The Uganda Law Society has condemned the violent break-in and assault on Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi at her home in Magere, Wakiso District, calling the incident a serious abuse of state power and a violation of basic human rights.
The attack happened on the night of January 23, 2026, just a few hours after a Uganda Law Society delegation visited Barbie Kyagulanyi earlier in the day. The meeting focused on legal options to challenge what the society described as an unlawful eight-day house arrest imposed on her family.
Accounts shared on social media and statements from several eyewitnesses, including Barbie herself and leaders of the National Unity Platform, say armed men forced their way into the residence while demanding information about the whereabouts of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine.
Several personal items and documents were allegedly taken during the raid.
In a statement released on Saturday, Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, said hundreds of security personnel surrounded and entered their home during the night. He claimed many were dressed in Special Forces Command uniforms, others in Uganda People’s Defence Forces attire, while some were in plain clothes.
Wine also alleged that some of the soldiers appeared drunk and arrived with ladders, suggesting they were prepared to access upper parts of the house.
He said the intruders broke doors, smashed windows and walls with hammers, and forcefully entered the home.
“They put my wife at gunpoint and demanded that she tells them where I was,” Kyagulanyi wrote. He added that money, important documents and electronic devices were taken, including phones, laptops, chargers, the home internet system, CCTV equipment and speakers.
Kyagulanyi said the soldiers searched every part of the house, including the ceiling, leaving extensive damage.
He further alleged that his wife was restrained and ordered to unlock her phone. When she refused, he said she was assaulted.
According to Robert Kyagulanyi, she was strangled, verbally abused, forcefully undressed and photographed. He also claimed that soldiers questioned her in Runyakore about why she had married a Muganda.
He said the family’s security guard and housemaid were beaten during the operation. The guard was allegedly forced to show the soldiers areas of the house where they believed Kyagulanyi was hiding. He added that the intruders asked about the whereabouts of their children.
“My wife is currently in hospital receiving treatment for both physical injuries and psychological trauma,” Kyagulanyi said. He also said military and police personnel remained deployed inside and around the home.
Despite the incident, Kyagulanyi said the family remained determined. “In all this, we remain firm in our belief that Uganda will be free,” he said.
In its statement, the Uganda Law Society said the attack, which it attributed to Uganda People’s Defence Forces personnel operating under police supervision, violated the rights to liberty, security, dignity and privacy.
The society said the incident reflected a wider pattern of intimidation against opposition figures following disputed elections.
ULS warned that such actions could fuel public unrest, citing reports of arrests, torture and enforced disappearances of National Unity Platform supporters in different parts of the country.
Citing its mandate under Sections 3(d) and 3(e) of the Uganda Law Society Act, the organisation said it would petition court to lift Kyagulanyi’s house arrest and challenge what it described as unlawful restrictions placed on her.
ULS also said it would begin an independent investigation to collect forensic evidence. The society plans to file civil and criminal cases against individuals found responsible, as well as their supervisors, over alleged torture, illegal search and seizure, and other human rights violations.
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