There was chaos and heartbreak in Mbarara on Monday evening as relatives watched helplessly while two police trucks loaded with detained National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters drove out of Mbarara Central Police Station without explanation. The silence from authorities has only deepened the anguish of families desperate for answers about where their loved ones are being taken and why they remain in custody.

The detainees, arrested last Friday while heading to a NUP campaign rally in Bwizibwera, had already spent several days in detention without being taken to court. Under Ugandan law, suspects are supposed to be produced before a magistrate within 48 hours of arrest, a rule that appears to have been ignored. Lawyers representing the group said they have been blocked from accessing their clients, accusing police of acting with blatant disregard for the law. “As the lawyers, we have also been denied access by the police, being played games here and there. But whatever they are doing is simply impunity which must stop,” said human rights lawyer Kato Tumusiime, visibly frustrated after hours of being turned away from the station.

For many of the families, the last few days have been a blur of confusion, fear, and sleepless nights. Among them is Sister Mercy, a resident of Mile 7 along the Mbarara–Ibanda Road, who said she was arrested alongside her husband but later released because she had an infant. Her husband, however, was not as fortunate. “We haven’t had peace; the baby cries every night wanting the father,” she said softly, tears gathering in her eyes. “They don’t tell us anything. We just see trucks leaving, and we wonder if we will ever see them again.”

Another relative, Benon Begumisa from Bugamba in Rwampara District, said his 26-year-old son, Hassan Musasizi, was among those arrested. “My son was taken on Friday and since then, we have not seen him or been told where he is being held,” Begumisa said, shaking his head in disbelief. “It’s painful that the police, who are supposed to protect the law, are the ones breaking it. How can they hide citizens from their own families?”

What has made the situation even more bewildering is that not all those detained were NUP members. Several were reportedly caught up in the sweep while attending a burial in Ibanda, and some are said to be known supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). Majidu Luganda, the chairman of the Katete Boda Boda Association, said many of those picked up had no political affiliation at all. “We have about 27 colleagues that were arrested, and we know them as NRM supporters. Some are even on party committees,” Luganda explained. “They were coming from a burial in Ibanda, carrying each other on motorcycles, and somehow ended up in the middle of a NUP procession. Now they are in detention, and we have been denied access to them.”

As the trucks disappeared into the distance, the crowd outside Mbarara Police Station grew tense. Some relatives shouted in protest, while others simply cried. The uncertainty has left families in emotional limbo, afraid to speak too loudly but unable to stay silent. The lack of official communication from the police has only made matters worse, fueling speculation and fear. Many believe the detainees have been transferred to Kampala or to a military facility, though no one has been able to confirm.

By nightfall, the once-bustling compound of the station had fallen silent, save for a few relatives who refused to leave, clinging to hope that someone might come out with information. But none did. As of Monday evening, police had not issued any statement explaining the arrests, the transfers, or the continued detention of the suspects. For the families left behind, the silence is deafening, and their hope, though fading, remains anchored in the simple plea that their loved ones be treated with dignity and brought before a court of law.