Jailed National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy spokesperson Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro has written to chief justice Flavian Zeija seeking permission to attend the burial of his wife, Edith Katende Mufumbiro, scheduled for Saturday.
Edith passed away today after battling breat cancer for years. Mufumbiro has been on remand at Luzira Upper Prison since September 2025 after he was arrested alongside other NUP members over allegations of conducting unlawful military drills at the party’s offices in Makerere Kavule.
NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya said Mufumbiro is devastated by the loss, noting that he was unable to be by his wife’s side during her illness due to what the party describes as unjust charges.
Rubongoya said Mufumbiro had already learnt of his wife’s death through fellow inmates who had access to radios. When party officials visited him, he was found in a distressed state and being comforted at the officer in charge’s office.
Earlier, NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu announced Edith’s death on X, renewing criticism over the continued detention of opposition figures. He maintained that Mufumbiro was not present at the alleged scene of the drills and questioned why courts have repeatedly denied him bail.
Rubongoya said the letter to the chief justice seeks permission for Mufumbiro to attend the burial in Luuka district. He added that the request will accompany a fresh bail application expected to be heard on Friday.
Meanwhile, one of Mufumbiro’s lawyers, George Musisi, said the legal team is pursuing two possible options: securing bail through court or seeking special permission from the commissioner general of prisons to allow him to attend the burial under guard.
Musisi said the commissioner general has the authority to grant temporary leave to inmates on remand under strict conditions. He also argued that the charges against Mufumbiro are politically motivated and that he was not present during the alleged activities at Kavule.
He warned that denying Mufumbiro the opportunity to bury his wife would further damage the image of both the judiciary and the prisons system.
Musisi also expressed concern that similar requests by opposition supporters on long-term remand have previously been denied, even after the loss of close relatives. Mufumbiro and Edith Katende were married on May 16, 2022, at St Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe.
