by Security
CLAIM:
A social media video uploaded by the account @truthinuganda claims that former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago was not arrested by security operatives. According to the narrator, Lukwago voluntarily sought security protection to enable him to serve legal documents on the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and was therefore not taken into custody by authorities.
Within a few days of being uploaded, the video had amassed more than 4,000 likes, 995 comments, 416 bookmarks and 539 shares. However, evidence from news reports, court proceedings and public statements by the Chief of Defence Forces suggests otherwise.
FINDINGS:
To verify the claim, we used the Debunk Information Verifier, a tool used to search and verify claims, was queried using the phrase “Erias Lukwago taken in a drone.”
The search returned multiple reports detailing the circumstances surrounding Lukwago’s disappearance and subsequent court appearance.
A review of the retrieved reports indicates that Lukwago was taken from his residence by security operatives before later being produced before the Makindye Magistrate’s Court.
According to a report by Daily Monitor, Lukwago’s wife petitioned the High Court seeking his immediate release after he was allegedly taken away by security operatives. She stated that he had been preparing to serve court documents on Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba when he was taken from his home.
Similarly, Uganda Observer webiste reported that security operatives surrounded Lukwago’s residence before taking him away. The publication reported that witnesses and family members said he was bundled into a vehicle commonly referred to as a “drone,” a term widely used in Uganda to describe Toyota Hiace vans associated with security operations.
The claim is further contradicted by a series of public posts made by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on his verified X account.
In posts published on June 15 and June 16, 2026, the CDF repeatedly suggested that Lukwago was being held in his custody. In one post, he stated: “Nothing has made me release Lukwago. No pressure from anywhere. I wanted to keep him in my basement forever!” In another, he wrote: “My beloved wife Charlotte has convinced me to release the criminal Lukwago. I will release him because of my love for her.”
The CDF also shared images purportedly showing Lukwago while in detention. In one of the posts, he wrote: “Today, I will release this IDIOT to police. I have run out of diapers. Never test me again!”
While these posts do not constitute court records, they are inconsistent with the claim that Lukwago was merely travelling under a self-arranged security escort while serving legal documents. Instead, the posts indicate that Lukwago was being held against his will before being produced before court.
Subsequent reporting by Daily Monitor showed that Lukwago was later produced before the Makindye Magistrate’s Court and charged with imprisonment of treason before being remanded to Luzira Prison.
Taken together, the available evidence shows that Lukwago was taken into custody by security personnel before being presented in court. No evidence was found to support the claim that he simply requested security protection and was never arrested or detained.
METHODOLOGY:
To verify the claim, Debunk Information Verifier, a tool used to search and verify claims, was queried using the phrase “Erias Lukwago taken in a drone.”
Reports returned by the search were reviewed to establish the circumstances surrounding Lukwago’s disappearance, detention and subsequent court appearance. Additional searches were conducted to identify corroborating reports from other media outlets.
Public posts published by the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on his verified X account were also reviewed to determine whether they supported or contradicted the claim that Lukwago was not arrested.
VERDICT: False. Available evidence from multiple news reports and public statements by the Chief of Defence Forces contradicts the claim that Erias Lukwago merely sought security escort services and was never arrested. The reviewed evidence consistently indicates that Lukwago was taken into custody by security operatives before being produced in court on charges of misprision of treason.