By Swift Reporter
A photograph showing handcuffed journalist, activist and National Unity Platform (NUP) photographer Andrew Natumanya, popularly known as Tabz, has raised fresh questions about his whereabouts nearly a week after he was reportedly picked up by security operatives in Kampala.
The image, which circulated widely on social media on Monday, shows Natumanya seated in the back seat of what appears to be a double-cabin pickup truck, his hands cuffed in front of him. Reports quickly emerged that he had been dropped at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS), sparking hope among supporters that his whereabouts had finally been established.
However, those hopes were short-lived.
Lawyers and associates who rushed to CPS after news of his reported transfer were reportedly unable to locate him, leaving uncertainty over where he is being held and under what legal authority.
By Monday evening, police had not issued any statement confirming whether Natumanya was at CPS, had been transferred elsewhere, or was facing any criminal charges.
The lack of official communication has intensified concern among family members, lawyers, opposition leaders and human rights activists who have spent days demanding answers about his detention.
Natumanya was reportedly picked up by plain-clothed security operatives in Kamwokya on June 17. The circumstances of his arrest remain unclear.
National Unity Platform Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya was among the first to publicize the incident, alleging that the activist had been taken away in what opposition figures commonly describe as a “drone.”
“We’ve just been informed of the abduction of @NinyeTabz from Kamwokya a short while ago. He has been whisked away in a drone. The lawlessness continues!” Rubongoya posted on X.
The Uganda Law Society subsequently called for Natumanya’s immediate production before a competent court or his release. ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde said authorities should disclose his place of detention, the legal basis for holding him and any charges that may have been preferred against him.
Natumanya is widely known for photographing NUP activities and using social media platforms to comment on governance, accountability and political affairs.
His reported disappearance has renewed opposition criticism of what they describe as the use of “drones” Toyota Hiace vans allegedly used by security operatives to arrest government critics and opposition supporters.
The case has attracted additional attention because it comes at a time of heightened political tensions, including the recent arrests and detention of several opposition figures, among them former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago.
For supporters seeking answers, the photograph offered only a brief glimpse of Natumanya’s condition. It did little to resolve the central question that has persisted since his reported arrest: where exactly is Tabz being held?
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