news 30 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda Law Society Calls for Release of Arrested DigiTalk Journalist Mukose
The Uganda Law Society and journalists' groups have condemned the arrest of DigiTalk Media's Arnold Anthony Mukose, demanding his immediate release after he was detained following a political talk show. The incident is seen as an assault on press freedom amid his involvement in challenging the now-nullified Computer Misuse Act. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uls-demands-immediate-release-of-detained-journalist-mukose-5408156
Lawyers from the Uganda Law Society (ULS) and various journalists’ organizations are urging authorities to free Arnold Anthony Mukose, a prominent journalist with DigiTalk Media, without delay.
Mukose was reportedly seized by plain-clothed security operatives around 1pm on Sunday outside Metro FM 90.8 on Martin Road in Old Kampala, right after participating in a political discussion. Eyewitnesses described how five men from a grey Toyota Noah grabbed him and forced him into the vehicle.
His attorney, Kato Tumusiime, revealed that the operatives later raided Mukose’s home in Lukuli-Nanganda, seizing items like laptops and phones. He is currently held at Old Kampala Police Station under a vague ‘general inquiry’ with no formal charges filed.
ULS President Isaac Ssemakadde labeled the arrest a blatant attack on the rule of law and free speech, noting it occurred soon after Mukose analyzed a recent Constitutional Court decision striking down parts of the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022, for procedural flaws.
“Abducting a journalist for commenting on a public court ruling undermines everything we stand for,” Ssemakadde stated.
The Uganda Journalists Association (UJA) echoed these sentiments, denouncing the ‘unlawful abduction’ and calling for accountability. Mukose, co-founder of Alternative Digitalk Media, was a key petitioner in the case that led to the law’s partial nullification.
Tumusiime suspects the detention ties back to Mukose’s activism against the law, as authorities scramble for new grounds to charge him. No official response has come from police or security agencies as of press time.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)