By William Lwanga
Several supporters and members of opposition party National Unity Platform have in the recent past been abducted in the infamous drone vans, many of whom have either turned up murdered or tortured and maimed for life.
As a result of political persecution, many of them have run into exile while others are living in hiding, fearing rampant abductions, while hundreds of others have disappeared without a trace.
Among those whose whereabouts are unknown is Steven Omalinga, who is living in fear for his life after being hunted for his political activities about NUP.
Omalinga was an activist subscribing to NUP but information gathered indicates that during the time the People Power pressure that later transitioned into NUP was at its height before the 2020 general elections, he involved himself in canvassing support for NUP presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine in the Eastern Region, particularly in Atutur Sub-county, Apapai village, in Kumi district.
It is said however that things turned sour for Malinga after security personnel started hunting for NUP supporters in Kumi district, where he was based.
Omalinga was working closely with the late Elias Ejoku, a NUP member and mayoral candidate for Soroti Municipality who was murdered mysteriously in Kampala.
He was on the NUP Mobilisation Committee for Soroti District and before his gruesome murder he used to host most of the NUP activities in the district.
At the time of his murder, Ejoku had gone to Kampala to do some work concerning Bobi Wine’s political bid.
He was murdered on a Friday and his body was recovered at the Kampala Capital City (KCCA) mortuary in Mulago, with several injuries on his head and hands.
Relatives who looked at the body could clearly tell that the deceased had undergone so much torture before his death.
Ever since he died, life has never been the same for Omalinga and many NUP supporters in his home area in Kumi district.
Before disappearing, Omalinga learnt that he was being trailed on different occasions, which forced him to run away from his home area.
It is said that his house was at one time attacked by unknown armed people who were targeting his life, which perhaps forced him into hiding.
That was after he was tipped off that he was wanted to report to police to answer for unclear charges that had allegedly been registered vide case File No. SD REF: 18/3rd/03/2022
Relatives reveal that he tried to report a case of malicious damage at Kumi Central police station but nothing was done for him after armed men ransacked his home.
As a result of this, it is said that he disappeared to an unknown place for fear of his life, and to this day his whereabouts remain unknown.
Omalinga tried to seek legal redress for himself but it was all in vain since many renowned NUP members and supporters could not get justice in Ugandan courts.
Family members and relatives suspect that Omalinga feared the might face the same date as Ejoku who is one of hundreds of NUP supporters and members who have been abducted and or murdered in cold blood since 2020 to date.
It should however be noted that in all cases, there has been no conclusive investigation by the authorities, and NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine has over time paraded several families of abducted Ugandans, many of them women with young children.
