Political activist and former Ethics and Integrity minister Miria Matembe has been remanded to Luzira Prison after being charged with promoting sectarianism.
The 73-year-old appeared before grade one magistrate Sheilah Gloria Atim at the Luzira Chief Magistrate’s court on Tuesday evening. She denied the charge and was remanded until Wednesday, July 1, 2026, when the court is expected to hear her bail application.
According to the prosecution, Matembe allegedly made statements on DK TV Uganda in June 2026 while in Nakawa Division, Kampala, to the effect that “all our taxes are being spent on the Banyankole women ministers.”
Prosecutors contend that the remarks were likely to promote hostility, hatred or ill will against members of the Banyankole ethnic group. Matembe pleaded not guilty and sought to be released on bail, citing her poor health.
However, magistrate Atim declined to consider the request after noting that no formal bail application had been filed electronically, in accordance with the Judiciary’s current procedures.
Addressing the court, Matembe said she was unwell and had only managed to attend the proceedings with assistance from friends and security personnel because she was experiencing severe back pain.
Her lawyers, including Uganda Law Society vice president Anthony Asiimwe, Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa and Steven Kalali, urged the court to release her on bail, arguing that she required urgent medical attention.
The magistrate, however, declined to entertain the application, noting that the defence had not presented any medical evidence to support the claims regarding Matembe’s health.
Atim also observed that it was too late in the evening to hear and determine a bail application. Matembe walked with difficulty as she entered the courtroom. Senior state attorney Mariam Kulusum informed the court that investigations into the case are still ongoing.
The prosecution said it had no objection to Matembe receiving medical treatment under prison security if necessary. Matembe disappeared from public view last week after security personnel raided her home in Luzira in an attempt to arrest her. She was not at the residence during the operation.
Sources later told URN that she was arrested at a hotel along Gayaza Road, where she had allegedly been staying. Over the weekend, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba posted on the social media platform X that Matembe had been arrested for “impersonation.” However, the charge presented before court on Tuesday was promoting sectarianism.
Matembe, a former member of parliament and one of the delegates to Uganda’s 1995 Constituent Assembly, remains on remand at Luzira Prison pending her return to court on Wednesday.
